Qatari and Indonesian Master Chefs Explore Culinary Traditions as Part of the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture   

As Qatar and Indonesia celebrate each other’s cultures and traditions during the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture, an annual international exchange designed to deepen understanding between nations and their people, shared food culture and culinary experiences are taking center stage.

The Years of Culture initiative, a bilateral cultural exchange program launched by Qatar Museums over a decade ago, is organizing a culinary journey for two Qatari chefs through Indonesia from Jayapura, to Medan, and Bali, culminating at the Ubud Food Festival taking place at Taman Kuliner from June 30 - July 2.   

Chef Noof Al Marri, owner of the Desert Rose Cafe at the National Museum of Qatar, and Chef Hassan Al Ibrahim, known as Captain Chef due his pilot training, will explore the length of Indonesia through unique gastronomic experiences - enjoying unique street food and ethnic cuisine, learning traditional cooking techniques by preparing home-cooked meals in residents’ homes and learning about sustainable foods. Coming together at the Ubud Food Festival, the chefs will surprise attendees with unique recipe ideas from both ends of an ancient spice trade route from the Arabian Peninsula to Indonesia.  

A Carefully Curated Journey from West to East  

Medan is a melting pot of the many cultures in Indonesia. Here, dishes are made with Acehnese, Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences. Chef Noof and Chef Hassan will visit an incredible array of restaurants and food stalls. First up is the peranakan beef and chicken curry restaurant Rumah Makan Tabona. Peranakan refers to the combination of Chinese and Malay cultures with Islamic influences. The chefs will also sample sweet confections at the oldest traditional dessert spot in the city called Putu Bambu Sudi Mampir; and try dinner dishes at a famous local street food spot Kwetiau Medan. A highlight of the trip will be the search for authentic Bataknese dishes made by the indigenous people of Medan at Ruma Makan Marikena. 

Chef Noof and Chef Hassan will be accompanied in Medan by Chef Arsyan Dwianto known for his third-place win on “Masterchef Indonesia Season 9.” 

Jayapura, the easternmost capital city in Indonesia, is known for its sago staple food used in similar manner to rice. Cuisine in this region is traditionally made of ingredients that can be foraged from the forests. Chef Noof and Chef Hassan will visit the Skouw Sae village just in time for the famous Hari Sagu Papua festival celebrating the sago harvest. 

Jungle Chef Charles Toto will guide Chef Noof and Chef Hassan on their journey through Jayapura. Toto’s focus is on actively preserving the culinary culture native to Papua, using various natural ingredients from his native land.

No culinary journey of Indonesia will be complete without Balinese cuisine. Chef Wayan Kresna Yasa, who is a passionate ambassador of Balinese food and cooking, will guide Chef Noof and Chef Hassan on a special tour of traditional Balinese cooking demonstrations, cocoa plantation, and markets. 

The journey concludes at the Ubud Food Festival (June 30 - Jul 2, 2023) where  Chef Noof and Chef Hassan will pay homage to soil, tanah, as this year’s theme. Together, Noof and Hassan will partner with Chef Charles Toto and Chef Devina Hermawan, known for her role on “Master Chef Indonesia,” for a series of culinary demonstrations and panel discussions about the impact of land resources on the types of food chefs in Qatar and Indonesia specialize in. 

Follow the delicious journey on Years of Culture channels @yearsofculture.