The Indonesian meal is not divided into starter-main-dessert: everything arrives at the same time around the nasi (rice), the plain white foundation. It is surrounded by lauk-pauk, a constellation of small dishes — meats, vegetables, fritters — that each person picks at will, always enhanced by a sambal (chili paste). Sweetness is not an end to the meal but a separate category, like es or kolak, enjoyed in the afternoon heat.

Two pillars of Javanese cuisine: terasi, fermented shrimp paste that gives deep umami to sambals, and kecap manis, soy sauce thickened with palm sugar, both dark, syrupy, and salty. They are what sign the taste of Jakarta on Anggun's plate.