Here is my interview with Mariska and the photos of her family and food that she made. As you read her introduction, you will say “she is amazing!” Yes, she is amazing!
Because of her health issues, Mariska, with a bachelor’s degree of political science, had to give up seeking her dream job working for an embassy or ASEAN. Instead, she is running a small business. She makes and sells her Indonesian food. She also loves Korean food and makes it for her family. Take a look at all these mouthwatering food photos that she made.
I’m sure she will be a successful businesswoman. Then she might think, ‘What was my dream? Working at embassy? No, no, thanks to my illness, I could become successful!’ Being successful means you do what you like. Mariska! Good luck, love you! I’m your fan!
What is your name and where do you live?
My name is Mariska Lindungan, I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and now i’m living in West Jakarta.
Me, my dad with Kowalski n Private
My family in Jurong Bird Park
japchae, “ah, I hope Mariska will give me some leftover of this!”
What do you do and how many family members do you have?
I just got my Bachelor of Political Science degree last year. I run a small culinary business at my home selling traditional Indonesian fried chicken made from my grandma’s special recipe.
Soon after my graduation ceremony I found out I have a giant cell tumor in my thigh bone, so I decided to forget about my dream to work at an embassy or ASEAN and I started my own business. My mom (51) is a tax consultant and also my cooking teacher. My Dad (58) is an electrical and mechanical consultant who loves any spicy food I make. My Big Bro (26) is now living happily in Melbourne, Australia and working there as IT Consultant. My Little Brother (20) is a college student who loves to bake and he is a pasta lover. His girlfriend also loves to cook, and the three of us always make a chaos in the kitchen. hahaha
jjingpang mandu (steamed pork buns)
How often do you cook Korean food following my recipes?
Once or twice a week, depending on my health. Sometimes the pain makes me lay in the bed for the entire day. T-T
bulgogi jeongol (bulgogi stew)
spicy stir-fried squid
sigeumchi namul (spinach side dish)
pan-fried tofu with seasoning sauce
soondubu jjigae (spicy soft tofu stew)
What are your favorite Korean dishes? Choose 3, please!
KIMCHI! i love kimchi very much and it really killed me when I found out I couldn’t eat any fermented food anymore. Second is hoddeok. Hoddeok is now the number one Korean snack that my family asks me to make for a midnight snack. hahaha. And another reason why, because hotteok was my FIRST success in baking something. (I’m just not a baking type, really). Third, yangnyeom tongdak. Super delicious! hehe. I invited my friends over when I made yangnyeom tongdak and they said this dish is very delicious (I switched the chicken chunks to boneless breast chicken strips).
Hoddeok (sweet pancake with brown sugar syrup filling)
What’s your best Korean dish, the one that everybody compliments you on when you make it?
Yangnyeom tongdak and hoddeok. I get compliments everytime I cook kimchi jigae, but since i cannot eat meat or kimchi anymore, kimchi jjigae is now becoming something from memory.
yangnyeom tongdak (seasoned fried chicken)
Thanks to you, I got reacquainted with my desire to cook which prevented me from falling into a deep sadness because of my GCT. You are my inspiration and love your recipes a lot!
Your deadly stir fry squid sure looks DEADLY! =)
Hi Mariska, your food looks so tasty! I love your pan-fried tofu, it looks perfect and is making me hungry right now ;)
All the best!
As a fellow Indonesian, I am proud to see your wonderful looking Korean dishes. Yes, Maangchi has been a wonderful Korean food instructor and an inspiration for Korean food enthusiasts around the world.
I am happy to see your fighting spirit and entrepreneurship. Perhaps, you can be a Korean food caterer as well :)
Cheers and God bless
Yum yum yum! I really want to jump in to the screen and sample every one of those dishes. I’m sure that your fried chicken business is already on the way to making you very successful. I know nothing about Indonesian food. It would be great if you could post about a delicious Indonesian food in the forums so I could try your country’s cuisine some time. Best of luck to you. I know that you are making your friends and family very happy with all of this delicious Korean food.
Thank You. Yes, I’ve been thinking to add some simple Indonesian food recipes in the forum. Someday I will post it in the forum. ^^
WOW! these photos are so amazing!! mantep banget =D especially the soondubu looks so nice!!
Two thumbs up,Mariska!
Terima Kasih Olga~!
Your dishes all look wonderful, inspirational actually. I admire your grit too with respect to your health. You focus on what you can do rather than what you cannot i am sure will sustain you as you grow your business. Success to you. I am just beginning to cook Korean food and seeing your dishes encourages me to keep at it. kia ora – thank you
Thank you Mere, your comment encourages me to cook too. Wish you all the best!
Hi Mariska– your food looks great! I can almost taste the spiciness in the soondubu jigae, stir-fried squid and ddeokbokkie from your pictures alone– it is making me salivate! I wish you the best. :)
Thank you~ Your dish looks delicious too!
Mariska, your food looks amazing! So tasty…. I love Indonesian food too, nasi goreng, rendang, sambal and rijsttafel :)
wow, you love rendang? nice… hahaha i watched your youtube videos yesterday. the greek burger really make me hungry. ^^
THANK YOU GUYS~ so much~. ^0^ God Bless You All.
Thank you very mush to Maangchi who gave me my lost spirit of hope. \^^/
i think i kinda mistype.. hehehe Thank You to Master Maangchi who gave me the spirit of hope back to me.
wish Maangchi will go to Indonesia for her NextUp! ^^
WOW!!! Im so inspired from ur spirit!! U make me feel that nothing to give up bcos there is another hope coming to us. And of course, ur pictures make me wanna cook some Korean dishes rite now! Thanks Mariska and Maangchi. Ur Korean recipes make us link together and know each other :)
Yes! i’m full of hope now. are you living in Batam right now?
What amazing food photos! Your bibimbap is one of the best I have seen. You are sure to have great success in your Indonesian cooking because you are obviously a very good cook :)
Thank you Jamie, i already voted for you. Hope you can go to S.Korea. :D
Mariska : you are really amazing
& your cooking is wonderful …. i want to eat it all
God Bless you ^_^
God Bless You too~