“It feels like a birthday where you don’t know anyone except the hostess,” I say to the woman sitting next to me. We are sitting in a living room in Prenzlauer Berg and have just been introduced. She laughs and agrees with me. The living room belongs to Zaki, Hanno, and their daughter Suraya, the family behind Daundaun. They’re hosting a dinner on this rainy Saturday. Since 2019, the family has been hosting pop-ups in their home to introduce guests to Malaysian cuisine. Around 20 other people are sitting and standing in the large apartment, the centerpiece of which is the stainless steel kitchen, where Zaki is busily folding small dumplings, only to later place them on the dining table covered with banana leaves (daun-daun means leaf, by the way). The dumplings are called tembosa, filled with potatoes, coriander, fresh chilies, and peas, a bit like samosa, says Zaki, but from Johor, the southernmost tip of Malaysia. Next to them are small packages of pulut panggang, sticky rice with coconut flakes and chili, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled — a vegan snack from Brunei, and my highlight of the evening. For the main course, bowl after bowl lands on the table. For Ayam Percik, chicken is marinated in turmeric and coated with a spicy coconut and lemongrass sauce over an open flame.
Zaki and Hanno serve it with prawns in sambal, acar rampai pulang hari (Malaysian mixed pickles), and bean sprout salad. And there’s rice, baby: nasi lemak is Malay for coconut rice and the perfect counterpart to the spicy dishes. But the visual star of the evening is Nasi Ulam Bunga Telang colored with butterfly pea blossoms and seasoned with Thai basil, coriander, and other herbs. The smurf blue rice is a feast for all the senses. Zaki explains every dish she puts on the table with a background story, ingredients, and, above all, lots of love. In between, she introduces everyone involved. Who kneaded, cooked, and fried, who is a guest for the first time, and who is a guest for the 20th time. She is all about community and family, and you can tell. There is a lot of laughter, and while preparing dessert, Suraya and a friend gossip about the latest episode of Love Island. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable. Hubert from Neukölln wine bar, The Rad, is also a part of the community, accompanying the dinner with natural wines. Finally, dessert is served in the bedroom. Onde-Onde, small green rice balls filled with melted palm sugar, two types of agar-agar santan, and Kuih Bakar Ubi, a cake made from cassava that I won’t soon forget. At the end of the evening, I exchanged book recommendations with the person sitting next to me, met several new people, and bid farewell with a hug. That’s how sweet being a guest can taste.
Text: Inga Krumme / Photos: Laura Hanowski
Daun Daun, Kollwitzstr., Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg
@daundaun.berlin
