Cover Main platter at Jemput (Photo: Jemput)
Main platter at Jemput (Photo: Jemput)
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Hosts Avinash Sagran and Janna Sugiharto serve a feast of Southeast Asian flavours at Jemput
Jemput, signifying a welcoming invitation to dine in Malay, is a supper club that melds the cultures of its Keralan and Bornean supper club hosts together.
While an unlikely match, Avinash Sagran and Janna Sugiharto realised there were similarities in the culinary craft of their respective roots in terms of ingredients.
“Both cuisines use coconut, mango, and pineapple and have similar bases, but contrast comes in the use of spice in the case of Kerala cuisine, whereas Bornean cuisine uses more fresh ingredients,” Janna smiles.
Janna's father hailed from a multicultural household in Sabah, where his Surabaya Javanese heritage blended with his Kedayan Brunei roots. It was during his college years that he met Janna's Kadazan-Dusun mother. "Coming from such big families and both sides having ten siblings each meant our gatherings were always a delightful chaos of cultures, overflowing with an incredible spread of dishes on the table," Janna chuckles.
Likewise, Avinash’s Kerala heritage resulted in food-centric family gatherings when growing up in Johor. “My parents believed a house was a home when filled with people and would always host open houses for the whole street,” he reminisces. Both started cooking during their university days, missing flavours from home.
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Above Janna and Avinash, founders of the supper club, Jemput
Above The supper club sessions usually caters to about six people
Janna and Avinash, founders of the supper club, Jemput
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While the idea for Jemput was born more recently, over a weekend conversation about their shared love of hosting, the duo’s friendship goes back much further—Avinash was actually Janna’s senior at university. In 2023, when Avinash’s grandmother fell ill and stopped communicating, he realised her repertoire of recipes would never be passed on. Janna could immediately relate: “Even with my family, there are some recipes that are lost between generations,” she says. Connected by a love of hosting and cooking, Jemput was born after eight months of research and recipe testing.
Above The sharing platter of pineapple pachadi chutney and Bambangan pureé, paired with malabar beetroot roti and traditional keropok
Above The main platter of Bukit Hitam and basmati rice paired with assorted traditional dishes
The sharing platter of pineapple pachadi chutney and Bambangan pureé, paired with malabar beetroot roti and traditional keropok
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“We talked about our favourite childhood dishes that we wanted to represent and started pairing items together that were complementary in terms of texture and flavour,” Avinash smiles. A meal at Jemput always begins with a sharing platter of Avinash’s pineapple pachadi chutney and Janna’s Noonsom Bambangan pureé, paired with malabar beetroot roti and traditional keropok like rengginang and rempeyek. “The communal sharing platter is always a conversation started that gets people talking,” he continues. “We think of the supper club as an extension of our personal open houses, and a lot of people that come separately become good friends after!”
The starter is followed by a main platter of Bukit Hitam and basmati rice paired with assorted traditional dishes, from Kerala fish cutlet and mutton mutton peralan to tuhau, hinava and apple achar.
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Above The delectable coconut dessert to cap of the dining session
The delectable coconut dessert to cap of the dining session
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With Jemput, the duo hope to replicate the home-style cooking and feelings of comfort they associate with their respective childhoods while bringing communities together over a shared love of food. “We want to introduce these flavours and textures to more people, combining our shared heritage and respective skills into a communal gastronomical experience,” Janna ends.
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Images: Jemput
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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.
