Secret recipe: Chef Yono shares tips with participants of his cooking course at Hotel Tugu in Malang, East Java.

Indonesian culinary classics receive a western touch at the hands of chef Widjiono Yono Purnomo in New York.

Widjiono Yono Purnomo has popularized Indonesian food abroad, especially in Albany, New York, where the chef has lived for almost 40 years with his wife Donna and set up a luxury restaurant named after himself: Yono’s.

While retaining the savor of Indonesian cooking, Chef Yono concocts it with western nuances.

“Cooking is an art. By adding, reducing and mixing, the typical tastes produced will make people crazy about our food,” said the 66-year-old during a recent cooking class and dining experience with food lovers and chefs at Hotel Tugu in Malang, East Java.

Born in Surakarta, Central Java, Yono believes Indonesian cuisine is very salable anywhere in the world for being rich in distinctive flavors.

“We’re the best at spices, and besides, a dish is essentially determined by its seasonings and how we prepare it,” he said.

Yono also noted the importance of learning not only cooking basics, but also what he called the flavor profiles of certain individuals or regions.

For example, Americans like meat that melts in the mouth, so avoid offering them tough beefsteak.

Therefore, he doesn’t always present Indonesian culinary delights as they are usually prepared.

At the cooking class, for instance, he showed three specialties based on a unique east-west fusion: duet of soft shell crabs, chicken pistachio alexondra crispy skin chicken breast and kolak pisang (banana compote) a la New York.

Yono said these dishes were on the prized menu at his restaurant.

The crabs are cooked with various spices like shallots, garlic, cumin, coriander besides salt and other ingredients, which are combined with lemon and wine. The chicken uses the same seasonings, plus pepper and pistachio nuts. “I use butter as the cooking oil for both,” added the father of two.

For the kolak a la New York, Yono follows the traditional recipe with bananas, pandan leaves and coconut milk. It’s a special Indonesian sweet snack popular for breaking the fast during Ramadhan. But Yono prepares it in a different way, by making the coconut milk thicker and adding ice cream and cake.

In his version, only a little coconut milk is spread on the peeled bananas. “People will feel the sensation of eating bananas in a natural way, with their tender portion inside,” said the award-winning chef.

It didn’t take long for Yono to prepare all the three dishes. With all the ingredients and cooking utensils ready, the chef only needed seven minutes to serve each dish.

“Don’t take too long, because freshness is an important aspect for anybody to relish a serving of food,” he pointed out.

Fresh serving has become Yono’s signature in introducing Indonesian food to the American public.

With his restaurant, Yono introduces a diverse range of Indonesian dishes to the international audience, such as gado-gado (steamed vegetables with peanut sauce), sate (grilled skewered meat with peanut sauce), soto (chicken soup) and rendang (spiced beef in coconut milk).

He has promoted Indonesian culinary favorites by touring different US states and appearing on television.

Yono considers his efforts worthy, because he is convinced that Indonesian cooking is among the best in the world, which gives him pleasure in his work.

The chef began his career after graduating from the State Hotel Academy (APN) in Bandung in 1971 by working aboard a foreign cruise ship, Holland America Line.

After marrying Donna he decided to open his restaurant. The intercultural marriage further encouraged Yono to present Indonesian, particularly Javanese, culture through the culinary window.

His hard work has been rewarding. One of their children, Dominick, has followed in his parents’ footsteps by opening his own eatery.

Yono has joined the ranks of master chefs and celebrity chefs in the US, with his distinctive Indonesian cuisine being included in prestigious menus ranging in rates from US$31 to hundreds of dollars.

“My concept is fine dining so that my guests truly enjoy and understand the cooking instead of just eating and leaving,” he clarified.

That’s why he emphasizes hospitality by approaching diners’ tables and chatting in a relaxed way. “They’re happy to learn what they’re eating, including the stories and background behind their food,” said Yono.

Nonetheless, Yono remains ready to share his knowledge with whoever wishes to learn from him. He keeps active at social events and joins cooking programs in different countries, including Indonesia, to give cooking lessons to the younger generation.

“It’s now my task to provide guidance to the younger generation to motivate them to study, work hard, understand the business world and be highly competitive,” he said.

— Photo by Nedi Putra AW

Popular

Pro-Prabowo parties close ranks to scrap direct regional elections

6% economic growth in 2026 within reach, Purbaya says

Authoritarian fears loom as new criminal code takes effect