“You have to try this!” says chef Ragil Imam Wibowo, popping in from his kitchen, bearing a tray of hors d’oeuvres—and a long tail planted in a glass of what resembles blood-red soil. It turns out to be eel, smoked and served with tangy red sauce, a spicy balado.
Looking like traditional Indonesian sambal, balado is a fiery paste of ground chili, fried with spices, garlic, shallots, tomato and lime juice in coconut or palm oil. Ragil’s version is aromatic, home-smoked, zesty. And like everything he plates at Nusa Indonesian Gastronomy—in the South Jakarta area of Kemang, known for hip shops—it’s unquestionably authentic.
“Indonesian food is really underrated,” Ragil, who started cooking at age eight, says, “and the special foods of the regions have not really been explored.” Nusa is short…
