Indonesia Part 2: Sundanese food

/
0 Comments
Special entry by: Sue

While in Sunda, do as the Sundanese do. Dine in lesehan(seated on a mat), eat with one’s hands washed in a kobokan(bowl for washing your hand) and of course, eat the many delicious traditional food.


Choose from a generous spread of side-dishes to accompany your choice of rice later...


Or have your dishes served the traditional way, in a "lesehan"

Characterised for its freshness, a typical Sundanese restaurant will serve you a Lalab – raw vegetables with sambal. In one restaurant, they served us just one type of sambal while another gave us a selection of sambal. O yeah, prepare for the chillies.


Just a couple of sambal choices.  They were sinful, spicy and yummy!

And if you ever have this delicious opportunity, ask for a pepes ikanor pais(in Sundanese). This is fish (depending on restaurant and family recipe) cooked in banana leaves. Each family has their own various versions of this recipe – and they are all delicious.


Another favourite of mine is Otak-otak which literally means brains but no it is grated fish meat (typically macakerel) with coconut, chili and various leaves and spices. And I tell you, forget the waistline, the otak-otak is a must-have!
 

Otak-otak on the grill.  Oh yeah...

As most Southeast Asians, all those mentioned above are just the side dishes. Steamed white rice is eaten at every meal together with this side dish. Well, if you think about it - this is a very balanced meal. It has its carbohydrates (rice), proteins (fish, meat, tempeh or beans), and vegetables (raw lalab, karedok, lotek, sayur asemand more). 


Lalab (fresh greens), tahu (tofu) and tempe (fermented soy beans)


Up-close of fresh yummy greens eaten with sambal of your choice


Sayur asem


Ikan bakar - grilled fish

Are you saying this is waaaay too much for one meal?!! Well, you needn't consume in large portions. This is typical in most Southeast Asian homes - you are meant to sample a bit of each so you have the flavours bursting in your mouth and teasing your tastebuds. Of course, if you prefer a dish or two over the others, go for it! Have more! Your host will be very pleased.

And yes it is typical that the table is filled with countless dishes. Because Indonesians often eat with families and friends, so meal time is a very social time. So the next time you stumble upon an Indonesian restaurant, bring your friends along!! If you can’t stay slim, you could always expand their waistlines too! Besides they’ll appreciate you for the good food and if they don’t, there’s more for you anyways!! 



Karedok


Sambal Terung (chillied aubergines), sotong (squids) & paru (lungs)


Too much chillies?  Never!!  This is how one stays slim, trust me!! ;)


Nasi terasi and the delicious gang.


You may also like

About Post Author

We are a couple that who simply love life and enjoy food. Nicklas is from Kåge, Sweden and Sue is from Singapore. Having grown up in different countries, our appreciation for good food goes beyond international and sometimes experimental too.

No comments:

About us

We are a couple who simply love life and enjoy food. Nicklas is from Kåge, Sweden and Sue is from Singapore. Having grown up in different countries, our appreciation for good food goes beyond international and sometimes experimental too. We seek to discover delicious food, enjoy and yes explore new dining experiences (because some experiences are just new, fabulous and should be told). And above all, we wish to share this with anyone who wishes to know where to eat in Vienna.

Labels

Social

Follow Us on Instagram

Follow Us on Facebook

Sue Nicklas

Create Your Badge

Translate