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Introducing Indonesian Sambal
4 September, 2016 @ 10:30 am
Rahung Nasution will share his culinary skills introducing Indonesian sambal or chilli paste in a class at SEA Junction on 4 September at 10.30AM-noon.
Short Bio Adapted from the Jakarta Post*
Rahung has spent over a decade making videos and documentaries, writing essays and hosting events to raise awareness of Indonesia’s troubled past as well as the richness of the nation’s traditions.
Born on December 3, 1974, to rice and rubber plantation farmers in Batang Angkola in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra; Rahung, an eldest son, spent his childhood cooking and caring for four younger siblings as his parents worked in the fields.
In line with the Batak tradition of “merantau” (wanderlust/migrating) he spent about two years living on the streets of Jakarta, before studying again in Yogyakarta. There he established connections that enabled him to travel around the country and to learn about local cuisines and culture.
In 2010, Rahung reinvented himself as what he calls a culinary activist in 2010.
Joining a group called Aku Cinta Makanan Indonesia (I Love Indonesian Food), he began deepening his skills developed when cooking for his siblings in Sumatra, Investigating culinary traditions across the archipelago, especially that of remote ethnic communities, documenting them and introducing then to local youths and the world.
Combining his culinary and art and communication skills he has documented numerous traditional dishes in written notes and on his blog and plans to present them in the form of video documentaries. With a television cooking channel he works at a videography of traditional dishes in Indonesia that shows the biography of each traditional dish by visiting local kitchens where they are being cooked.
Rahung aims for Indonesians to truly appreciate the nation’s culinary richness: “Each region always feels that its cuisine is superior to the others. Indonesian tongues need to be more democratic […] To address this, I often create chaos’ within a traditional dish by mixing it up with spices from other tribes.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/07/22/rahung-nasution-democratizing-indonesian-palate.html
