Food Trail: Part Two – Jakarta

My trip to Jakarta was a spontaneous decision. One moment I was lying on bed, lazing around and next moment my tickets to Mumbai was posponed to another date and my tickets to Jakarta were booked instantly. Never made any such hasty decision in my life. Well there is always first time and I am glad that I went because I had a very good time.

My food trail started the minute I landed in Jakarta. My family who came to fetch me from the airport drove me directly to an Indian Restaurant called ‘Queen’s Tandoor’ that serves fusion Indian food. There were street food like Pani puri, sev puri and then their were those indian desserts like falooda and kulfi. But the most interesting was this Rumali Roti roll that tasted like a frankie. Rumali roti was stuffed with egg omelet and chicken and was tightly rolled. When cut into slices , each slice seemed liked a Swiss roll.

The best thing about visiting a new place is to try the local food and know their culture. We went to a huge mall called ITC Mangga Dua that had rows and rows of shops selling almost everything. It looked like a street market and is the biggest wholesale market in Jakarta. On one of the floors, there were only street food stalls. 

"Look at her grinding stone" said my cousin " See its so large and look at its shape, lets watch them work."

We stopped at  Soto Betawi Pinangsia, there were four women churning out delicious dishes. They had a huge concave stone in which they made peanut chutney. It was interesting to watch them work.

When in Jakarta, eating Satay in Kecap Manis sauce is a must.

Eating sea food at 212 Wiro Sableng was quite an experience. The strong fragrance of the grilled fish instantly tickled my taste buds and I couldn’t wait to get inside. I watched the man grill the fish on an open fire outside the restaurant, each time he brushed the fish with copious amount of sauces,  the dark orange flames came alive again. Thick smoke floated in the air almost blinding me.

The interior had just wooden tables and plastic chairs, a very humble restaurant, but when the food arrived, nothing mattered, just seafood…..crabs, shells, fish, jumbo prawns, and those spicy sauces. While I write this..I am drooling all over again…..

Imperial Shanghai Lamian Xiao long Boa is a popular Chinese restaurant known for its fresh noodles made instantly in the open kitchen behind the serving console. It was interesting to watch the chef roll out the dough, stretching it with his fingers to make into long noodles in minutes.

For every order, the noodles were made instantly and served. They tasted good in a soups and stir fries. Loved all the dishes that we ordered, they were authentic Chinese dishes. Its no wonder then that there was a serpentine queue outside this restaurant, all waiting for their turn to get in.

The singing artist crooned an Indian Bollywood number 

‘Kyu ki tum hi ho, tum hi ho, zindagi meri’ 

and many people at their tables swung to the melodious music. Hearing Indian music in Jakarta has different kind of pleasure. The place was packed with people scattered everywhere in a food hub called Sableng Kelapa Gading

There was street seafood again at Sari21 most delicious sea food, similar to the one I had at Wiro Sableng. Enjoyed the crabs though.

Padang cuisine is one of the most popular cuisine in Indonesia. The most interesting fact about this restaurant called Medang Baru was that there was no menu card to choose the dishes. Whatever was cooked in their kitchen was brought to our tables.

 "We cannot eat so much food" I protested. 

 "Eat what you can." informed my cousins.  

The dishes that lay untouched on the tables were taken back and we were charged only for what we ate. The food was excellent with bold flavors and their rich use of spices. Every dish tasted differently and we hogged like there was no another day.

Our last evening was spent at Fountain Lounge of Grand Hyatt, closer to large glass windows that offered great view of the Plaza Indonesia and the live music played inside. We came to spend an relaxing evening with continental food like sandwiches, cheese rolls, fish cutlets and drinks.

Jakarta is truly a great place to enjoy street food with its’ fragrance of spices always hung in the air.

Also Read
Food trail Part one - Hong Kong
Food trail part three. Voyagers of the seas

Food Trail: Part One- Hong Kong

I belong to a fun loving family. Going for sight seeing, museums, beaches and gardens and parks are done only if there are children to entertain (been there, done that). Other wise its just food or shop. Last month we had family reunion where my family from different parts of the world (Bangkok, Chicago, Dubai, Los Angeles and Pune) met at Hong Kong. We took seven days cruise from Hong Kong to Okinawa, and then also went to Macau and Jakarta for few days. There was big party all the time.

