Memasak Di Rumah Ibu Agnes

 On the morning of 17/03/11, a team of 11 budding chefs gathered at Ibu Agnes’ house to learn the recipes of 2 traditional Indonesian dishes, Talam Ebi and Panada. The dishes were relatively simple but very delicious.  These students came in with no prior knowledge in the area of Indonesian cuisine. However I must say that they left with not only the skills to whip up traditional dishes with finesse but also the passion and interest in the Indonesian culture. Much learning took place in the short span of 2 hours and words alone cannot do justice to the vividly enriching cooking session. Below are just a few of the more sensational moments captured during the session.  

The humble ingredients that greeted the students as they entered the kitchen.

The first dish of the day was Talam Ebi. A fragrant coconut milk kueh dish

Boiling the milk may look menial but the task was rather arduous. A lot of effort was put in to stir gently and evenly.

The chefs were also very lucky that Ibu’s son, Matthew, was hyperactive in all the right areas :)

Coconut milk was left to steam and after a good 30 min, the dish was done. Garnishing was separate of course.

The second dish of the day was Panada- a traditional seafood curry puff dish

Mix and mix and mix!

Ibu Agnes teaching the pack the art of making the perfect curry puff.

The culmination of 2 hours of hard work, patience and determination. Bon Appetite!

In retrospect, the students found the session to be a fruitful and wondrous one. Even though the ingredients were simple and by no means fancy, the students learned that tasty dishes could still be made.