Indonesian Natalia Tjahja found herself cooking for the first time in her life in April, when the coronavirus struck Indonesia and her helper had to return to her village to evade the partial lockdown in Jakarta.
Learning from Youtube videos, Ms Tjahja, who ran a charity programme distributing vitamin supplements to medical workers in Indonesia, then hit upon the idea of making meals for front-line workers and people with disabilities.
She approached doctors and nurses to ask if they would like gifts of meals by chefs and homecooks. Her non-profit project, Asia Cooking Journeys, was born.
In her home country, Indonesia, 150 professional chefs and amateur cooks have cooked up a storm for about 300 healthcare workers in various cities such as Jakarta, Batam and Surabaya.
She has also tapped her vast international network and expanded the programme to places such as the United States, Thailand, Malaysia, Greece, Haiti, South Africa, the Philippines, Taiwan and Singapore. Collectively, they have whipped up and given away about 2,000 meals.
Her project debuted in May in Singapore and has so far enlisted five cooks to serve meals to healthcare workers and people with disabilities from the Singapore Disability Sports Council.
Whether it is salmon teriyaki, ayam geprek (smashed fried chicken) or whatever strikes the cook’s fancy, she requires only that one meal be prepared for just one person, and only on weekends. Not only must the dish be tasty, healthy, well-balanced and clean, but it must also look presentable, said Ms Tjahja.
“It must be special, decorated nicely, maybe with a fruit platter, like a gift. I want the doctor or nurse to feel special and appreciated. These people are ready to sacrifice their lives and face COVID-19 patients every day,” she said.
One Singapore cook who put his ladle up to be counted is chef George Lee. He whipped up lup cheong fried rice, strawberry salad with balsamic dressing, and dry pea coconut dessert with fresh dates for two doctors.
“I cook from my heart. If I don’t cook from the heart, it won’t taste nice.”
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Source: The Straits Times, 11 October 2020