Cooking contest whets Japanese appetites

Cooking contest whets Japanese appetites

By Emma Cameron

JAKARTA (JP): Eight cooks stand behind kitchen tops -- six in
tall, starched chefs hats and two in brightly colored
handkerchiefs tied firmly to heads. The mood is slightly tense
yet friendly.

Slowly the sounds of cooking fill the air -- chopping,
stirring, frying and grinding. With the sounds come the smells --
spicy, pungent and tantalizing.

Welcome to the final round of The Daily Jakarta Shimbun
Cooking Competition. The contest, which is being run for the
first time, is an attempt to make Indonesian food appealing to
Japanese palates.

The Jakarta Shimbun (Shimbun is Japanese for newspaper),
presented the event and has a daily circulation of 4,500.
Marketing manager Ekana Yulianti said, "We wanted to show that
Indonesian food means something other than nasi goreng and sate
ayam."

The Japanese community is gaining strength in Jakarta as many
families return to a safer Indonesia after the presidential
election. According to Ekana there are currently about 30,000
expatriate Japanese living in Jakarta. She believes events such
cooking competitions and services such as a Japanese language
newspaper help to keep Japanese people satisfied while staying in
Jakarta.

The competition was open to the public and was encouraged to
be a "housewives competition" rather than one simply for chefs.
However, by the final round most participants were professional
chefs working at various restaurants around Jakarta.

Not so the judges however, some of whom were picked randomly
from the crowd. Wardiman Djojonegoro, former minister of
education and culture and now advisor to The Jakarta Shimbun, was
one of the judges and admits to no longer cooking himself. His
cooking career was brief and limited to necessity "I first began
cooking in Holland -- there I was a student and had to cook
myself."

Finalists were given one hour and 15 minutes to make three
meals consisting of an appetizer, main meal and dessert which had
to be their own creation. Participants were judged on
presentation, originality and popular appeal (the ability of
their dish to be eaten by anyone).

During the allotted cooking time, the audience flocked to the
makeshift kitchen benches, fascinated by the flames and color as
the art of cooking unfolded before them. However, for the final
10 minutes the crowd respectively drew back to allow the cooks to
finish in peace.

For one contestant the crowd was no problem as he had finished
some time ago, but for another the allotted time was not enough
as he surreptitiously put together the finishing touches despite
the clock having run out.

After a taste test by audience and judges alike and a cooking
demonstration to pass the time the winners were announced. A
special mention was given to Robby Kauditan with his appetizer of
Roasted Apple and Garlic Soup, main course of steamed, wrapped
patin fillet and dessert of banana crepes with chocolate sauce.

Third prize of Rp 2.5 million was given to Iwan Sonagar with
his appetizer of kepala kakap rasa ponyo (delicious snapper
head), main course of lobster bakar bumbu mayonnaise (braised
spiced lobster with mayonnaise) and dessert of nasi goreng teri
Medan sawi asin (fried rice Medan with salted fish and savory
Chinese cabbage).

Second prize of Rp 5 million went to Endang Sunardi with his
appetizer of prawn, avocado and green papaya salad, main course
of baked snapper with sauteed feratip and dessert of young
coconut and banana pudding.

First prize of Rp 10 million and a round trip from Jakarta to
Tokyo went to Kelana Effendi. Immaculately presented right down
to the flower in the vase, Kelana's attention to detail showed
through in the taste of his creation (inarguable the most
important part).

His appetizer named Zensai Sitake To Kikka Kabura Ae consisted
of a zucchini boat on which was placed egg and shrimp, as well as
a side dish of stuffed mussels -- presented in their shell. The
main course Managatsuo masu gama ikomi was a concoction of
broccoli, baby corn, shrimp and fish in a specially prepared
sauce with hints of paprika and ginger.

The dessert "Rice cream" was a smooth blend of rice, milk,
sugar and flour over which was poured a strawberry sauce not
complete without the garnish of whipped cream, mint and sliced
strawberries.

Kelana showed an ability to not only present well but to
create a meal that pleased as a whole, something which made him
stand out from the crowd. His pleasantly spicy main course
contrasted well with his milky yet fruity dessert. His
concoctions were not overpowering and still did not fall prey to
the problem of blandness.

Kelana's win was a crowd favorite with family and friends
there to see his victory. After the win a shout of "3 ... 2 ...
1!" resounded (Kelana's entry number was three). The victory was
perhaps not surprising considering Kelana's status as head chef
at the AOI Japanese restaurant (also a sponsor at the event).

Kelana often uses his creativity there with new dishes
appearing regularly under his guidance. An Indonesian trained in
the Japanese style, Kelana was able to use this to create a meal
with Indonesian ingredients and an Indonesian flavor while being
cooked in the Japanese style. However, if his family wishes to
taste his genius they will have to make a booking at the
restaurant like the rest of us because, "at home my wife cooks",
he said.