TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A survey by CNN Travel shows that fried rice (nasi goreng) is the second most tasty food in the world after West Sumatra’s rendang. This survey has inspired some people to open 'Nasi Goreng Mafia', a dish that offers rich taste of spices.
The owner of the restaurant, Kharisma Akbar, said that he and his colleague has successfully opened 16 branches since they opened their first restaurant on October. The branches are located in Bandung, Pekanbaru-Riau, Jakarta, Jogja, Depok, Garut, Cimahi, and Bali.
The 17th branch has recently opened on Jl. Muwardi, Grogol, West Jakarta. This restaurant offers seven variants of fried rice with Indonesian typical taste. The name ‘mafia’ is actually stands for ‘makanan favorit Indonesia’ (Indonesian favorite food).
The spices used to cook fried rice including aromatic ginger (kencur), galangale, kluwak, tauco, ebi, nutmeg and curcuma.
“The hot taste is not only a trend, but it strengthen the spices,” Akbar explained.
“Indonesian people like fried rice as well as spicy food, Akbar said about the reason why he chose fried rice to sell. Besides, it is a type of food that can be eaten anytime and anywhere.
“We want to have culinary business that is acceptable anytime,” said Kharisma.
In the future, Akbar may use other spices such as cloves, cardamom, fennel, or star anise.
The restaurant names their menu with attractive terms such as Brandal, Gangster and Godfather. The Gangster is for chili and hot food lovers. Brandal comes with basil and Medan distinctive tauco, while the Godfather taste sweet and hot. Preman, which means hoodlum in English, has the taste of galangal and kangkung (water spinach). Yakuza is fried wrice with spices seasoning plus kikil. Other menu Triad has ebi and fresh chili pepper and Bandit has curcuma and other spices, suitable for those who dont favor hot spicy flavor.
The fried rices are not too pricey, starting from Rp12,500 for Bandit, Rp15,000 for Preman, and Rp20,500 for Gangster.
Akbar believes that his business will be stable in three to five years ahead. “Indonesians love fried rice,” Akbar said.
EVIETA FADJAR
