Record amount of fried rice

BANDUNG: The celebration of Indonesia's 56th Independence Day, which fell on Aug. 17., will be marked by the production of the world's largest amount of fried rice, totaling 5 tons, in Bandung, West Java.

Wendy Yanuar, coordinator of the event, said that the fried rice would be made by at least 45 chefs, grouped in the Association of Bandung chefs, on Aug. 25.

We're confident the fried rice will be registered as the most ever made in the world at one time," he said on Saturday.

Wendy explained that as the event had something to do with the commemoration of Independence Day, the way is was prepared would be closely linked with it.

The rice to be fried, for example, will amount to 2001 kilograms, in line with the year of its making. The 45 chefs will cook on stoves having 45 burners, denoting the year 1945 when Independence was proclaimed. Above the stoves, there will be a large-scale square kettle measuring one by 17 meters, denoting the Independence date. Around the kettle there will be eight small kettles, symbolizing the month of Independence.

"The rice will be distributed to 56 orphanages and homes of senior citizens, symbolizing the length in years of Independence," Wendy said.

The fried rice, which will use 2,000 chickens and 50,000 meat balls weighing about 100 kilograms, will cost about Rp 100 million (US$11,700), he said.

Wendy said that the making of the fried rice had originally been planned for Aug. 17, but was postponed for security reasons. "The police were afraid any disturbance to security would have disrupted the event," he said.

All of the process will be recorded and the film of it will be sent to the publisher of the Guinness Book of World Records in London, he added. (25)