The party started on the first day itself. We hadn’t even finished unpacking that we met for lunch at a huge Paramount Banquet hall. Inspite of having more than 40 dining tables, the restaurant was full…the food was excellent. We had Chinese. 

I specially loved the Tender Fish Heads and Peking Duck (my favourite)

One afternoon we spent at the Repulse Bay (Hong Long side). While the children and their parents swam at the beach or played at the park outside the restaurant, we spent our time at WTF that had great many restaurants. We dined at Amaltifina Artisan Pizza Bar, that served oven fresh pizzas and sandwiches. One dish I particularly liked was the starter that looked like a dessert. The taste was awesome. Loved the presentation of them serving it in the cylindric shape that fell apart as soon as I touched it with a spoon. It was a nice tangy dish of Tomatoes Avocado and Buffalo Cheese With Sweet Sauce

Some evenings were spent at WoolooMooloo, a restaurant bar at 21^st floor with a beautiful view. There was a narrow balcony on one side of the restaurant, where we could sit and enjoy the laser play of lights on skyscrapers. We had pizzas, sandwiches, coffee, drinks  and of course Smoked Salmon

Chao Yang was another restaurant where we could enjoy the view from 27^th floor. There is a beautiful view of the harbour with calm waters and large boats. On a clear day, view is fantastic. Since many members of my family are vegetarian, we enjoy when there is variety of food for all. This restaurant had great selection of vegetarian meal specially Mushrooms and Tofu was enjoyed by all while others ate Chicken and other Chinese dishes.

When in Hong Kong, one visit to Korean restaurant is a must. The fun is at cooking on the tables with a small burner in the centre of the table. Marinated meat with assorted sauces, crispies and chopped spring onions are served. While we roasted the meat, we enjoyed the plateful of Shrimp Tempuras  in the bed of deep-fried noodles at Arirang Korean Restaurant

Golden Bull , a French Vietnamese restaurant has a beautiful décor with large painting on the walls. The shelves have beautiful antique vases and other decorative pieces. we can feast on artistic ambience till the food arrives.  It is pricey but nice. When in Vietnamese restaurant, Spring Rolls with Mint leaves and Soya Chili Vinegar is a must

A nice Tappanyaki  Japanese restaurant atShangrila hotel is Nadaman that serves set meals. we ordered Set Meal that included a starter, a salad, a rice dish and a dessert. The food was great and I loved the soft, melt-in-the-mouth Sea food with horse radish Wasabi that gives an instant kick as its strong tangy flavour escape through nose like burning fumes. 

Cali-Mex Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant is interesting because it had a beer taps at every table. There are high chairs and sofas and one can just help themselves with unlimited amount of beer from the taps. We enjoyed Tacos at Cali-Mex Taqueria

Early morning, my cousins went to Chee Kei for breakfast and came back saying that they have had the best Wanton Mei in Hong Kong. Curiosity got the better of me and so we did go to try after some days.  Loved the wantons noodles at this stop

Macau Restaurant is known for their spicy crabs, it’s a small place but serves good street food. The crabs were not available that day so we ordered Wanton Noodles Soup

Everyday there was a visit to a different restaurant and trying of different cuisine. Everywhere the food is delicious, be it Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Mexican. And no, I did not visit any Indian restaurant in Hong kong, although I was told that Indian club have very good Indian food. But then why would I have Indian unless I am eating at home?

to be continued....

Food trail at Cruise 'Voyagers of the Seas' and in Jakarta coming up soon....

Master Class on Dim Sum

I know Rushina M Ghildiyal for quite some years now. She is gentle, friendly and very inspiring cook. Food is always on her mind. She is always on look out for new recipes and new restaurants and is the main person in bringing all the food bloggers together. I remember some years ago, I had met her at a supermarket and she excitingly told me about the food studio that she was furnishing. There was glitter in her eyes when she talked about her new venture of having a cook studio of her own, where there would be workshops and product launch of food and recipes., where new dishes would be tried out, where new recipes would pop out.

