Indonesian Food:
My Altered Perceptions

Notions of Indonesian Food Before Bali

One of my favourite Ayam Penyet Stalls would be the Ayam Penyet President. With over 12 outlets in Singapore, you can easily find one at your own convenience!

This outlet features many variations of the rice dish such as Empal Penyet (Beef), along with other Indonesian galores such as the “Bakso” and “Soto Ayam” as well as iced desserts such as the colourful “Es Teler”. The main highlight would definitely be its Ayam Penyet in which its chicken is so tender that it slips off the bone easily.

My go-to would be the Ayam Penyet with Sambal Matah, a type of Balinese raw pickled chilli blend comprising of shallots, chilli and lime juice.

My Prior Research Project on Indonesian Rice Culture

As part of Temasek Polytechnic's Global Community Day, I became the cultural ambassador of Indonesian Cuisine with my research area of its rice culture specializing in Ayam Penyet! Rice is a staple dish in Asian countries but in my opinion, Indonesia is home to the best rice dishes EVER!

However, what makes it stand out from other rice dishes across the Asian continent is the variations in spices and condiments within a dish where a typical spread would include tofu, tempeh as well as the various types of sambals.

The video was filmed at Ayam Penyet President Singapore, where I interviewed the Manager to find out the specific preparation methods of Ayam Penyet - one of my favourite Indonesian dishes.

Pesto Pasta

Margherita Pizza

Nasi Ambeng

Indonesian Food:
My Altered Perceptions

Changed Perceptions of Balinese Cuisine
Indonesian flavours are truly levitating

Indonesian spice kicks really are something! Having tried a variety of sambal condiments from Sambal Belacan, Sambal Matah, Green Chillies as well as the various rempahs or spices such as the one on Ayam Betutu, its an explosion in the mouth with the spices dancing through.

Apart from Indonesian cuisines, I tried a variety of others such as the western herb-crusted fish, margherita pizza and vegetarian ramen. The vegetarian ramen particularly surprised me, where the roasted, charred tofu absorbed a concentrated taste of miso within the broth.

On the other hand, Mana's Kitchen serves a variety of healthy vegetarian and vegan food, some of which consisting of probiotics. I particularly enjoyed the Pesto Pasta and Cod Fish Tartar, where the pesto was not too overwhelming and the cod fish tartar was such a nice, hot treat after an insanely long day of project work, discussions and consultations.

Iconic Beverages

Tofu Ramen

There's just something too amazing about Kopi Bali

Interestingly, Kopi Bali's unique feature is that its coffee grains are not grinded. It's not your typical 3-in-1 coffee or Kopi O. It has so much depth to its flavour with the added coffee grains, its residue floating to the bottom of the cup resembling the texture of a Milo drink.

Personally, I don't drink coffee without milk but I just have to try both variations when in Bali - with and without milk. Normally, I would grimace at the extreme bitterness of Singapore's Black Coffee where as for Kopi Bali, it tasted less bitter and I actually liked both variations of the coffee!

Mas, the Matcha (Mas)ter tries Ubud's Matcha Latte

Kopi Bali

Having a profound interest in Matcha and a huge fan of Green Tea, I decided to try out Ubud's version of Matcha! Having tried it at Warung Kila, Suka Espresso and

Titik Temu Coffee I rated them accordingly:

Warung Kila - 0/10

There was no taste of Matcha but rather, a more fruity concoction of winter melon and honeydew. The beverage was rather liquidy when it should be milky and frothy, something that I expected from a Matcha drink.

Suka Espresso - 7/10

The taste of Matcha tasted slightly diluted however, it was still apparent! The green tea powder felt more rough and flaky and it could have been blended better. I'm giving it a higher rating because the waiter was remarkably...good looking HAHAHA.

Titik Temu - 10/10

Hooray, Matcha Besties with Prof Jack! We both ordered Matcha Latte and what a bonus it was to have a scoop of ice-cream. The vanilla ice-cream compliments everything and ties the flavours of the Matcha Latte together, adding an ounce of creaminess. The green tea flavour was well-balanced with the milk and the beverage had a smooth, milky texture unlike Suka Espresso's.