Breaking the fast 'silk route' way

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 09/14/2008 10:00 AM  |  On the Town

During the holy month of Ramadan, many hotel chains rotate its chefs to other countries to showcase their talent and of course, their food. Jakarta is fortunate because some of the overseas chefs are here to create a different kind of food for breaking the fast.

The traveling chefs this season are Egyptian chef Hany Mounir and Indian chef Mahipal Singh. Both chefs, who currently work in Lebanon and Bahrain, respectively, are working at The Ritz-Carlton, Pacific Place during the fasting month.

Both said all the ingredients required to make the food for the "Silk Route Buka Puasa" event are available in Indonesia.

Hany Mounir, whose specialty is Lebanese food, is the Sous Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Sharm El Sheikh in South Sinai, Egypt, while Mahipal Singh, who cooks Indian specialties, is the Sous Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain.

"People break their fast by drinking and eating sweet foods. For this I created tamarind juice and apricot juice," Mounir said. He added that he created a special drink called Koshef, which includes apricot, coconut and dry fig. Those who love Indonesian bajigur will find the tastes similar.

Guests must try the amazingly juicy date juice, which is blended with milk. The site of this event is at the Pacific Restaurant and Lounge.

What makes some of the Middle Eastern sweet delicacies interesting is their balance of sweetness. The Middle Eastern desserts includes rice pudding and apricot pudding. Om Ali is an authentic Middle Eastern sweet pudding that tastes soft and splendid on the tongue. The Lebanese donut has an orange flavor.

When The Jakarta Post went there by invitation, the Mezze station was arguably the tastiest section of all. The cold appetizers consisted of hummus and soft food that made people crave for more. Besides the mehamara tomato bell pepper dip, the grilled eggplant is a must-try item.

"I don't know what sort of food the people of Ancient Egypt consumed. Our history stretches back to between 2000 and 3000 years. The kind of foods they consumed are still a mystery," Mounir said, who once had to both work and study to make ends meet.

For those who want meat, the lounge also offers shawarma station, which will have either beef or chicken depending on the evening.

Meanwhile, chef Singh also provides an Indian food section.

"Although I work in Bahrain, I cook Indian food, which is the most popular food there after Middle Eastern food," Singh said. He added that people in Bahrain also break their fast with Indian food.

"The kitchen here in Jakarta does not have a tandoori oven, but they rent one for a month while I'm here."

The tandoori oven allows the cook to create popular dishes such as chicken tikka or tandoori shrimp.

The chef adapts the taste to suit the country he visits. "In the Middle East, they don't like the food too spicy. So I altered the taste. In Jakarta, people like the food with more chili."

He said he would rotate the kind of food that will be available for the buka puasa (breaking of the fast). Some of the items on his list are papadum (crispy cracker) and potato salad for appetizers. Rogan josh, fish coconut curry and fish tikka are some of the hot items.

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