Like most chefs, Ragil Imam Wibowo
says that local sourcing is the foundation of an exceptional menu. Unlike most
chefs, however, the 46-year-old will journey to distant reaches of the
archipelago in search of exotic, rare or unknown ingredients.
YOU’RE IN OPEN
boat battered by five-meter waves in the Molucca Sea. It’s 45 minutes into a
half-hour trip, the skies have gone dark, land is nowhere in sight and food is
the last thing on your mind.
Unless you’re Ragil Imam Wibowo.
A cherubic figure with an easy smile
and lime-green glasses, Ragil frequently crisscrosses the nation to devise the
menu for NUSA Indonesia Gastronomy in Kemang, South Jakarta. The restaurant
offers a fine dining take on traditional Indonesian cuisine that’s delighted
local gourmets since opening in 2016.
Ingredients there are exotic-like
the neither-dry-nor-sticky rice Ragil found it comes, one small bag at a time
from the interior of Kalimantan carried out by a Dayak shaman from Adan Krayan.
The rice is said to be a favorite of the Sultan of Brunei.
On the menu, there’s also a
flavorful slow-braised duck (organic, of course) that’s been matched with
mushrooms from a remoteforest in Bangka. Thriving, locals say, only when
there’s a thunderstorm followed by sunshine, the delicate and rare mushrooms
cost millions of rupiah per kg.
Keeping NUSA’s menu vibrant means
Ragil and his wife of 18 years ,the architect Mei Batubara, go off the grid for
culinary adventures three or four times a year.
These are not trips for the faint
hearted, Mei said. “Our friends say, ‘Let us know when you’re travelling! We
want to come along!” she recalled. “We say, sure-but can you survive without a
bathroom?” travel with the pair includes homestays and backpacking, along with
lugging coolers and zip-close bags for their discoveries.
Ragil, a five-time Iron Chef
Indonesia winner, fell in love with visiting local markets when travelling the
country as a corporate chef. “From Java-from east to west-the food in the
traditional markets is basically the same,” he said. “But in Sumatera. Aceh is
different from Padang-from Tapanuli. The diversity is much greater.”
His philosophy is simple: “More
remote menas more interesting.”
Mei and Ragil frequently travel with
no itinerary, escorted by culinary ystudents or local chefs. A former cooking
show host, also excited to shar their knowledge with interested, passionate
visitors, Mei said.
For example, in Solok, West
Sumatera, Ragil said he was amazed to find villages full of large, fresh
sapodilla (sawo) that could be never found in Jakarta, since the good stuff
gets sold before reaching the capital. Ragil brought one of the farmers to
NUSA, where he received a standing ovation.
But sometimes it’s not so easy.
Ragil recalled eating a delectable dish of fried bananas at one Makassar
market. There was a knock-out ingredient in the sambal that the seller wouldn’t
identify. Is it…terasi (shrimp paste)? Ragil asked. No. is it…ikan roa
(garfish)? No, no, no, was the reply.
The next daiquiy, Ragil returned and
met a woman selling plastic bottles full of an ugly, brown, cloudly liquid. He
had a taste. Eureka. This was the mystery ingredient, the woman said. It was
bakasang, a terasi-like liquid made from fermented tuna intestine and eggs. The
best paste comes from the eggs, which are soaked in salt water for 40 days.
Ragil returned to Jakarta with a
bottle-and the woman’s number, She’s now a supplier.
In Papua: Ragil was amazed by live
squid the changed color from green to black before his eyes in Sorong. In
Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara; Ragil dined on fried crickets at a rollicking
seaworm festival. (Pro tip: Ragil says festivals bring out the best food
sellers in any region).
It was in Sanighe Islands Regency in
North Sulawesi where Ragil agbain firted with death, dining on daluga, a local
tuber, which-like fugu, the Japanese blowfish-is deadly if not prepared right.
The key is to harvest a daluga
that’s neither too old nor too young. It’s a secret that’s closely guarded by
local eleders. Ragil said he looked for pieces that “were not too poisoned”.
If you wnt to explore Indonesia,
visit NUSA and chef well share his stories, “Food is always key to opening
doors,” Ragil says. “Food is what makes people come together.” [From : The
Jakarta Post | Words: Christian Razukas]
Sansa dance originated from the legend of evil demons were punished by the god of the temple
Mitsuishi. Satan vowed
not to repeat his actions again
by putting his hand on a rock. Population
very last revelers
danced around the stone. It is said that 'the stone and hand' (iwa and
te) that the
origin of the name of Iwate Prefecture.
