We arrived on Samosir Island in the middle of Lake Toba on Friday and were delighted with our room that was in a building built in the traditional Batak style using wood from old Batak homes that were being torn down. It had a lovely, big porch with a view of the lake and a hammock.
We had booked our “culinary tour” for the following morning, which was very lucky as we were able to shop at the Saturday market in the village for some of our ingredients. It was a busy, noisy place and we were fascinated by the range of products on display.
Many types of dried fish and shrimp.
Pigs in the back of a tuktuk waiting for the butcher.
Beautiful vegetables and spices.
Freshly roasted and ground coffee.
And many kinds of fresh fish, some still swimming in a pail.
Our driver had a shopping list of what we needed. We got some freshly cleaned fish, garlic, shallots, candle nuts, dried lemon, green Sichuan peppers, red chilies, lemon, cherry tomatoes, a coconut and spring onions.
Then we drove up into the hills to Sidabutar’s Homestay to meet the chef, whom we called Mamatuo, but we may have been mangling her name — if we were, they were too polite to correct us. She immediately took us to her “garden”, which is a more or less tamed part of the jungle, to gather the remaining necessities — galangal, lemongrass, turmeric, ginger and the flower of some large, stemmy plant. She also gathered a large amount of tapioca leaves as we went along.
We spent the next couple of hours peeling, chopping, and grinding. We were just as happy as little clams. The older daughter was grinding and squeezing the coconut with a special contraction made for the purpose.
Cooking together is a great way to get to know people. We chatted about food, where we are from, where we have been traveling, and shared stories about our garden back home, with the driver and the older daughter translating as needed. Eventually, various pastes, herbs and spices started to go into the wok. And then the fish and the freshly squeezed coconut milk.
Mamatuo cooked it on the open hearth until everything was tender and the sauce had mostly boiled away.
While it was cooking, Mamatuo made a sambal sauce to go with it and a big pot of rice. The driver mashed up the tapioca leaves in a big stone pestle in the back yard and these were then cooked like a soup in a large pot.
Finally, we sat down to the most delicious plate of curried fish ever!!!!! You just can’t beat fresh herbs and spices for flavor. The woman should be awarded a Michelin star.
We told her we wish we could have to our house for dinner and she responded that we were now like family. So sad to say goodbye to our new friend and fellow cook.
When we get home, we will try to recreate this dish but it just won’t taste the same.
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