One of the most difficult tasks in Jakarta for a vegetarian let alone a vegan is to find good value healthy vegetarian food. Though you will find many Chinese vegetarian restaurants with abundant meat alternative choices and fried vegetables, it can certainly be difficult to find wholesome vegetarian dishes.

Simone, a lovely raw vegan living in Jakarta, teaches monthly raw cooking or uncooking classes as she calls it. As a certified health coach and raw vegan chef, she aims to raise awareness of the benefits of raw eating and a healthy holistic lifestyle. From a party girl to a dedicated raw vegan, she expresses that her way of life has changed for the better and for the permanent.

Although Simone has expressed difficulties in leading a raw vegan lifestyle in the meat eating and crowded city of Jakarta, she is determined to do what she can with the resources that she has. Her open-minded attitude about Jakarta and non-judgmental approach makes her a wonderful teacher to learn from.

Attending her class, located in her own apartment, was an amazingly fun experience.

The class consisted of 8 females including myself. Everyone had their own reasons for attending a raw cooking class, some to be healthier and some for their dietary requirements. Among them were a mother, daughter, and their cook, looking to incorporate raw foods into their daily consumption. The others were a belly dancer, yoga instructor, business owner, and an engineer.

After introducing ourselves, we were introduced to the concept of raw eating. Raw food, as I carefully noted, are foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees, the health reason for it being that the enzymes within the food has not been destroyed and thus we would be gaining the full nutritional value and energy from the food.

Many supposed benefits of this include weight loss, more energy, clear skin, improved digestion, and improved overall health, which Simone further confirmed it has worked on her. Whether you are on a full raw diet or a creating a slight increase in raw eating, you are expected to feel the effects within a week. Our first introductory drink was a green smoothie, the most popular and the daily necessity among raw foodists. Consisting of mostly spinach and green vegetables, the bananas added enough sweetness to the smoothie in order for it to taste absolutely divine.

The first thought that comes to mind when hearing the word burrito is a Mexican wrap filled with fatty cheese, sour cream, beans, and oily fingers. Never once did I expect to be making raw vegan burritos. To make raw vegan sour cream, we used cashew nuts, vinegar, salt, and blended these ingredients until it created a smooth white cream finish, tasting surprisingly similar to sour cream. The pate was made with sunflower seeds, carrots, sweet onions, dill, and lemon juice, all blended raw with a food processor and squashed together. All these ingredients plus chopped avocados and carrots are then wrapped in big pieces of collard greens, and there it is, a healthy raw tasty burrito!

Salads and soups are also among the list with the soups being blended using a high voltage blender and salad with ingredients that are entirely raw. It is worth considering where to source these fruits and vegetables. Simone suggests going for organic even though she is quite a skeptic about organic produce and its validity.

Another main dish we created was pesto pasta with marinated mushrooms & parmesan. How can pasta be raw? In this case, we used zucchini. We sliced the zucchini using a spiral slicer creating long twirls of the vegetable producing a spaghetti-like appearance. The pesto is made using pumpkin seeds, olive oil, basil, parsley, garlic, and vinegar all blended using a food processor. Mixed together, served, and garnished with some chopped tomatoes and mushrooms, it is a spaghetti pesto resemblance. What a healthier alternative to pasta.

Lastly, desserts, using walnuts, raisins, dates, and cinnamon, all blended in a food processor creating a fudge of sweet ingredients mixed together, we rounded them into balls, and just as easy as it said, we have our dessert, raisin walnut truffles to end the six hour session. Ending with explanations of raw foodist equipment must-haves and some delightful story sharing, this experience has really opened my eyes to a whole new chapter in food. No more excuses for those who say they can’t cook as to be a raw foodist involves no cooking at all.

Read Simone's latest article: 5 Raw Food Mistakes You Don't Want to Make, or visit her website  The Raw Warung to find more raw recipes and tips.

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Text & Images: Amanda Cole