Tribune News Network
Ubud, Indonesia
As a grand finale to the Culinary Journey segment of the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture, two talented Qatari chefs were honoured as guests at the Ubud Food Festival held in Indonesia. This special occasion marked the culmination of a delightful exploration of culinary traditions between the two nations.
Throughout the month of June, these Qatari chefs embarked on a remarkable journey across three cities spanning the breadth of the Indonesian archipelago. Their objective was to immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of Indonesia by engaging with its people, exploring the traditional foods of each region, and discovering unique local ingredients.
Chef Noof Al Marri, the owner of the Desert Rose Cafe at the National Museum of Qatar, renowned for her expertise in preparing traditional Qatari food, and Chef Hassan Al Ibrahim, also known as Captain Chef due to his work as a pilot and extensive experience sampling restaurant and street food in 175 cities worldwide, participated in the Culinary Journey from Jayapura (June 19-24) to Medan (June 24-27) and Bali (June 27 – July 2).
The Qatari chefs savoured the vibrant street food scene, learned traditional cooking techniques by preparing home-cooked meals in the locals’ homes, and delved into sustainable food practices.
Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who launched the Years of Culture initiative in 2012, expressed her happiness that the chefs experienced the beauty and richness of Indonesian culture through the Culinary Journey. “Food is a universal expression of culture that encapsulates the characteristics of the society as well as its traditions. I sincerely hope the chefs will bring back their experiences and use them as inspiration for their future recipes.”
At the commencement of the Culinary Journey programme, the Qatari chefs had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with renowned Indonesian chefs who served as their guides: Chef Charles Toto, a jungle chef native to Papua who is active in preserving traditional Papuan dishes; and Chef Devina Hermawan, a former haute couture-model-turned-chef known through her role in Master Chef Indonesia.
Chef Devina, who makes Indonesian food using the basic ingredients of curry, made Medan’s signature Duck Curry Vermicelli at the Culinary Theater performance space during the 2023 Ubud Food Festival.
“As we come to the end of this culinary journey, I am happy to be able to make food whose basic ingredients are inspired by one of Chef Hassan’s most memorable dishes, which is also my favourite food since childhood,” said Chef Devina.
Chef Hassan was excited to learn about the different cultural traditions of the locations visited during the Culinary Journey through dishes popular in each location. “Each city we visited on has a unique, warm tradition. The city of Medan epitomized a fusion of various cultures such as Malay, Chinese, Indian, Acehnese, Minang, Javanese and traditional Batak, which has similarities with Qatar, where most of the people are expats,” he said.
During the Food for Thought discussion panel held at Rumah Kayu@Taman Kuliner, Chef Noof, Chef Devina and Chef Charles explored the heritage, tradition and contemporary innovations that Qatar and Indonesia share. On the last day of the Ubud Food Festival, Chef Noof and Jungle Chef Charles demonstrated their mastery of cooking traditional Qatari and Papuan snacks: Kebab Nakhe and Fish Sinole.
The choice of locations, Papua, Medan and Bali, for the Culinary Journey series was made not only to explore a variety of culinary delights, but also to showcase Indonesia’s rich cultural traditions.
