Cover Hijau's chef Idan at Tatler Dining's In the Mood for Food (Photo: Fady Younis)
Hijau's chef Idan at Tatler Dining's In the Mood for Food (Photo: Fady Younis)
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The plant-based eatery has just moved into its new outlet at DC Mall
As per its name, Hijau began with a portion of homemade sambal hijau. “It was 2015, and I was working at Kyo in guest relations,” recalls chef-owner Idan. “I often made food for my colleagues as a second source of income, and it was something I really enjoyed.”
Idan was living with his grandmother at the time, and he happened to be preparing a batch of ayam penyet (a dish of fried chicken and sambal) one fortuitous night. “I was making sambal hijau to pair with the dish, and I offered a portion to my grandmother, who initially refused,” he chuckles fondly.
After he convinced her to sample the condiment, she rushed out of the house before returning with a fresh plate of rice to enjoy the sambal. “She began eating the sambal with rice, finally admitting that it was actually really delicious.”
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Idan shared the heartwarming story on Facebook, and his friends began requesting to try the famous, grandmother-approved sambal: “I decided to throw a sambal party, inviting all my friends over, and that’s how my love for cooking really took off.”
He began working at the TTDI-based café Thursdvys, consequently growing his experience in the industry. “I took charge of the hot food in the kitchen while the restaurant owner handled coffee and desserts,” he says.
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In 2019, Idan was inspired by plant-based friends to create a vegan dish for the menu at Thursdvys. “I made a mushroom rendang, and people loved it,” he enthuses. This positive response was the catalyst the chef needed to begin his vegan food brand, Hijau. “Before this, I wasn’t vegan, but I decided to turn plant-based for the brand in an effort to understand the products better,” he explains.
While Hijau began with brunch dishes with Japanese and Italian influences, Idan decided to switch its concept mid-2020 after organising a Ramadan buffet. “Since it was Ramadan, we decided to put a vegan spin on local dishes,” he reminisces.
One such dish was nasi goreng, which saw crispy mushrooms instead of ikan bilis. “So many customers were excited to try plant-based versions of Malay favourites, so I realised this was a niche I could tap into.”
Since then, Idan has made an effort to veganise every local dish possible, which is often a challenge: “When finding plant-based substitutes, you have to take into account flavour pairings as well as textures to complete a dish,” he explains.
Idan left Thursdvys in 2022, moving Hijau’s operations to Tiffin At The Yard, followed by REXKL, where the plant-based eatery was situated for the past year and two months amongst a community of other cafés.
However, he has just made another move to DC Mall, opening Hijau’s first fully fledged restaurant. “I’ve been in the industry for more than eight years, so I felt it was the right time to have my own space,” he says excitedly. “Now, on top of food, we also handle the drinks and desserts.”
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Naturally, on the counter sits two bottles of homemade sambal—sambal hijau and sambal tomat: “I still use and sell the same sambal hijau that my grandmother first fell in love with, but a new and improved version with the addition of kaffir lime leaves and vegan belacan that makes it even more fragrant and flavourful!”
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About
Katelyn is the dining and travel editor of Malaysia and Indonesia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she offers readers an inside look at the movers and shakers in Asia’s growing food and beverage industry.
