Doing Action to Manage Food Potency

By Sarlota Wantaar.          

Food is a basic human need, and there are many food sources provided by nature that allow humans to take, to breed and to process according to their wants and needs. Indonesia has a lot of local food diversity in each region, but not everyone can process it into other products. Local Food Initiative program done by Stube HEMAT invites students, especially women who are studying in Yogyakarta, to learn how to manage local food. On this occasion, participants learn one derivative product of catfish, that is, catfish floss. This training is intended to prepare students to be able to produce and to start a business in their spare time, or to be equipped with skills when they return to their regions. 

Located at the secretariat of Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta (15/08/2023), students attended training accompanied by Sarlota Wantaar as the trainer. Before starting practice, students get a theory about how the process and what ingredients are used. There are 5 kgs of catfish available for today practice with spices consisting of garlic, onion, ginger, brown sugar, orange leaf, bay leaf, turmeric, salt, lemongrass, galangal, cooking oil, and organic flavoring.

First, the catfish is cleaned, then steamed for 20 minutes, continuing with the process of separating the fish bones from the meat. Separating catfish bones off the meat requires patience and accuracy because there are many fine and small bones.  Seasonings that have been mashed, sauteed and mixed in catfish meat. Next, fry it for 25 to 30 minutes until the color turns brownish. Prepare a spinner to separate the oil from cooking, after cooling, mashing, weighing, finally it is the packaging process.

Products are ready to be marketed by enlivening the bazaar, held by the Indonesian Baptist Church Yogyakarta (17/08/2023), in commemoration of the 78th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia. Participants learn marketing and how to do promotions. Explaining the functions, benefits and ingredients of a product, will convince consumers to buy it.

Local food has the potential to be developed into a commercial business and women can be actively involved in managing it. Women not only see or hear, but they dare to act without fear of being wrong and afraid of failure. Women keep to be advanced. ***