Qatari and Indonesian chefs during the Ubud Food Festival.
Doha: Two Qatari chefs were the guests of honour at this year’s Ubud Food Festival in Indonesia, bringing to a close the delicious Culinary Journey portion of the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture.
Throughout June, the chefs visited three cities from the east to the west of the Indonesian archipelago to gain a deep understanding of Indonesia’s culture through its people, the traditional food of each region and unique ingredients.
Chef Noof Al Marri, the owner of the Desert Rose Cafe at the National Museum of Qatar who is famous for her expertise in preparing traditional Qatari food, and Chef Hassan Al Ibrahim, known as Captain Chef due to his work as a pilot and experience sampling restaurant and street food in 175 cities around the world, took part in the Culinary Journey from Jayapura (June 19-24), to Medan (June 24-27), and Bali (June 27-July 2).
The Qatari chefs have been exploring all corners of Indonesia through unique gastronomic experiences, enjoying street food, learning traditional cooking techniques by preparing home-cooked meals in locals’ homes and looking 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 society as well as its traditions. I sincerely hope the chefs will bring their experiences home to inspire their next recipe and share their passion for learning and experiencing new cultures with new people.”
At the start of the Culinary Journey programme, the chefs from Qatar met with famous Indonesian chefs who served as guides and collaborators: 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 on 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 favorite food since childhood,” said Chef Devina. “Medan curry has special characteristics, which makes it thinner but richer in taste than other curries that are widely used in India, the Middle East and other regions,” she explained.
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 epitomised 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.