That was long time ago. This month Rushina celebrates five years of her APB Cook Studio. How time flies! But like always, she celebrates with a style while whole food industry watches her moves. There were great many events organised at her cook studio to celebrate her five years of success. Last Sunday I was invited for hands-on Dim sum workshop .

Chef Cham of the Emperor’s court restaurant of Renaissance Hotel and Convention centre was to host the fabulous Dim Sum Class.

When I reached her APB Cook Studio, there was lot of activity and preparations. All the vegetables, meat and sea food (that would be used for filling) were being finely chopped. Chopping is lot of work (mind you)

After a short introduction, the class began with making of the dough for 'yeast based Bao'.

300gms of refined flour was sieved into mixing bowl,

30gms sugar, and salt was added to the flour

8.5gms of dry yeast was mixed with warm water and left to activate. Once there was froth, he added to the flour mixture, 120ml of water was added to make a smooth dough, kneading it for more than 10 minutes till it became very soft and smooth. It was covered and kept in the warm place for 45 minutes till it became double the size.

After an hour, the dough was divided into 12 equal balls. They were rolled into thick circles. A spoonful of the filling was placed into circle and by bringing ends together, the filling was sealed inside the dough. They were then kept on a greasy plate and left it for another 30 minutes. Once it had risen, it was transferred into the top half of a steamer with boiling water and cooked for 25 minutes till tender.

Chicken filling for Boa was already prepared. but chef did make vegetarian filling for boa during the session.

In a large pot, water was boiled and chopped carrots and pakchoy was blanched, removed from water with a strainer and kept aside..

20gms of finely chopped garlic was fried till light brown. He added 40gms of Hoisin sauce, 1tsp of chili bean sauce, 1tsp of honey and mixed it well. Then he added the finely chopped vegetables that included Chinese cabbage, Pakchoy, yellow and green Zucchini, carrots and water chestnuts. Seasoning like five spice powder, and vegetable aromatic powder was added, 2tbsp of corn starch was added to bind the mixture. Finely chopped spring onions and few drops of truffle oil was added. This filling was then used for filling the Boa.

I tried making flour based gyoza

It was simple really. 

Just mix 250gms refined flour and salt and knead it with plain water. The trick is to knead the dough well, making it smooth and soft. Cover it with cloth and set aside. Rolling the circle with the normal rolling pin (that tapers on both sides) might not be apt. a pipe or a bamboo roller pin of equal diameter would be better. You have to flatten the ball and roll it with the pipe in such a way that ends become thinner while the centre is thicker for holding the filling. Only thumb and one finger is used for binding the edges to seal the ends. You can be creative and shape it artistically too.

 The toughest was to work with starch based crystal dough.

Remember the transparent dim sums that we get in the restaurants? I think these are the tastiest of all but toughest to make, because the dough is so rubbery that it was shaped not with rolling pin, but pressed under broad blade knife. Even making the dough is tricky.

Set a pot of water on high flame and let it come to a rolling boil. Sieve 160gms of potato starch and 200gms of wheat starch. Add one ladle of cold water to the bowl and stir till starch dissolves. Then add one ladle of hot water to the bowl and stir till it becomes a smooth, medium soft dough. Transfer the dough on a clean flat surface and knead it with little potato starch and oil, till it is very smooth. (knead at least for ten minutes) cover and set it aside.

Enjoyed making the dim sum and eating it of course. 

The dip was delicious too

We can make it by blanching 2 tomatoes in a pot of boiling water till skin begins to peel off. Take it out from water and peel off the skin and place in mixer grinder. Add 2red chilies, 6garlic cloves(peeled) 1/4tsp black peppercorn crushed and salt to taste.

Grind to a smooth paste and enjoy with dim sum

It was a fun afternoon. Came back with food hamper of goodies from Nordic Kandie, Bonne Maman and Kolln.