As the wife of a church deacon, Rosita Goldstein’s mother Ibu Sarly often hosted large meals for their church community at their home in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her repetoird includes Indonesian dishes like beef randang, oxtail soup with beans, satay, and her nasi tumpeng, a golden rice dish served at celebrations.
“In Indonesia, nasi tumpeng is served during happy and special occasions like the birth of a child, birthdays, graduations, [and] Independence Day,” Rosita notes. The dish is full of symbolism, she explains. The anchovies represent unity and team work, while the yellow rice nods to gold and prosperity. Meanwhile meat from a rooster that’s sacrificed for the dish reminds us to live humbly.
In 1996, she married her husband Harvey, a Brooklyn-born Ashkenazi man and together, they moved to Singapore in search of a larger Jewish community to raise their children in. When their eldest approached the age of Bar Mitzvah, Rosita converted to Judaism. “I want to be able to bring the children up with my husband with the same religion, so we can learn together and celebrate together,” she shares.
Today, nasi tumpeng remains part of their family repertoire at their home in Virginia. Her mother made it when Rosita’s children were born and Rosita makes it for graduations, birthdays, promotions, and sometimes for Rosh Hashanah when friends have joined them. For Rosh Hashanah, she adds dried fruits to the rice for sweetness and serves it alongside tzimmes and brisket, a harmonious melding of her family’s traditions.
Cooking notes: This dish is a true cooking project, but don’t let that intimidate you. For easier timing, you can prep the spice paste, deep-fried anchovies and peanuts, and hard-boiled eggs up to 2 days in advance. Store each component in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to secure a silver cone-shaped sieve to mold the rice before you get started.
Ingredients like galangal, palm sugar, makrut lime leaves, and fresh turmeric can be found at Southeast Asian, Thai, or international grocery stores or online. We have also offered substitutions below if needed.
This recipe comes from “Tlaim: The Patchwork Cookbook,” a grassroots project dedicated to celebrating the ethnic and racial diversity of the Jewish community. With over 70 delicious recipes and stories, Tlaim centers underrepresented Jewish identities such as Jews of color. Follow Tlaim on Instagram and sign up to be notified of the release of the cookbook, which is made in collaboration with non-profit Be’chol Lashon.