We think roasted vegetables are yummy. That's why upon acquiring this new electric oven, roasted vegetables are among the first thing we try. Easy preparation, and our likeness is the main reasons.

All we need is just chopped vegetables, sprinkled over some salt and pepper, and voila... not so good first attempt:

It was a bit dried for being scorched a bit too long. And inadequate oiling resulted in some unanticipated charring as well.

The second attempt however, looks much better, while taste much better as well:

Yes the ingredients has also enriched; now we added cherry tomatoes and Champignon mushrooms. We also sprinkled some mixed herbs to adds the aroma. Usage of coconut oil instead of olive, adds a new twist to the fragrance as well and makes it feels more Bali.

With our last shopping, we have also bought some beet root and more cherry tomatoes since it tasted great. What you can count on is, if the ingredients tasted good raw, then roasting will make the flavour more intense, while softening the texture down. It will also makes the food dry, hence adding oil on open roasting helps attain the moisture. Also don't forget to preheat the oven, and when in doubt it's better to go slightly undercooked, than over or charred.

I hope we can get an even prettier look, and even better taste on our third attempt. (byms)

Baso Tahu is a dish made up of individual steamed delicacies dressed with sweet savoury a bit spicy peanut sauce. The term "baso tahu" itself refers to the main delicacy made with stuffing tahu with meaty mixture similar with baso; hence the term baso tahu is used.

The other significant ingredients in the dish is the siomay (shumay/chinese dumpling) which are made from mixture of meat (usually sea fishes sometimes other kind of meat, including pork) and flour. Since siomay are better common than baso tahu, that's why outside of Jawa Barat area "Siomay Bandung" is the popular name of this dish.

Other companying ingredients usually consisted of boiled egg, potatoes, cabbage, and sometimes stuffed paria (pare/bitter melon).

Baso Tahu alias Siomay Bandung

Seeing the steaming process and the kind of delicacies used, there is a strong resemblance with Dim sum made popular by the Chinese culture. Hence in a way, Baso Tahu/Siomay Bandung is the Indonesian version of Dim sum, minus the varieties and missing key ingredients like the stuffed bun (bakpau) or the translucent shrimp hakau.

Beside of the original form, variants of Baso Tahu available in Bandung metro are "Baso Tahu kuah" (baso tahu in soup) and "Batagor". The first are gigantic enlargement of the regular Baso Tahu, only that instead served with peanut sauce it is served in soup made with chicken broth; the later is a newer invention derived from Baso Tahu, as the name itself explains: "Baso Tahu Goreng" (fried baso tahu). Consisting usually only the two major ingredients: baso tahu and siomay, the dish offers different sensation with its crumbly crunchy skin texture made by deep frying. Frying also intensify the savouriness contained in the meal.

Different with Gado-gado, peanut sauce used in Baso Tahu are usually coarser and saltier. After seasoned with the peanut sauce, the dish is then dressed with sweet soy ketchup, and sprinkled with keffir lime juice. Sometimes sellers also provide sambal to go with it, while outside Parahyangan the dish also seasoned with spicy chilli sauce, and served with spoon instead of fork -- while originally it is served the other way around.

Baso Tahu are closely associated with street foods, hence it is usually sold at traditional markets, around or at the street side food carts, semi permanent establishments, and rarely sold at at upper class premises. Best Baso Tahu in Bandung are also sold in street side food carts or food huts, with the exception of Batagor Kingsley; who cleverly switches from selling Baso Tahu to include also Batagor and now is most famous for it.

For the past few years, the SRP of this dish sold on bicycle carts and mobile carts are about IDR 5-8K per complete portion (minus eggs), and a bit higher at Pujasera or Food Courts. As for Batagor, the most famous sellers in Bandung are Batagor Kingsley and Batagor Riri.

Find out more about Bandung's interesting culinary destination at Bandung's Legendary Eateries list on Foursquare. (bay)

Nasi Liwet Sunda differs quite strikingly with its counterpart, the more famous Surakarta's Nasi Liwet. If the later is a dish consisting of rice cooked in coconut milk and served with chicken and pumpkin opor (white curry), Sundanese Nasi Liwet is a one pot cooking consisting of rice and seasoned with spices like galangal, lemongrass, and Indonesian bay leaves. To further enhance the flavour, usually parts of ikan asin, or salted fish are thrown in as well. Until recently, Nasi Liwet Sunda is not sold commercially for its exclusive preparation.

Just like many Indonesian dishes, Nasi Liwet originally are peasant's meal. It is cooked in a heavy pot called "kastrol", prepared raw at home and is slow cooked on open fire while the farmers are doing their daily chores. During mid day when it's time for break, the Nasi Liwet would then be ready to consume. It's a communal food that hardly ever made for single portion, hence there are no small kastrol except for two portions which makes commercial selling a bit tricky.

Back at the rice field, though people might not eat at the same time, the continuously heated Nasi Liwet provides simple yet delightful lunch to the hungry farmers. And since it's a peasant's lunch, it is hardly ever made at home on other occasions, except when the kastrol are not brought with the farmer to the field; or includes any kind of meat, as it is considered exclusive and pricey for daily meal.

The modern version sold in restaurants however, usually consisted of a newer, and more lavish ingredients and side dishes, like mushroom, jambal roti, and gepuk (Sundanese version of empal daging). This innovation in Bandung, as far as I can remember was started with the opening of Bumi Joglo restaurant in Dago area that specializes in Nasi Liwet.

