From the 1st of August, you'll find a new family dish on the menu at OASE's Strandtent. Through A Taste of Home, we invite a different Rotterdammer each month to share a dish that reminds them of home. This month, Lisa Smith shares her family's Ketoprak recipe with us.
Lisa Smith is the founder of Rotterdam's open-air film festival Roffa Mon Amour. In February, they will launch the first edition of Nusantara Film Festival at Theater Zuidplein, bringing together her love for cinema and her Indonesian heritage. Through her work, Lisa creates spaces where stories, cultures and communities come together.
"Whenever my father cooked, nine times out of ten he made Indonesian food, and this dish was his signature. I remember him making it for us often, yet I rarely see it on restaurant menus, even though Indonesian cuisine has become so popular.
When I think back to my time living with my parents, I see my father standing in the open kitchen that looks onto the living room. That room was completely his. It was filled with guitars, CDs, objects from Indonesia, quirky artwork and a big television. It was where he made music, watched almost every football match and countless arthouse films.
In my memories, he's standing at the kitchen counter, surrounded by bowls and ingredients, mixing the Ketoprak together in a large metal bowl. He was fully in his element. You knew better than to disturb him, as the food simply had to be prepped on time."
"Two years ago, my father fell chronically ill and now lives in a nursing home. He will never make this dish again. Since then, Ketoprak has become something that carries all those memories of moments we can no longer create together.
We still eat together as a family, but now my mother prepares the Indonesian dishes. Over the years I've learned to cook many of my father's recipes myself, but I've never recreated this one exactly.
I've always loved cooking with my parents, and after moving out I developed my own style in the kitchen. I often host dinner parties, and once I invited my parents over and made a dish inspired by my father's cooking, without copying his recipe. He was genuinely surprised by how much he enjoyed it."
"I've learned that flavours are memories. You keep searching until you find the taste you recognise. That's exactly how my father taught himself to cook after his own mother passed away.
I've also learned the small techniques that make all the difference. Once you understand the foundations of Indonesian cooking, many recipes become surprisingly simple because the same herbs and spices return again and again. We always used creamed coconut instead of canned coconut milk, and there are little details, like stir-frying pointed cabbage just enough to keep an orak arik crisp, that you only learn by cooking together."
"At home we always called this dish Tahu, although many people know it as Ketoprak. These days everyone says 'tofu' instead of tahu, and I've caught myself using that word too, simply because it's easier to explain.
One tradition I always remember is cleaning bean sprouts together. Indonesian families carefully remove the tiny roots from every sprout before serving them. It's painstaking work, but it's those small details that make a dish feel special. We eat together often, and it’s a norm for everyone to help prepping.
I also love that this dish uses celery, an ingredient you don't often find in Indonesian recipes. To me, Ketoprak reflects the way Indonesian and Dutch food cultures have influenced one another. It's fresh, vibrant and uncomplicated. Perfect for summer."
"I hope people discover that Indonesian cuisine has so much more to offer than gado gado!”
Curious to taste it for yourself? You'll find Lisa’s family Tahu Taugé at OASE's Strandtent throughout August. We're open from Thursday to Sunday. Discover more about OASE's Strandtent.
