Indonesian Natalia Tjahja found herself cooking for the first time in her life in April, when the coronavirus struck Indonesia and her helper had to return to her village to evade the partial lockdown in Jakarta.

"I had to go to the kitchen to prepare food for myself. I learnt to cook from watching YouTube videos," she told The Sunday Times.

She made herself some meatball spaghetti and was surprised it turned out tasty.

"My food was delicious. I said to myself, "Wow, I can cook. Why didn't I try it earlier?" she said.

Ms Tjahja, who ran a charity programme distributing vitamin supplements to medical workers in Indonesia, then hit upon the idea of making meals for front-line workers fighting Covid-19 as well as people with disabilities.

She approached doctors and nurses to ask if they would like gifts of meals by chefs and homecooks.

"They said they would be so happy as they often skipped meals to tend to patients," she recounted.

Just like that, her non-profit project, Asia Cooking Journeys, was born.

In her home country, Indonesia, 150 professional chefs and amateur cooks have cooked up a storm for about 300 healthcare workers in various cities such as Jakarta, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Batam and Surabaya.

She has also tapped her vast international network and expanded the programme to places such as the United States, Thailand, Malaysia, Greece, Haiti, South Africa, the Philippines, Taiwan and Singapore. Collectively, they have whipped up and given away about 2,000 meals.

Her project debuted in May in Singapore and has so far enlisted five chefs and home cooks to serve meals to healthcare workers and people with disabilities from the Singapore Disability Sports Council.

Ms Tjahja has been actively involved in charitable projects with people with disabilities after the death of her seven-year-old daughter, Maria Monique, from a heart attack in Singapore in 2006.

In her daughter's memory, Ms Tjahja set up The Maria Monique Lastwish Foundation in Indonesia. It fulfils the last wishes of terminally ill children.

"God has given me the strength to make this happen, to run this (Asia Cooking Journeys) programme. I feel like when I believe in God and I trust God, I walk with miracles," said the 50-year-old devout Catholic.

Her latest initiative is simply to pay tribute to medical workers.

Whether it is salmon teriyaki, ayam geprek (smashed fried chicken) or whatever strikes the cook's fancy, she requires only that one meal be prepared for just one person, and only on weekends. Not only must the dish be tasty, healthy, well-balanced and clean, but it must also look presentable, said Ms Tjahja.

"Why only one meal? Because I want many people to join," she said.

"But it must be special, decorated nicely, maybe with a fruit platter, like a gift. I want the doctor or nurse to feel special and appreciated. These people are ready to sacrifice their lives and face Covid-19 patients every day," she said.

One Singapore cook who put his ladle up to be counted is chef George Lee. He whipped up lup cheong fried rice, strawberry salad with balsamic dressing, and dry pea coconut dessert with fresh dates for two doctors.

"During the circuit breaker period, you couldn't go out freely, so I cooked something that was convenient for me. I cut the lup cheong into small pieces, so the rice and lup cheong can be enjoyed together and smell fragrant," he said.

"I cook from my heart. If I don't cook from the heart, it won't taste nice."

Chef Lee, 66, who was recently laid off from Deutschlander, a German restaurant at Clarke Quay which has closed for good, said he is receiving a government support grant for retrenched workers.

But he hopes to find work soon, adding: "I am alert, fully committed to cooking. I still want to work and maybe open a restaurant. I am looking to continue my career as a chef."

Meanwhile, medical workers who have savoured the home-cooked meals were only too grateful.

One of them is Dr Asok Kurup, who chairs the Academy of Medicine's Chapter of Infectious Disease Physicians in Singapore.

A gourmet spread of grilled chicken biryani, with a side of salad and kebab in tangy sauce, prepared by Filipino chef Kurt Sombero from Meatsmith Little India, was a welcome feast for him and his family.

At the time, he had been clocking 12-hour work days looking after infected patients in three wards, clad in stuffy personal protective equipment.

He said: "This was a nice shot in the arm as a morale booster because it came at the height of this Covid-19 mountain.

"There was no access to restaurants and to think you can get gourmet food and, when it comes to you, it's neatly packaged, fresh and hot, that was a nice experience."

Dr Kurup said he was so touched by Ms Tjahja's generous gesture that he felt compelled to pay it forward.

So, he bought and delivered food to his fellow colleagues and nurses as well.

He had always believed there was "no such thing as a free lunch" until he snagged one himself.

Dr Kurup hopes the initiative will also generate publicity for the donor chefs and their restaurants, a positive knock-on effect as businesses struggle to stay afloat in these trying times.

"If their food is good and if we enjoy it, we also can help to tell others," he said.

For Ms Tjahja, she is just happy that her initiative has not only filled tummies, but also cheered hearts. She is looking to launch Asia Cooking Journeys in South Korea, Japan and Australia.

She is grateful for the support she has received from many, including Ms Siti Ma'rifah, daughter of Indonesian Vice-President Ma'ruf Amin, who helped her launch the initiative in Taiwan, and Mr Nick Bhirombhakdi, Paralympic Committee of Thailand chief, who helped her reach out to people with disabilities in Thailand.

But despite having convinced renowned chefs to cook for a noble cause, she is not convinced that her meatball spaghetti is up to scratch. She has not served it to anyone else.

"Ah, I don't feel confident," she said with a laugh.

"The medical workers say to me, 'Please cook for us. It doesn't matter if it's nice or not. We will eat it'.

"I tell them, 'No, but I will find the best chef for you, the best home cook for you.'"