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MASSAGE a la TORAJA

One thing that I am addicted to besides drinking coffee, is having a massage. Of course my husband loves giving me a massage, but it comes with strings attached…if you know what I mean…he…he…So, I prefer to have somebody else, mostly a lady to give me a thorough, long, relaxing massage.

I have tried massage with different styles. In a gazebo of a boutique hotel by the sea in Bali, two slim ladies in their sarong give me a massage from my head and my feet simultaneously. In Jogya, on the island of Java, the ladies put me in a bath full of red rose petals before giving me a deep tissue massage. On an island in Maldives after scuba diving, a tall and blond woman give me a Swedish massage…oh so soft that I fall asleep. In a suburb of San Francisco, a stout Korean lady gives me a shiatsu massage. Afterwards, my sister and I plunge into a hot pool. In Chiang Mai, a lady gives me a massage by twisting my body, my arms, my legs…then she puts me in a sauna smoked with Thai herbs before leading me into a plunge pool under her rice barn.

But in Toraja? Where can I get a good massage? I have tried the five star hotel, the hair salon…no luck! The massage I get is so..so…to put it mildly. It’s only…rub…rub … then it’s over! I guess, massage is simply not part of the Torajanese culture. Until one day, my beloved mother-in-law tells me that her next door neighbour is a good masseur. I ask her, how come she hasn’t told me before. “Oh, but the masseur often goes to Malaysia to be with her children and to serve her clients over there. She is seldom in Toraja.” So, that’s how I meet Ne’ Baruppu which means The Grandma of Baruppu. Baruppu is a hamlet high in the mountains, above the clouds in North Toraja. It’s famous for its beautiful girls. But Ne’ Baruppu says, “ I am the exception, because I am not beautiful at all”. Then she laughs with her toothless mouth.

Ne’ Baruppu gives massage by using the five fingers of her right hand. Sometimes, when stronger pressure is needed, like on the base of our feet – not unlike a reflexology, she also uses the back of her hand. She claims, that her massage is ‘cure massage’ as opposed to ‘relaxing massage”. She gives massage to cure sore back, twisted muscle, headaches, even limping caused by stroke. At the beginning of her massage, she asks her clients to sit up. Then she starts stroking our back with her five fingers. This way, she can find the muscle easier. Once a client insists on sleeping on his stomach-as is the common way- to be massaged and Ne’ Baruppu refuses to give him a massage. She says: ”This is massage Toraja style. You have to sit up. When you lie down, your muscles become flat and it’s hard to find!” After finishing our back, she will do our arms and our head. Then, only then we can lie on our stomach and she will do our legs and again our back. Lastly, she will give our chest and stomach a massage. Where necessary, she gives her clients an elixir of traditional Torajanese herbs.

Enough story…..I am waiting for Ne’ Baruppu to climb up to my house anytime soon!

PANGLAWA’

(barbecued chicken with center of young banana tree & peanuts)

Mama Danny’s version

INGREDIENTS:

2 young chickens, cut into two, rubbed with salt and barbecued. Then shred into small pieces

2 young banana trees, cut & slice the inside, squeeze out the water, throw away the water. Put some salt on the sliced banana tree

HERBS/SEASONING/SPICES:

0.25 litre peanuts, fry without oil, crush finely

4 lime: use the juice

0.25 litre chilly – crush finely

10 red onions, grill or fry then crush finely

METHOD OF COOKING:

Mix the shredded chicken with the dry inside of banana tree

Mix in the spices

Fry the mixture without oil

Serve with hot rice

CHICKEN IN GINGER PLANT

(dangkot ayam)

Mama Danny’s version

INGREDIENTS: 2 chickens – cut up into small pieces

HERBS/SEASONING/SPICES:

1 litre grated lengkuas (ginger plant)

mix & crush:

0.25 litre red and green chillies

6 garlic

10 red onions

10 lemon grass-sliced

salt

3 ginger

METHOD OF COOKING:

– stir fry all crushed spices

– mix with chicken pieces

– leave on small fire, stir until no more juice is left

– mix in lengkuas

ESCARGOT A LA TORAJA

(suso’ santan)

a la Dorce and Mama Tiku

INGREDIENTS:

1 litre of suso’ (small snails from the rice fields)

HERBS/SEASONING/SPICES:

A quarter of coconut, put some water to make coconut milk (santan) twice

Put the first and second coconut milk in two separate bowls

2 stalks of lemongrass-crushed

pounded together:

2 cloves of garlic

2 cloves of red onion

salt

METHODS OF COOKING:

– wash and soak the snails overnight so that the sand & dirt are flushed out

– in the morning, break the back & sharp part of the snails, so that it’s open, wash again

– bring to boil the second coconut milk, stir in the mixture of spices

– when boiled, put in the snails

– when the snails mixture is boiling again, put in the first coconut milk until all snails are covered

– wait for 10-15 minutes

– served with hot white or red rice

METHODS OF EATING:

Suck out the flesh of the snails from the broken back part…..