It hasn't gained much momentum however, until the opening of resort-restaurants around Garut which relies on this dish, and was well accepted thus creating a new hype. Asep Stroberi ("Astro") is probably the most famous name of restaurants serving this Nasi Liwet in Garut nowadays, and they are continually opening up branches which attracts weekend tourists from Bandung and locals from Garut and surrounding area as well.

Nasi Liwet is now quickly replacing the previous hype of Nasi Timbel as the icon of Sundanese food; it is now sold in many Sundanese restaurants with national chain, like Ikan Bakar Cianjur (IBC), and Alas Daun, that extend its reach up until Bali. As for myself it's a welcomed alternative after Nasi Timbel rules the Sundanese restaurants for more than a decade without worthy contender.

It also reminds me of the good old days of visiting relatives in their rice field, and having this wonderful simple meal together at lunch.

For a good and original version of Nasi Liwet Sunda in Denpasar, you can visit Alas Daun; the new restaurant that replaces Ampera -- a big name in Sundanese food restaurant chain, at Jalan Teuku Umar, right where the Ampera was, beside the Soes Merdeka cake shop.

Kupat Tahu is a dish well known throughout Java. It's a dish made with Kupat (shorter name of "Ketupat"), and Tahu; the Indonesian soy bean curd*. Beside of those two, bean sprouts seems to be the other mandatory ingredients.

After cut down to bite sizes, the mix then are poured with peanut sauce; similar ones that used over in Baso Tahu, Siomay, Gado-Gado, Lotek, Pecel, Karedok, Ketoprak, and Otak-Otak, only differs slightly in taste composition. Peanut sauce used for Kupat Tahu are usually thick, fine grained, and lean toward sweeter flavour than the one used for Pecel or Lotek.

Version are differs from one place to another though they all consisted of those basic ingredients. Please refer to this food note on Kupat Tahu for detailed description.

Kupat Tahu Bandung usually resembles style originated from the South East Parahyangan region, like Garut, and Tasikmalaya with small (if any) modifications. Hence, it doesn't include anything fancy outside of the main ingredients, just like their precursor style isn't. The good quality of tahu (which Bandung are famous for), the rich creaminess of the peanut sauce, and the type sweet soy ketchup used, is the key to a good Kupat Tahu Bandung.

There are several popular places that sells Kupat Tahu Bandung in Bandung, but the most notably I think, is Kupat Tahu Gempol, which sold at a very modest shack in Pasar Gempol; 5 minutes driving from the Dago - Diponegoro intersection where the Pasupati fly over is.

The other popular selection I know is Kupat Tahu Cihapit which sold at the intersection of Cihapit area, across of Bank NISP office, in between the 2nd hand car audio sellers.

Find more about Bandung's interesting culinary destination at Bandung's Legendary Eateries list on Foursquare. (bay)

*I differentiates Tahu with Tofu -- which is more Japanese in nature, for they are two different products on Indonesian market, and have striking difference; tahu is more curd like, while tofu is more smooth pudding like. You don't want to mixed them up upon shopping for the ingredients.

Mie Kocok is a dish popular in Bandung, Jawa Barat, that has big similarity with Vietnamese Pho in term of style and taste. Consisting of yellow egg noodle, bean sprouts, kikil, and dressed with finely chopped celery and fried sliced shallots; it's a clear noodle soup which tend to have simplistic taste spectrum. What makes it different with other kind of noodles soup is the use of beef broth instead of chicken, and inclusion of kikil (chewy gelatinous part of cow's feet) as the topping.

"Mie Kocok" literally mean "shaken noodle", the term comes from the movement the cook made by shaking the perforated ladle filled with noodles and bean sprouts into the hot water to blanch it; as the noodle is already half-cooked when stored.

One place I know sells Mie Kocok and has been around for very long while is one at Jalan Sunda, Bandung. It's at the right side of the street by the small bridge, near by the intersection with Jalan Veteran -- it's a one way street so don't worry about whether it's mine or your's right; there's only one right side in this case ;-)

A quite famous vendor that sells Mie Kocok Bandung nowadays, is "Mie Kocok Mang Dedeng" at Jalan Ahmad Dahlan, near the Lingkar Selatan ring road, southern Bandung. Find more about Bandung's interesting culinary destination at Bandung's Legendary Eateries list on Foursquare. (bay)

p.s.: you can view more (and better) photos of Mie Kocok Bandung including its preparation at Selby's blog here.

Image pictured here is from Infobandung.

If you are crazy about top lists, like I do -- either in following or criticizing them -- here's some few Epicurina collected based on our own experience of 2 years eating in and out in Bali:

1. Delicious Nasi Ayam Bali around Denpasar (8 places)
2. Delicious Sate Lilit & Sate Tusuk Ikan in Bali (3 places)
3. Best Affordable Local Eateries in Denpasar, Bali  (8 places)
4. Best Affordable Foreign Eateries in Denpasar, Bali (7 places)
5. Traditional Seafood & Fish dishes in Bali (13 places) 

Just let us know should you think we're missing your favorites.

Furthermore you can visit Epicurina page on Foursquare for our latest review on eateries in Bali, foursquare style, by clicking on the banner below:

Cheers! (byms)

Indonesian celebrity chef, Farah Quinn, will appear on AFC (Asian Food Channel) on the show "Ala Chef". Originally shown on national television Trans TV, the show will be aired three times a week for the premier week.