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.