Book of Days Tales

Today is Batik Day (Hari Batik Nasional) in Indonesia, a holiday for celebrating batik — the traditional cloth of Indonesia. It is celebrated on this date to mark the anniversary of when UNESCO recognized batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The Indonesian government strongly encourages Indonesian people (especially government officials, employees of state-owned enterprises, and students) to wear batik today.

To make batik, first a piece of cloth is washed, soaked, and beaten with a large mallet. Patterns are drawn with pencil and later redrawn using hot wax, usually made from a mixture of paraffin wax or beeswax, sometimes mixed with plant resins, which functions as a dye-resist. The wax can be applied with a variety of tools, but a canting (pronounced /tʃantiŋ/, sometimes spelled with old Dutch orthography tjanting) is the most common. A canting is made from a small copper reservoir with a spout on a wooden handle. The reservoir holds the resist which flows through the spout, creating dots and lines as it moves. For larger patterns, a stiff brush may be used. Alternatively, a copper block stamp called a cap (pronounced /tʃap/; old spelling tjap) is used to cover large areas more efficiently.

After the cloth is dry, the resist is removed by boiling or scraping the cloth. The areas treated with resist keep their original color; when the resist is removed the contrast between the dyed and undyed areas forms the pattern. This process is repeated as many times as the number of colors desired. The most complex patterns can take up to a year to produce.

My favorite Indonesian dish by a country mile is soto ayam which, like batik, originated in Java.  This is my own recipe developed after working with Javanese cooks for many years. Preparing the noodles will depend on the kind used; some require no more than soaking in warm water, while others must be boiled.

©Soto Ayam

In a big stock pot poach a small chicken with a stalk of lemon grass, 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric (or 2” strip of fresh turmeric, chopped), a hunk of belacan (dried shrimp paste), 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and ground coriander, and a piece of fresh ginger, until the meat is just tender. This usually takes me about 50 minutes. Remove the chicken and lemon grass, return the broth to a boil and cook a sufficient quantity of noodles for the number of diners. Cellophane noodles are the commonest in Java and Bali, but it’s your choice. I’ve often used ramen, and rice noodles are fine also.

Strip the chicken meat from the bones. When the noodles are cooked, make up deep bowls of steaming broth with noodles and chicken. Provide your guests a choice of toppings for them to add as they wish. The standards are crispy fried onions, sliced boiled eggs, and sambal oelek, a fiery sauce made with fierce red chile peppers and tomato (which I have often found at supermarkets in the U.S). There are no limits, however. Other favorites include cilantro leaves, bean sprouts, sliced napa cabbage, and sliced boiled potatoes.

You can buy crispy fried onions, but they are easy to make. Slice onions coarsely and spread them with salt in a sieve. Let the moisture drain out, then pat them dry with paper towels. Heat deep frying oil to 300°F and fry the onions until they are deep golden. Drain on wire racks. They can be stored in airtight containers, so you can make big batches. You can do the same with sliced garlic.