By Honorary Reporter Annisa Mujahidah Robbani from Indonesia
Photos = Annisa Mujahidah Robbani

Man 2 Mataram, aka Manda, is a leading public Islamic high school in Mataram, the capital of the Indonesian province of West Nusa Tenggara. It has an Islamic curriculum and emphasizes foreign languages including Korean.

The school's Korean club promotes Korean culture through activities like Korean-language lessons, K-pop dance routines, drama talks, cooking classes, beauty workshops and cultural exploration. It regularly hosts events and competitions showcasing student interests and skills.

Making tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) at Mataram Korean Language Institute

At a cooking class during the recent Korean Day Festival, I joined university students and a teacher from the Mataram Korean Language Institute to introduce Korean dishes to Manda students like jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce), gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and kimchi.

Preparing ingredients at Korean cooking workshop

The teacher explained each dish's ingredients and cultural significance. Students were later split into groups and assigned a dish to prepare, with guidance from the instructor, me and assistants from preparation to presentation. 

"This is my first time cooking Korean food, and it turned out to be a lot of fun," one of the students said. "I learned a lot about cooking techniques different from what we usually do at home."

Teaching Manda students to make gimbap (seaweed rice rolls)

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.