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Last modified: 13 Sep 2021 2:06pm

A group of men and women in traditional Indonesian dancing costumes gathered in front of a stage

Fresh tastes from Indonesia will be part of this year’s CultureFest in Lincoln.

Indonesian cuisine favourites Siomay (chicken dumplings with peanut sauce), vegetable fritters and beef mince rissoles and a refreshing Javanese herbal drink made in Lincoln from turmeric and tamarind, will all be on the menu, Indonesian community member Hesthi Nugroho says.

The Indonesian Cuisine stall is run by Lia Crossland and Nina Hamid, proud chefs who love cooking Indonesian food. Speaking of Lia, Mrs Nugroho says she puts her heart and soul into every dish she cooks.

She first asked Lia to join in the CultureFest fun in 2019, she says.

“I knew that the Indonesian community in Canterbury have some really great cooks. I asked Lia to join in, opening her food stall at CultureFest. We came back last year after Covid lockdown, bringing Nina along to join us. It was a huge success for both of them, their food was very well received. These two beautiful ladies are a very solid team.”

Nina will also be co-hosting an Indonesian cooking demonstration with chef Yanti on 30 September at Lincoln Event Centre.

Along with food, a live performance of Balinese traditional dance; a contemporary dance from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta called Lenggang Nyai and a song called Sajojo from Papua are all planned.

The community are very proud of their culture and of being included in CultureFest, Mrs Nugroho says. It’s a great opportunity to showcase Indonesia’s rich diverse cultures through traditional food, clothing and dancing.

She says CultureFest is a great place to promote this, due to Selwyn’s cultural diversity and there’s always a feeling of satisfaction when their food and dances are received well by the public.

“CultureFest has successfully put a smile on our faces and uplifted our confidence.”

*The CultureFest celebration at Lincoln Event Centre and Domain will only be able to continue at Alert Level 1. Keep an eye on our website selwyn.govt.nz/culturefest, or the Council Facebook page facebook.com/SelwynDistrictCouncil for updates. Some of the fortnight of CultureFest events including sports, food and crafts taster will still continue at Alert Level 2 – see selwyn.govt.nz/ culturefest for a full list of events and to register to join in.