Ford - Fire Islands: Recipes from Indonesia

Steep verdant rice terraces, ancient rainforest and fire-breathing volcanoes create the landscape of the worlds largest archipelago.

Indonesia is a travellers paradise, with cuisine as vibrant and thrilling as its scenery. For these are the original spice islands, whose fertile volcanic soil grows ingredients that once changed the flavour of food across the world. On todays noisy streets, chilli-spiked sambals are served with rich noodle broths, and salty peanut sauce sweetens chargrilled sate sticks. In homes, shared feasts of creamy coconut curries, stir-fries and spiced rice are fragrant with ginger, tamarind, lemongrass and lime. The air hangs with the tang of chilli and burnt sugar, citrus and spice. Eleanor Ford gives a personal, intimate portrait of a country and its cooking, the recipes exotic yet achievable, and the food brought to life by stunning photography.

For Sebastian

and a life of love and adventure

INDONESIA: the ISLANDS, the SPIRIT, the FLAVOURS

Seventeen thousand islands make up the worlds largest archipelago. Or perhaps eighteen thousand. Even official figures vary as sandy cays are exposed and submerged by the tides of the Indian and Pacific oceans. It runs along the girdle of the Earth, covering the distance of Britain to Iraq. To the northwest is conservative Islamic Aceh and to the southeast are the penis-gourd wearing tribes of Papua. Between is dizzying geographical and cultural diversity all belonging to a single country: Indonesia.

Lying on the Pacific Ring of Fire, many islands are pockmarked with volcanoes that rumble and erupt frequently. The combination of fertile volcanic soil, warmth and heavy rainfall means food grows on most islands with abundance. Hills are striped with verdant rice terraces. Mountainous regions produce some of the worlds finest coffee beans. Lush, steamy rainforests are teaming with tropical fruits, coconuts, spices and cocoa beans. Then, of course, there are the silver sanded beaches, coral atolls and perfect surf breaks, which lure travellers from the world over.

Whilst they may come for the tropical idyll, it is often the beguiling cultures and traditions that captivate visitors. Every one of the seven hundred or so languages denotes a different culture. Leave the sophisticated, largely Muslim island of Java, home to sixty percent of Indonesians, and youll find the blood-sacrificing Sumbanese, the longhouse-dwelling Dayaks of Kalimantan, the matrilineal Minangkabau, the seafaring Bugis and the Hindu Balinese. People have different gods, different foods, different races and they are adapting ancient traditions to modern times in very different ways. Tribal villagers asked me for selfies with their smartphones; I saw camera drones swarm the air at the spear-throwing pasola festival in Sumba and at a royal cremation ceremony in Bali; Jakarta tweets more than any city on Earth.

Even in this sprawling collection of people, a national Indonesian identity has emerged. This started through the fight for independence from Dutch colonial rule (achieved in 1945) and was cemented by education programmes and promotion of the national language, Bahasa Indonesia. Threads of commonality are evident. Hospitality is one: guests are greeted warmly and looked after well. The importance of both family and community is another and elders are accorded great respect. Religion plays a key role in daily life throughout the archipelago and indeed is a principle of the state. Though predominantly Islamic, in many places this has interwoven with local animism and traditions of offerings and sacrifice. Another unifier for this vast land of contrasts is the universal love of fiery, fragrant chilli sauces called sambal.

Unity in Diversity is the national motto and the emblem symbolising this is a banyan tree. These huge, splendid trees hang with aerial roots that grow down into the soil creating additional trunks. It represents one country formed from many far-flung cultural roots. Banyans are treated with both respect and caution as they are thought to harbour spirits. They also provide a shady respite from the heat so beneath the banyan tree is often a village gathering place to socialise and enjoy snacks of soft rice puddings served in waxy green banana leaves, or peanuts crisped in batter flecked with lime leaves and black pepper.

For more than two thousand years the outside world has been drawn to Indonesia. The main western islands lie in the middle of the sea trading routes between Arabia, China and India. Around the equator, the winds change direction mid-year, providing a sea conveyor belt that brought early traders through Indonesian waters. In the fickle winded doldrums, they would stay and discover local treasures to export. The most sought after of these were spices.