Chef Interview

CHEF HASAN FROM THE HUT, KUTA, LOMBOK

Meeting The Challenges With ‘Food Made Good’

Huge healthy salad? Chunky chicken curry? Luscious lava cake? There’s all that and more at The Hut, in Kuta Lombok. A relatively recent addition to the range of dining options on the island, the restaurant offers local and international dishes, with a focus on fresh. In a year like no other, it has kept its promise: ‘Food Made Good.’ My Lombok spoke with John, who directs operations at The Hut, to find out more….

Is there one dish you love and remember from your childhood?

Yes, there is – my father’s fantastic Spaghetti Bolognese. He used to make it in huge quantities and then freeze it. In the UK in the 1960s, this was considered to be quite an exotic dish. I’ve never got tired of it.

Tell us about your background and how you started out in cooking.

My first career wasn’t in cooking at all. I studied medicine in Scotland then became an osteopath, in a specialist area of physical therapy. I did that for 17 years, and then decided to move to France. I opened a small hospitality business, where tourists stayed in accommodation next to my house – a bit like a homestay.

For all of my adult life I have been a home cook, and I often cooked for my guests. I learned basic cooking skills from my mother when I was a child, but I'm mainly self-taught. I’ve also travelled extensively around the world and attended many cooking courses in various countries. After I left Europe I wasn’t sure what I would do, but my friends and family have always enjoyed my cooking so, with their support, I decided to open a restaurant. And now here I am at The Hut.

How would you define your style of cooking?

I would describe my cooking as simple and unpretentious. I always draw on my love of food from all over the world, and make my dishes using local fresh ingredients.

Tell us about the concept for your menu at The Hut, Lombok.

The concept is very simple. We serve food that I like to eat – and I am not easy to please. We hope that our customers enjoy it too, and they never leave hungry.

Which dish do you most like to cook?

I’d say my favourite dish to cook is curry.

Which do you think are the guests’ favourite?

They really love the Healthy Hut salad. It’s a big, filling salad, made with falafel, cheese, avocado, tomatoes, grilled bell peppers and fresh crispy lettuce.

Do you have particular ingredients you really like to cook with?

Not really. I enjoy cooking with all kinds of ingredients, as long as they are of good quality. We tend to decide what to cook based on what we can find locally.

Which is your ‘must have’ kitchen gadget?

A good blender, definitely.

Describe your typical working day.

Because I am a director, I am not permitted to cook for my guests. Now that I have trained my team of chefs, my life is very simple. I visit the restaurant every day and sample some of the food we serve to make sure that quality is maintained. I have a very close relationship with my chefs, and we are always open to developing the menu and trying out new ideas.

What do you like most about your job?

The best thing is to see our customers enjoy our food, and it’s also good to get positive feedback.

What is the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge we face is pleasing all of the people all the time, while staying within our budget. I think we meet this challenge really well for the vast majority of people. Obviously the Covid crisis has been a challenge, but we have managed to stay open. That has been really tough at times, but it was our loyal customers who begged us not to close.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to go to the beach with friends and swim in the ocean.

What foods do you really love to eat? Anything you would never eat?

I love all Asian food – especially Thai dishes. What would I never eat? Brains, insects and snakes.

If you hadn’t become a chef, what do you think you would be doing right now?

I did a teaching course in Cambodia a year ago, so maybe I would be teaching English.

Other than creating great food, what would you say are the most important qualities that make a successful chef?

The most important thing is to have a good relationship with staff and customers.

Do you have a favourite celebrity chef?

My favourite is a British chef called Rick Stein. He has made many programs for British TV, about his extensive travelling and cooking adventures all over the world, including Asia.

Any tips for budding chefs?

Yes, three tips. Taste your food, even if you have made the dish 100 times before. Be self-critical. And keep learning how to improve and perfect your dishes.

Hey Pesto!

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves • 3 cloves garlic, peeled • 3 tablespoons cashew nuts • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 1/3 cup olive oil

Method

• To make the pesto, combine the basil, garlic, cashew nuts and Parmesan using a food processor, season with pepper, to taste. While the food processor is still running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside. • Cook fettuccine pasta in well salted boiling water until almost soft, drain and mix with a generous amount of pesto sauce and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Mango Sticky Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups of sweet or glutinous rice • 1 can of coconut milk • ½ cup sugar • 2 pinches of salt • 1 tablespoon cornstarch • 2 ripe mangoes • Sesame seeds, for garnish

Method

• Rinse and drain rice, until the water clears. • Soak rice for at least 1 hour. • Boil water in a steamer, and pour rice inside of cheesecloth and place in steamer, covered. Steam for 15 minutes until the grains are just tender. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. • Meanwhile, combine coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a pan and bring to boil then turn off heat. • Pour half of the coconut cream sauce into rice, stir well, and let it cool and soak for about 10 minutes. • In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water. • Stir into the rest of the sauce, and heat on low until thickened. • Peel mango, slice around pit, and slice diagonal. • Serve mango slices along rice, sprinkle sesame seeds, and ladle additional sauce on rice and mangoes.