15 Minutes with Chef Rinrin Marinka

As a nation that is blessed with rich and diverse cultures, it should come as no surprise when Indonesian chefs embark on passionate adventures across the archipelago to seek new and unique dishes. One of these is celebrity chef Rinrin Marinka, who garnered fame after becoming one of the judges on MasterChef Indonesia, Junior MasterChef Indonesia and the latest, AFC’s Wonderful Indonesia Flavours 2.

Born in Jakarta, Rinrin fell in love with the culinary world at a young age. She then moved to Sydney and graduated in French Cuisine & Pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu. Once she returned home, Rinrin dived into the local culinary world working as a chef, food instructor and even starred in several food products advertisements.

We caught up with the energetic chef, who is also an author of a recipe book, and asked about her culinary style, new gigs and even a quick Indonesian snack recipe all in 15 minutes! Don’t believe us? Read on...

Can you tell us about your culinary style?

If I had to sum it up in a few words it would be modern, neat, temperamental, tasty, and experimental.

What’s the challenge on becoming a chef in Jakarta?

The challenge is that it can be very competitive. We are constantly challenged to create new and innovative recipes that are not only delicious but that will also suit the local taste buds.

What do you think about the local culinary scene? What can be improved?

It’s improving a lot with the introduction of new restaurants and fresh concepts, and many Jakartans nowadays are into new and trendy things. What needs to be improved is the standard of service and its consistency.

What are the latest trends in the food and gastronomy worlds?

I would say healthy food is the latest food trend. Inspired by this, I opened my own restaurant called Mars Kitchen in Jakarta (Instagram @marskitchen), where we serve healthy and gluten-free dishes with all-natural ingredients.

What have you learned from hosting Wonderful Indonesia Flavours?

The experience has introduced me to a few new ingredients that can be used for Indonesian cuisines. One of these is tanduk rusa (deer horn), which is used mainly for decorative purposes in dishes, but apparently it can also be used as a cooking ingredient to make your meats softer.

What’s your all-time favourite dish and why?

My favourite Indonesian dish is nasi uduk. For Western dishes I love steak and blue cheese. It is the ultimate combination that makes everything good [laughs].

Tell us about the hardest dish you ever had to cook.

Healthy and gluten-free cakes that taste like regular delicious cakes! But I take this as a challenge as I am required to experiment a lot. We even serve some of my desserts over at Mars Kitchen!

In your opinion, what makes a good chef?

A chef has to know good food and what good food tastes like, otherwise he or she would not be able to cook good food. My suggestion is to travel well, eat well and you will know how to cook well.

What do you think about celebrity chefs in Indonesia?

I think they are very diverse, attractive and entertaining.

Share with our readers one quick and healthy Indonesian recipe they can make at home.

Here is the recipe to my favourite asinan betawi snack:

For the sauce:

- 1 tbsp fried/ roasted peanuts

- 1 clove of garlic

- 1 huge fresh red chilli

- a few bird’s eye chilies (the quantity depends on how spicy you want)

- 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar (or you can use of palm sugar)

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 medium lemon squeezed (or use of 2 tbsp vinegar)

- 150g palm sugar, 1/4 cup water and cook until thick; set aside

For the salad:

-  1 medium cucumber, cut into cubes

-  Lettuce, torn

- Tofu, fried half-soft and cubes

- 1 cup beansprouts

- 1 medium carrot, roughly shredded

- 1 cup carefully sliced cabbage

- Enough fried/ roasted peanut for sprinkling

- Prawn crackers or any crackers

(Photo credit: Rinrin Marinka)