Kaum Jakarta restaurant in Menteng joined forces recently with nonprofit organization Warisan Budaya Indonesia, culinary media outlet Feastin’ and creative strategy company 7per8 Studio to host what it called an “experiential dinner”. The event, dubbed National Harmony 2022, took place on Oct. 28 and was inspired by the historic 1928 Youth Pledge, making it the first dinner of its kind in the city.

Warisan Budaya Indonesia chair Audy Pratama, 30, said in a press release, “A lot of young people like us don’t realize that the Youth Pledge was a sacred day in Indonesia’s history.” 

“The Youth Pledge is all about unity in diversity, which will be reflected in tonight’s dishes,” Kevindra Soemantri, editorial director of Feastin Media and cofounder of Museum Boga Foundation, said in the opening speech. 

Kevindra added that the theme of the appetizers, main courses and desserts were based on national songs. Each dish in each segment, according to him, “was inspired by the [historic] figures who were present at the Youth Pledge in 1928”, such as Amir Sjarifuddin, Katia Soengkana and Johannes Leimena from North Sumatra, East Java and Maluku, respectively.

The dishes were created by a collaboration between Chef Rachmad Hidayat from Kaum Jakarta, Chef Aditya Muskita from the Beta pop-up restaurant, Chef Nadja Azzura from Nadja’s Gourmet catering company and Chef Xena Sawitri from The Orient Jakarta. 

Sweet delight: Inspired by Maluku, the hometown of historic figure Johannes Leimena, the 'bobengka' cake comes with lime ice cream, jasmine tea meringue and ginger wedang secang (an herbal drink) in the form of jelly. (JP/Risty Nurraisa) 

Culinary diversity

Before dinner, guests were invited to stand up and sing three verses of “Indonesia Raya”, the national anthem, led by singer Swain Mahisa and the Svbito Strings orchestra. 

The dinner then commenced with three courses of appetizers. With the “Bangun Pemudi-Pemuda” (Stand Up, Youth) song as the main theme, each appetizer presented bold and vibrant flavors, representing the spirit of youth. 

West Sumatra’s spicy and sour shrimp and fish and East Java’s smoked octopus with vegetables made spicy appetizers. The former presented bursting flavors with its tangy, cold soup, while the latter offered a balanced texture between the delicate octopus and the crisp long beans, bean sprouts and kerupuk gendar (gendar crackers).

The sambiki, a pumpkin soup with pumpkin seed cream and leaves, was an ode to North Sulawesi. The warm dish was a soothing bridge to the main course as the sweet flavors cleansed the palate. 

Five main courses, based on the song “Satu Nusa, Satu Bangsa” (One Country, One Nation), were served in a sharing portion. 

The highlight of the main course was rawon kering “pa’piong” (dried beef stew cooked with kluwek spices) from Central Java. The dish featured beef short ribs cooked with spices in bamboo, resulting in a delicious, delicate meat dish. 

Other main courses included nasi jagung (corn rice) from East Java; smoked quail with West Sumatra’s batokok sambal; cassava and papaya leaves with papaya flower, coconut cream and torch ginger; and sesatean Sumatera, which featured fish, mussels and prawn sate. The last two dishes were from North Sumatra. 

Closing the night was a series of desserts based on the song “Tanah Air” (Homeland) which, according to Kevindra, evoked “a sense of nostalgia”. 

Maluku’s bobengka cake was a delight, served with lime ice cream and jasmine tea meringue. It also featured ginger wedang secang (an herbal drink) in the form of jelly, which added heat to the dish. Central Java’s ketan item (sticky black rice pudding and cake) was complemented with coconut mousse, mangosteen granita and coconut foam. 

The last dessert featured bite-sized cantik manis (a sweet, colorful, glutinous) and kue lumpur (roughly translated to "mud cake") of the Betawi people of Jakarta. These cakes were served in a rattan box, giving guests the chance to relish it right away or bring it home.

The organizers were hopeful that the National Harmony dinner would make a comeback in following years to continue highlighting the spirit of unity in diversity.