I need a Hero! Someone to remind me (after a year of travelling and eating out every. single. day!) how to cook. My boyfriend said it wasn’t a case of reminding but learning – cheeky! Either way, it was time for an Indonesian cookery class… enter Hero, the owner and head chef at Sunny’s Warung on lovely Gili Air.
We had looked and looked for cooking classes in Indonesia that would suit our style. Most are offered in fancy restaurants or hotels that are not at all reminiscent of the local warungs and street stalls we usually eat in. We wanted local flavours, shown to us by a local guy.
We booked in to Hero’s class after eating at Sunny’s Warung a few night’s before. We noticed the shack walking past one night so gave it a go but didn’t realise it was so popular until people were waiting for tables later in the evening, and were really impressed by the flavour, portion size and friendly staff.
When we turned up to the class Hero welcomed us warmly. We were given a glass of his signature Jam U juice and he started his description of Indonesian food. He explained the variations between food in the different regions and islands; a journey of Indonesia through food!
Next, on to the description of what we were going to do that day. Hero explained that cooking can be simple, and that his cooking is based around different sauces. He showed us a basic ‘white’ sauce and the ingredients used to make it. He then showed variations of that sauce and how by adding extra spices or ingredients to each one you can make six different sauces for your cooking base.
Next for the practical part! We all enthusiastically started grinding our ingredients in a pestle and mortar; harder work than you’d imagine with all that ginger and garlic! We were left with six dishes of delicious smelling sauce.
Hero showed us how to use these sauces to make appetisers. This was our first chance to sample the delicious flavours on offer that day. We then added various other ingredients (in case you decide to attend, I am trying not to give too much away!) to form a variety of main meals. What we ended up with was countless dishes, made from only those six very basic sauces. How simple was that?!
The best part of the course is the main man himself. Hero is a very open and warm individual. He is extremely entertaining and makes such an effort to make sure you have a good time. His character, along with that of the warung (basic dirt floors, plastic roof and makeshift kitchen) make for a fantastic experience and I really, really recommend giving it a go.
After over two hours of lesson we sat down to a huge, delicious meal of our creations. I left the class and went and bought an authentic Indonesian pestle and mortar as a souvenir. I just hope I can remember those recipes once we get home!
THANK YOU, HERO!
CLASS | Book at Sunny’s Warung, Gili Air. Class cost 250,000 per person for over 2 hours. Fantastic value compared to the more ‘professional’ offerings we had seen.
