The Depanneur + The Bentway Communal Table 2023
Family-style dining in a unique urban setting. Communal Tables are seated, family-style meals, served and shared at 10 tables of 6, where you bring your own plates and cutlery.
THU July 13 | Indonesian Rendang | Nai Nai
Strachan Gate at The Bentway • 6pm • Pre-order online until TUE July 11
With more than 17,000 islands populated by more than 300 different ethnic groups, Indonesian cuisine has incredible breadth, depth and variety. Home of the original “Spice Islands”, Indonesia has been a culinary destination for centuries, sharing spices like nutmeg and clove with the rest of the world while absorbing and reimagining Indian, Chinese, Arabic, Thai and Dutch influences. Indonesian food boasts many unique flavours, textures and ingredients worth exploring, and tonight Chef Elita of NaiNai shares a few distinctive and authentic Indonesian recipes.
—–
Jagung Bakar
This popular street food is a great way to kick off a summer dinner; an Indonesian-style grilled corn served with spicy-sweet chili sauce.
Beef Rendang [beef]
In a 2011 online poll held by CNN International, beef rendang was chosen as the number one dish of the ‘World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods’. Rendang is a style of curry-like stew originating in West Sumatra. It is characterized by a long, slow cooking in rich coconut milk that makes it the meat tender, almost like a confit. The spices used — lemongrass, garlic, chili, shallot, ginger and galangal — also have antimicrobial properties and act as natural preservatives. A popular but labour-intensive dish, it’s often reserved for special occasions.
–or–
Tempeh & Potato Rendang [vegetarian]
Tempeh, a traditional Indonesian food made by the controlled fermentation of soybeans into a firm cake, works beautifully with the richness of reduced coconut milk and deep & complex flavours of the rendang spices.
Both are served with Balado Tahu (a tangy & spicy tofu stir fry), sautéed asparagus with garlic, jasmine rice, and their special homemade green chili hot sauce.
Lupis Ketan
Glutinous rice is wrapped in banana leaves and boiled to create kue lupis, a soft-sweet-sticky rice dumpling coated with grated coconut and coconut sugar.
—–
Meat or Vegetarian
Indonesian Rendang Dinner
$40 pp
Chef Elita learned her craft from several generations of family chefs; her grandmother founded a popular noodle restaurant in Central Jakarta that has been a local staple for over 3 decades, and now owns a noodle factory in Indonesia. Her Mother continued the restaurant business with Elita at her hip. Those indelible experiences have inspired Elita to bring her own authentic Indonesian meals to Toronto. As a food entrepreneur, she has catered for the Indonesian embassy and has recently launched NaiNai Indonesian Food, an Indonesian noodle bar and take out restaurant on King St. W.
IG @nainai.indonesianfood | nainainoodles.com
Pay It Forward
At check out, you will be invited to optionally contribute towards our Pay It Forward initiative. Pay it Forward funds go to Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin (They Feed the People) to support the food security needs of vulnerable persons in Toronto’s Indigenous community.
