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.

Mang Ahri in action

Anthony Bourdain in his show "No reservations" often remarks of his fondness for food with "mysterious meat" that he encounters along his travel around the world while trying out different cuisines. They're mysterious, relatively unknown to the western world, yet delicious. Well based on that description, then this Soto Ahri is among those that he would categorize as such; great delicious soto (Indonesian meat soup), with chops of meat parts that, even mentioned what they are, we would rarely know what is it.

(I wonder if Anthony got a chance to taste this Soto Ahri while he visited Garut, since I only see his part on reviewing the "Indonesian pancake" serabi, at the Kampung Sampireun)

Soto is Indonesian style meat soup, and the style is varied among different regions. Some soto are made with clear soup of light stock, and some are made with santan (coconut milk) and give the light curry like taste. Some are more courageous in using the spices, like including the aromatic clove buds, star anise, and keluwak (also spelled as keluak or kelewek) and give the significant uniqueness compared with other soto variants.

I don't have a good idea of when Mang Ahri ("mang" meant "uncle" in Sundanese) started his business, but it's long standing and having a consistent high quality; enough to grant his soto a legendary status.

Soto Ahri soup consist of beef meats, medium heavy stock base with santan, where the styles resembles more Soto Tangkar from Betawi (Jakarta), than common Sundanese soto which usually uses clear soup.

Just like the common practice with ordering the kind of mixed meat soto, this is where the fun part is: you can individually choose what part of meat to include in your soto; from the regular daging (meat), kikil (feet's glutinous skin), usus (small intestine), lidah (tongue), paru (lungs), up through the more exotic meat like mata (eye balls), otak (brain), and surely, some "mysterious meat"; with their exotic yet very enjoyable texture and taste.

Just ask mang Ahri for recommendations if you don't really know what you want, and he will gladly check in the large pot among where all the stock is, what's still in store, and let you aware of the choices. Kept under constant heat, the continuously cooked meat absorbs the seasoning very well and give the wonderful rich taste.

After chopping down the part of the meat of choice to a more edible pieces, and move them into a bowl, mang Ahri will then put the toppings of kacang kedelai goreng (fried soy beans), and chopped seledri (celery), and pour on the soup base from the same pot, and the soto is ready to eat. There will always be condiments on the eating table to fine-tune the taste to your preference like jeruk nipis (slices of lime orange), kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), and surely, the sambal (chilly paste). But I prefer mine as it is since it's already flavorful and thick in taste.

Here at Soto Ahri, happens my very first encounter with eye balls. I dislike the idea of eating something that look back at me, but turns out to be that the eye balls here doesn't resembles what it used to looks like, as it's now just a big oval lump; where the eye balls is almost covered in the layers of fat.

Well it's a big surprise, first, since on overall the taste is either very fatty meat, or tasteless jelly-like. Consistency is very soft, too soft to be meat, yet chewy unlike meat fat. Not my kind of meat.

Though had branches in Bandung, the capital city of Jawa Barat, Mang Ahri headquarters is his soto stand in Pasar Mandalagiri, or also known as Pasar Baru (the new marketplace). On this narrow street, buyers usually queued for an empty seat on the bench, or for the take away orders.

Damage cost is about 15K a portion including nasi (rice). A bit high for Garut standard, but it is quite worthed. Will be back? Perhaps... when I'm not worry about my cholesterol level, since shortly after finish eating Soto Ahri, I got this lingering headache at the bottom of my head.

Recommended with cautions. (bay)

Indonesian version here: http://epicurina.multiply.com/photos/album/207/Soto_Ahri_Pasar_Baru_Garut
Photos by Bella Wu

Es Goyobod is the Sundanese version of Es Campur; mixed jelly and mashed avocado drink in heavy coconut milk and jackfruit infused brown sugar syrup. The unique ingredients of this drink is the Goyobod itself, which made from tapioca flour to produce its jelly like texture.

Es Goyobod commonly found around city of Garut, Jawa Barat, and seldom found elsewhere. In Garut, the considered most famous Es Goyobod is the Es Goyobod Alun-Alun sold at the central city park. Though by the writer's opinion, Es Goyobod at Rumah Sakit Garut (Garut Hospital) is better. When anywhere else it is sold in mashed form, here they present it in its individual ingredients hence the drinking experience is far from monochromatic.

[Alun-alun is an open field in the heart of the city, often surrounded by governmental buildings, worshipping facility, and the Mayor's residence. It was originated back to the early Indonesian Kingdoms where the King helds ceremonies and public events here]

Price is about 3K, seating are mostly outdoor and by the road.