Ariyani

Tedjo

Six traditional Indonesian meat and vegetable dishes of assorted flavors, textures and colors as accompaniments to steamed rice (not included in the scene). Each of the dishes is plated in small saucer and arranged on a tray. The dishes are Ayam Woku (Minahasan / Manadonese chicken in chopped green chili peppers), Sambal Goreng Lodeh (Javanese spicy vegetable curry). Tumis Oncom Leunca (Sundanese stir-fried soy cake and nightshade berry), Kering Tempe (peanut and tempeh crisps), Telur Balado (Minangnese egg in crushed red chili peppers) and Kerupuk (rice crackers). Some leaves are used as decorations and positioned to create the sense of depth of field.

Fresh red kidney beans in pods. My mother found these red beans while shopping in a fresh market; she then bought them and shared some with me. So happy to get beautiful, fresh beans in pods, so I decided to make a few shots of them. I opened three pods and found that each of them has different color and pattern combinations; one has more red with only speckles of white, one is white with very pale red speckles and the other is white with red speckles. By making a close-up shot, I could expose the details of beans.

Jasmine Tea, or locally known as Teh Melati, is a popular kind of tea in Indonesia. This brewed tea is poured into stacked tea cups. Some bubbles were forming as results of pouring from a distance. Decorated with a jasmine flower and its leaves, picked from my home garden.

Coconut milk is one signature ingredient in Indonesian cuisine. Using freshly made coconut milk is still preferred by some people, even though it is a pretty exhausting process.

Here the milk is extracted by hand-squeezing the grated coconut that has been mixed with warm water. A traditional bamboo strainer specially made for coconut milk is used to catch the loose coconut from falling into the extracted liquid. A set of traditional tin measuring cups commonly used to measure coconut milk is shown in the scene.

Matcha Lotus, Black Sesame and Valrhona Chocolate Mooncake. A special mooncake for Mid-Autumn Festival celebration this year, created by Chef Hideki Maeda of Nobu Singapore at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore. As this particular delicacy is incorporating Japanese culture into a traditional Chinese, the props used are a reflection of both cultures. The golden color chosen for this scene was inspired by the luxurious lacquered gift box that came with the mooncakes.

A traditional Indonesian / Manadonese dish goes fancy and a little wild. Seared tuna topped with Manado's signature salsa called Sambal Dabu-dabu. The dish is presented on a rock lined with plum aralia leaf and garnished with local basil leaves.

An artwork of cannelloni tubes, an arrangement inspired by a city scene of skyscrapers. The scene is accented with a sprig of fresh basil.

A nigiri sushi of lightly seared tuna. The sushi is placed on a mat of thin branches, lined with shiso leaves. The sushi is presented on wooden drawer set with smoke from dry ice.