Suck…suck…

Yum…yum…

ESCARGOT A LA TORAJA

(suso’ santan)

a la Dorce and Mama Tiku

INGREDIENTS:

1 litre of suso’ (small snails from the rice fields)

HERBS/SEASONING/SPICES:

A quarter of coconut, put some water to make coconut milk (santan) twice

Put the first and second coconut milk in two separate bowls

2 stalks of lemongrass-crushed

pounded together:

2 cloves of garlic

2 cloves of red onion

salt

METHODS OF COOKING:

– wash and soak the snails overnight so that the sand & dirt are flushed out

– in the morning, break the back & sharp part of the snails, so that it’s open, wash again

– bring to boil the second coconut milk, stir in the mixture of spices

– when boiled, put in the snails

– when the snails mixture is boiling again, put in the first coconut milk until all snails are covered

– wait for 10-15 minutes

– served with hot white or red rice

METHODS OF EATING:

Suck out the flesh of the snails from the broken back part…..

Suck…suck…

Yum…yum…

FISH IN BLACK PAMARASSAN SOUP

(pamarassan bale karappe)

Mama Ata’s version

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium size fresh water carp

HERBS/SEASONING/SPICES:

3 joints galangal (lengkuas)-pounded

3 joints ginger-pounded

0.25 litre of red & green chillies

10 lime leaves

2 bay leaves (daun salam)

2 stalks lemongrass-pounded

3 stalks of shallots-sliced into round bits

salt

½ cup of pamarassan powder

6 garlic-sliced

10 red onions-sliced

1 cup of pangi (the skin of the pamarassan/keluwek seed), already soaked overnight

METHOD OF COOKING:

Fry the cleaned fish to half cooked (no need to clean up the scales)

Stir fry: onions, garlic, ginger, galangal (lengkuas), lemongrass, shallots

Mix in lime leaves, bay leaves, chillies, pamarassan powder, pangi

Slowly put in the fish

Pour in some water

Stir carefully, so that the fish does not break

Put ini the shallots

Cook on small fire for 30 minutes

Serve with hot steam rice

FISH IN BLACK PAMARASSAN SOUP

(pamarassan bale karappe)

Mama Ata’s version

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium size fresh water carp

HERBS/SEASONING/SPICES:

3 joints galangal (lengkuas)-pounded

3 joints ginger-pounded

0.25 litre of red & green chillies

10 lime leaves

2 bay leaves (daun salam)

2 stalks lemongrass-pounded

3 stalks of shallots-sliced into round bits

salt

½ cup of pamarassan powder

6 garlic-sliced

10 red onions-sliced

1 cup of pangi (the skin of the pamarassan/keluwek seed), already soaked overnight

METHOD OF COOKING:

Fry the cleaned fish to half cooked (no need to clean up the scales)

Stir fry: onions, garlic, ginger, galangal (lengkuas), lemongrass, shallots

Mix in lime leaves, bay leaves, chillies, pamarassan powder, pangi

Slowly put in the fish

Pour in some water

Stir carefully, so that the fish does not break

Put ini the shallots

Cook on small fire for 30 minutes

Serve with hot steam rice

PORK IN BAMBOO

(pa’ piong bayi)

Mama Danny’s version

INGREDIENTS:

5 kg of pork with some fat

10 bunches of miyana or bulu nangko leaves

optional: 1 glass of pig blood (ummm!)

HERBS/SEASONING/SPICES:

0.25 litre of red onions – sliced

1 bunch of shallots – sliced

0.25 litre of small red & green chillies – whole

2 small ginger – sliced

salt

METHODS OF COOKING:

-cut meat into cube size

-mix in young miyana (like spinach) leaves & stalks

-mix in all spices

find 3 to 4 newly cut bamboo tubes/joints

put the mixture into each bamboo tube

close the top with lime or banana leaf

put the tubes on open fire pit until boiling

(the water of the bamboo will mix with the fat of the meat & spices

bringing out the flavor!)

leave until there is no more water coming out

cut open the bamboo

eat with Torajanese red rice

YUMMY!

PORK IN BAMBOO

(pa’ piong bayi)

Mama Danny’s version

INGREDIENTS:

5 kg of pork with some fat

10 bunches of miyana or bulu nangko leaves

optional: 1 glass of pig blood (ummm!)

HERBS/SEASONING/SPICES:

0.25 litre of red onions – sliced

1 bunch of shallots – sliced

0.25 litre of small red & green chillies – whole

2 small ginger – sliced

salt

METHODS OF COOKING:

-cut meat into cube size

-mix in young miyana (like spinach) leaves & stalks

-mix in all spices

find 3 to 4 newly cut bamboo tubes/joints

put the mixture into each bamboo tube

close the top with lime or banana leaf

put the tubes on open fire pit until boiling

(the water of the bamboo will mix with the fat of the meat & spices

bringing out the flavor!)

leave until there is no more water coming out

cut open the bamboo

eat with Torajanese red rice

YUMMY!