Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine April 2019 | Page 59

Lifestyle / Flavours
2
Ayam: Spice and Flavour
Passing by an open-kitchen bakery, I could
smell the intriguing aroma of sweet,
coffee-coated buns.
The urge to buy was irresistible.
The incident was a typical
everyday reminder of the power
of smell: without seeing or tasting
a food, our noses are quite
capable of telling us that we
should be craving it.
Since aromas are so integral
to whetting the appetite, it’s no
wonder that deliciously fragrant
spices are so important to
Indonesia’s traditional cuisines. The
aromatic spices used differ from
province to province and city to city,
even when the main ingredients of
a dish remain the same. Let me
take you on a short culinary trip
across the Indonesian archipelago
by way of some of our favourite
ayam (chicken) dishes, prepared
using a variety of different aromatic
key ingredients that will truly
rock the palate!
Manado, North Sulawesi, is well
known for its succulent, chilli-hot
taste sensations. Ayam rica-rica is
a favourite dish. In the Manadonese
language, the word rica means
‘chilli or spicy taste’, so ayam
rica-rica is a chilli-hot chicken dish.
It will tease your taste buds with
its combination of sweet and spicy;
the hint of sweetness comes from
Indonesian sweet soy sauce or
3
1. Buried under fried, crispy leaves, ayam tangkap
is best enjoyed with steamed rice.
2. Lemongrass, kaffir lime and bay leaves in opor ayam
enhance flavours as well as having a delicious aroma.
3. Ayam rica-rica's key ingredient lemon basil creates
an appetising smell.
57