A few years ago, Carmen asked me to help her find a recipe for tumpeng, an Indonesian cone-shaped rice dish. She said she was going to cook it for a birthday celebration. She also needed help to make a cardboard cone to mould the rice in. I found a reci…
A few years ago, Carmen asked me to help her find a recipe for tumpeng, an Indonesian cone-shaped rice dish. She said she was going to cook it for a birthday celebration. She also needed help to make a cardboard cone to mould the rice in. I found a recipe for her and I heard that she successfully moulded the rice. She is a good cook, so I have no doubt that the dish turned out well, even if it was the first time she cooked the dish. For tumpeng, the rice is cooked in coconut milk and turmeric. The meat and vegetables around the rice-cone represent life and harmony.
Recently, Kathleen and Aye decided to organise an Indonesian Night, consisting of dinner and batik-painting. It was an ambitious project and they enlisted help. Marcela and Rachel volunteered. They had to shop for authentic ingredients, not found in local supermarkets, and to marinate meat overnight. The drink and the dessert were also Indonesian. The dessert was chendol and gula Malacca jelly, which had to be prepared the night before to allow time for it to set.
Four young women in a kitchen can be a powerful force, especially if they are serious about cooking. One doesn't usually associate lawyers, engineering and MBA students with serious cooking. I was impressed by their culinary skills. Only Aye is culinary trained. Serious cooking requires good organisational and time management skills.
Marcela, who is Indonesian, explained that tumpeng is served for birthdays and other celebrations. The cone-shaped rice symbolises gratitude. It points to heaven. Those who partake in the celebrations give thanks to the Creator, from whom all good things come.
In Indonesia, the cone-shaped rice takes the place of the birthday cake. I decided to find out the symbolism of the birthday cake. The birthday cake is a symbol of love, care and affection. It assumes that one has loved ones to share the cake with, along with the joy of life.
We would like to thank Kathleen, Aye, Marcela and Rachel for sharing an Indonesian cultural treat with us.
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