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

bibimbap
hobakjuk

bulgogi jeongol (bulgogi stew)
spicy stir-fried squid
sigeumchi namul (spinach side dish)

spicy rice cake (ddeokbokkie)

vegetable pancake

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)

pajeon (green onion pancake)

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!

21 Comments:

  1. mzfarmer Wisconsin joined 5/11 & has 2 comments

    Your deadly stir fry squid sure looks DEADLY! =)

  2. Imre The Netherlands joined 11/09 & has 13 comments

    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!

  3. Tuty joined 5/09 & has 14 comments

    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

  4. mokpochica Michigan joined 1/09 & has 89 comments

    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.

  5. Olga San Francisco joined 5/11 & has 3 comments

    WOW! these photos are so amazing!! mantep banget =D especially the soondubu looks so nice!!
    Two thumbs up,Mariska!

  6. Mere Marshall New Zealand joined 5/11 & has 16 comments

    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

  7. Soju123 New York, NY joined 3/11 & has 21 comments

    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. :)

  8. Reinier Rotterdam, The Netherlands joined 2/09 & has 101 comments

    Mariska, your food looks amazing! So tasty…. I love Indonesian food too, nasi goreng, rendang, sambal and rijsttafel :)

  9. MariskaLim Jakarta, Indonesia joined 2/11 & has 55 comments

    THANK YOU GUYS~ so much~. ^0^ God Bless You All.
    Thank you very mush to Maangchi who gave me my lost spirit of hope. \^^/

  10. Lovekoreancooking batam island joined 3/11 & has 13 comments

    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 :)

  11. JamieF New Zealand joined 1/11 & has 120 comments

    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 :)

  12. Maha Jordan joined 12/10 & has 29 comments

    Mariska : you are really amazing
    & your cooking is wonderful …. i want to eat it all
    God Bless you ^_^

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