Indonesia's Wongso unearths culinary treasures

An woman grinds pepper at a refugee camp in Banda Aceh, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra January 20, 2005. Whether he's serving slow-cooked chicken or marinated soybean, Indonesian chef William Wongso sees spicing up his dishes with unusual local ingredients as key to his mission to promote the archipelago's diverse cuisine.

JAKARTA (Reuters Life!) - Whether he's serving slow-cooked chicken or marinated soybean, Indonesian chef William Wongso sees spicing up his dishes with unusual local ingredients as key to his mission to promote the archipelago's diverse cuisine.

Choosing recipes from his grandmother's time, such as tempeh, or soybean cake, fermented in garlic and salt until it turns black, the 61-year-old chef introduces new twists to the old on his popular television cooking show "Cooking Adventure with William Wongso".

The owner of three top restaurants, such as the showpiece, appointment-only, William's Kafe Artistik in Jakarta, where businessmen woo clients with foie gras egg curd and tiny chocolate pianos, Wongso recently opened an innovative "infused noodle" shop, Mie Item, which sells black squid ink noodles.

Here he talks to Reuters Life! about Indonesia's varied cuisine and why specialties from across the archipelago deserve a greater appreciation.

Q: You've said that enlightening foreigners about the diversity of flavors in Indonesian cooking is one of your long-term goals. Do you think visitors to Indonesia typically get a good introduction to Indonesia cuisine?

A: "All they know is nasi goreng (fried rice), satay and maybe rendang (slow-cooked beef curry). With 17,000 islands and 600 dialects, there's so much more."

Q: Is this a problem for locals too, given the country's geographic and cultural diversity? Do you want to encourage a more adventurous and appreciative gourmet culture at home?

A: "(Yes.) Even Indonesians are very narrow in their palate, very regional and a lot of food never travels to other regions."

Q: What are some hidden treasures?

A: "From Aceh, at the westernmost tip of Sumatra island, I relish the intense sour taste that comes from the use of asam sunti made from salted, dried star fruit and used in seafood dishes.

Fermented coconut paste, known as pliu, made from the leftovers from the coconut oil-making process and spread on salad, is another favorite Acehnese flavor. It's very rich and tasty, like the after-aroma on aged tempeh."

Q: Balinese cooking is another of your favorites. What should visitors to Bali look out for?

A: "Spit-roast pork, in which the pig's belly is stuffed with chili, fermented prawn paste, galangal and turmeric, and "bebek betutu", or betutu duck (the word 'betutu' describes the process).

There are two versions: in one, the duck or chicken is wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked slowly inside the ashes of a rice bran fire until the next day. The other kind, they boil with combination of mix spices.

Another unique thing is the Balinese salad lawar. It is a salad with the meat of different parts of the animal and they always add fresh duck blood. The flavor of the blood is very sweet and rich."

Q: On your TV show you urge viewers to share your enthusiasm for the unusual and exotic. Do you think chefs get enough recognition in Indonesia?

A: "In Indonesia chefs are not celebrated -- they are just cooks. When you socialize at a party, how many times do you talk to the chef? Never. They just stay out the back. The cook should be a celebrity."

RECIPE: Ayam Betutu

Ingredients:

1 free-range chicken

60g ginger

30g turmeric

50g galangal

25g lesser galangal (also called kencur)

35g candlenut or macadamias

65g shallot

35g garlic

10g small red chili

20g large red chili

10g trasi (fermented shrimp paste)

Spice Paste Ingredients:

25g tamarind

30g palm sugar

20g sweet soy sauce (optional)

20g salty soy sauce

4 bay leaves

10g lemon grass

5g black pepper

5g sesame seeds

Method:

1. Chop the spices finely and mix them together to form a paste. Rub the spice paste over the chicken and set aside to marinate.

2. Put remaining ingredients into a pan, including the whole marinated chicken. Simmer over a low heat.

3. When the chicken is cooked through, let it rest in the pan until the broth cools. Serve cold or re-heat if you want to serve warm.

(Editing by Gillian Murdoch)