Feature | Asli Food Project Goes Worldwide

It’s been seven years since my last post…seven years! A lot can happen in that time and here’s what happened to me.

I was funding Asli Food Project out of my own savings, and unfortunately, wasn’t able to find a way for it to be financially sustainable. So, like many attempted dreams, this one had to be put aside while I returned to the United States to start over. And in that time, I became a pastry chef and worked in the F&B industry to great success.

But my heart never forgot Indonesia and what I was doing with Asli Food Project. In fact, when I thought back to my most significant accomplishments in life, this project was at the very top. So instead of reminiscing and wishing for that life again, I decided to stop dreaming and make it happen.

Asli Food Project has been re-configured into my new YouTube channel @arealcrystal, as a solo female adventure and food traveler embarking on expeditions to explore this wild, rugged world. I’m really excited to bring food and travel back into my life because that’s where I feel most at home.

So come join me and watch the adventures I’ve already been on! There will be much more ahead.

-C

Video | Kenari Nuts How-to

Here’s an ingredient you can’t find in your local grocery store, not even in Indonesia — the kenari nut. After our visit to Pulau Alor in NTT, we foresee this nut becoming the next biggest star in the global food market very soon. Be one of the first to learn about how it is harvested in our latest How-to video!

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Special Feature and Recipe | Paula Wolfert on Indonesian Cuisine

In 1971, an American woman sought out traditional Indonesian recipes while living in New York City. She printed out the instructions with photos included, packed them into boxes with corresponding ingredients, and mailed the packages to intrepid American households willing to recreate them.

“Impossible!” I thought.

Who was this woman?

Paula Wolfert.

Continue reading “Special Feature and Recipe | Paula Wolfert on Indonesian Cuisine”

Recipe | Sambal Suna ft. Kalimantan Tengah

There were too many men.

I had become accustomed to spending quiet, intimate moments with grandmothers, mothers, wives, aunts and daughters in village kitchens across Indonesia in the preceding months. It was a natural connection — woman to woman — and put me at ease, especially because I was a lone, female traveler. I felt comfortable putting my guard down only in the company of other females.

Continue reading “Recipe | Sambal Suna ft. Kalimantan Tengah”

Video | Jawada How-to

Across the islands that comprise of Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT), Jawada, also known as Kue Rambut, is a snack that links them all. This popular treat is a common accompaniment to tea and coffee in the region and a go-to travel snack. Watch as we learned how the locals on Alor Island, the eastern-most island of NTT, make Jawada right in front of us!

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