Award-winning soup from Jakarta Bay

Award-winning soup from Jakarta Bay

JAKARTA (JP): Surprise, surprise. A team of Hotel Mercure
Rekso Hayam Wuruk never in their wildest dreams imagined that a
soup recipe which they created would be served up in Paris and
win an international award.

The team was so confident that the soup would be liked by
people across all continents that when they had an opportunity to
participate in an international cooking competition they brewed
up their soup to represent Indonesia.

As a result, it clinched top spot in the prestigious cooking
competition Internationales Victories de la Cuisines, organized
by the International Food Trade Exhibition (Salon International
Des Metiers De Bouche) in Paris. Held last month, the competition
attracted participants from 52 countries.

The "Jakarta Bay Seafood Soup" offers a mouth-watering
combination of spices and fresh sea produce. Here, our award-
winning chefs share the recipe with The Jakarta Post readers.

Jakarta Bay Seafood Soup

* 240 g prawns
* 140 g local scallops
* 200 g snapper fillets
* 160 g squid
* 200 g green mussels
* 120 g sea cucumber
* 120 g fish maw
* 100 g red chilies (crushed)
* 80 g tomatoes (thinly sliced)
* 80 g leek (thinly sliced)
* 120 g ginger (thinly sliced)
* 200 g carrots (thinly sliced)
* 30 g garlic (chopped)
* 200 g onion (sliced)
* 30 g lemon grass stalk
* 20 g bay leaves
* 100 ml cooking oil
* 50 g tomato paste
* 30 g salt
* 20 g pepper
* 100 ml white wine
* 20 g kaffir lime leaves
* 1.5 l fish broth
* 700 g French bread
* 100 g butter
* garlic butter
* chili paste

Serves 8

1. Cut all seafood into cubes, except the prawns.
2. Stir fry onion and garlic until fragrant, then stir in red
chilies.
3. Add seafood and pour in white wine. Cook until wine
evaporates, then add tomato paste, kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves
and lemon grass. Cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Pour in fish stock, then add ginger and carrots. Allow to
simmer for 5 minutes until carrots soften. Do not overcook.
Season with salt and pepper.
5. Garnish with tomatoes, leek and lemon grass. Serve hot with
toasted French bread, spread with garlic or chili paste.

Recipe courtesy of Hotel Mercure Rekso - Hayam Wuruk, West
Jakarta.