Shoestrappers

We took a half-day Indonesian cooking class called Anggrek Putih (White Orchid). It was held in Meninting, a neighborhood just north of Mataram proper. It is run by Christo, a Greek biogeneticist, master gardener and cook.

His wife and another lady guided our group of six (us plus two from Germany and two from The Netherlands) with incredible energy, precision, and patience. Collectively we made eight dishes, each carefully described and all ingredients and tools prepared for us. Some required heating, others mashing, grating, etc. so there was lots of variety. The two ladies flitted about guiding, correcting, and adding little valuable tidbits of information.

The class started with a couple demonstrations in which Christo emphasized the importance of natural chemical combinations, all from local ingredients (most from the garden surrounding us).

LOTS of mortar and pestle work for most of us! These simple two-stone sets were very effective. They are carved from volcanic rock so very sharp edged and solid yet still fairly light considering its size.

We also got a very insightful tour of the garden, which is both impressive and eye-opening since it contains so many things we usually only see in restaurants.

All recipes, plus a whole bunch we didn’t get a chance to make (they support much larger groups) were provided afterward in digital form. It was time and money well spent and one of our most enjoyable activities on our trip.

Make sure to book directly since there are several other cooking classes across the island that try to leverage the excellent reviews here.

We ended up staying late and talking to Christo about life and Lombok and his story. He can be a.. gruff and “surly” fellow but has a big heart. He has lived around the world, including the US, and it was really helpful to have his perspective as a longtime immigrant. We also talked a lot about mapping and review sites and apps, which I was able to shed some light on and (hopefully) help with. We mentioned that we wanted to buy some of the simple rice farmer straw hats (shown in the garden pictures above) and he kindly volunteered to take us to a local market a couple days later to get them. Sure enough..

Christo picked us up in his van and took us to Pasar Mandalika, a large, traditional market on the eastern edge of Mataram. It doesn’t have tourist amenities, which is both a minor inconvenience and a selling point. This is where the locals go.

As soon as we stepped out of the van we were struck by an awful smell, which turned out to be shrimp paste. Apparently it’s one of those things that improves what you add it to, but on its own is.. brutal.

We headed to a small shop that sold farming and kitchen supplies. They have a wide array of straw hats in what was essentially a pile with no store front. They were about $1 apiece, including the small ring underneath that you sew in to the weave to hold it on your head. They are surprisingly comfortable in my very limited experience, and really block the sun from your entire head and neck. Says the white boy who didn’t stand in the rice paddies all day doing actual work! 🤭 The lady on the right inserted herself in our little group and turned out to be selling her service as a purchase carrier. It’s an odd thing when she’s half my size and probably 20 years older but carrying our basket of goods around. We try to respect local conventions though and this was common in markets across Indonesia!

Christo soon told us to try to stay a dozen meters away so that he could haggle successfully. Turns out having some very obviously foreign people in tow raises the prices exponentially! With that we dove into the hot, muggy tent world and its many colors and smells. Most things were loosely recognizable but even the familiar often had an exotic twist.

A common sight in markets or even along side streets- nuts and rice laid out on tarps on the ground. I would uhmm.. wash those thoroughly before consuming!

Many vendors offered candlenuts, also known as kukui, kemiri or Indian walnuts, a shelled seed used as a spice in Southeast Asian cuisine (it is also the state tree of Hawaii, where it holds significant cultural importance, providing materials for medicine, dyes, and tools). They actually contain a toxic compound when raw, so they shouldn’t be consumed without being cooked or roasted first. When cooked, they add a creamy, nutty texture and flavor to curries, stews, and sambals. We used them in several of the dishes we prepared in the class.

We spent quite a while navigating the narrow, uneven, often dirt paths between stalls. If we lived in Lombok we would surely become regulars to buy everything needed to complement a home garden like Christo does. It is seemingly endless with numerous vendors selling the same things but with varying sizes, freshnesses, prices, and importantly, personalities.

I found this market to be one of my favorite Indonesia experiences. Not because of anything fantastical, but rather because it felt so literally down-to-earth and local. Throughout our time there we encountered groups of small children shopping with their parents. The children looked at me with their eyes like saucers and chittered constantly to each other. My immediate thought was to make sure my wallet and phone were secure because.. well good traveling habit. I then realized that my appearance- tall, white (flushed pink my the heat), with touristy garb stood out more than ever. At one point while we were stopped at a stall, I felt a finger tap my elbow. I looked down and a tiny child was running back to his friends as they all erupted in cheers. The father put his hands up in horror and apologized and I quickly broke out laughing and assuring him that I didn’t mind.