By Tash Roslin
A visit to Semarang is not complete without a taste of the many dishes the city has to offer. There is no excuse for not exploring the historic city’s food scene, for countless options are waiting to be tried, however brief your stay might be.
The folks of Semarang have very strict criteria for what constitutes as good nosh. First and foremost, it must be cheap. Semarang’s citizens mostly prefer no-frills eateries that serve delicious meals at affordable prices, rather than exquisitely fancy restaurants with astronomical prices.
Second, it has to be tasty — by Semarang standards, of course.
Because locals favor word-of-mouth advertising and recommendations from friends, local knowledge plays a significant role in weeding out the subpar eateries. Those with cheaper and more appealing menus usually survive on Semarang’s ruthless yet burgeoning culinary scene, while many hundreds of others bloom only to wither some months after.
The longest standing are decidedly the best, or at least the ones with the best combination of price and taste. And it’s hardly a surprise that the most time-tested places to visit for your gastronomic escapade are those established on the main roads.
Every morning along Jalan Plampitan, crowds gather at a stall brandishing a large white banner. Soto Bokoran is claimed by many to cook the most scrumptious soto in the whole of Semarang. If you’re only here for a day, however, you may miss out because the owners of this place — a second-generation family from a modest and dedicated soto seller in the Bokoran area — sometimes close up shop on a whim.
Consisting of thick slices of chicken, fresh bean sprouts, rice vermicelli and rice in a yellowish chicken broth, a small bowl of soto is a nice, warm start to a day of Semarang feasting. The broth is especially aromatic, indeed more so if you add a sprinkle of fried garlic, which they will give you upon request. Snacks are also on offer, from fried tempe and hard-boiled eggs to oyster satay and often-sold-out perkedel (mashed potato cake).
Alternatively, take an angkot (public van) to Saint Yusuf Elementary School on Jalan MT Haryono, in front of which you will find people waiting in line to be served nasi ayam (chicken rice) by Bu Nyoto.
This breakfast is pretty simple. To start, Bu Nyoto spoons some rice onto a banana leaf, together with a piece of chicken (wing, leg or breast). Then she dashes the dish with spoonfuls of chicken gravy. The customer can then choose from an array of side dishes such as quail egg satay, sate marus (coagulated chicken blood chunks on skewers) and the piquant sayur waluh (chayote julienne).
The dish is best enjoyed with kerupuk (flour crackers) and a chat with Bu Nyoto herself, who is more than eager, as she prepares the portions, to recount how she’s managed to finance her children’s education abroad just by selling nasi ayam.
With a semi-satisfied stomach, head for the Berok bridge near the entrance gates of the old quarters’ Little Netherlands, where the red dome of Blenduk church — Central Java’s oldest — dominates the skyline. And here, just by the junction of the bridge under the scorching sun, you will find — if you look carefully — a man busily handling his pan.
The man is most likely the son of Pak Parmin, maker of the most legendary babat gongso in town since the middle of last century. Babat gongso, cuts of beef tripe (or other innards, if you wish) sauteed together with chili pods and shallots in a substantial amount of locally-produced sweet soy sauce, has now become one of Semarang’s most coveted dishes.
It’s tantalizing grub — thanks to the tripe’s dauntingly high cholesterol content — and enjoys a loyal following from the thronging masses, seduced by its flavor. If you find it too sweet for your palate — Javanese food tends to be really sweet — or too oily, eat it with a plate of steaming rice.
However, Semarang is most well-known for its iconic dish: loenpia . Said to have been created during the Sukarno regime, loenpia, or what people nowadays call lumpia, is a fusion of Chinese and Indonesian cuisine.
Lumpia looks similar to the spring rolls you might encounter in other parts of Southeast Asia, but its taste is downright unique. You can have it fried or unfried, but what makes it special is the appetizing filling of roughly-sliced bamboo shoots, beaten eggs and small shrimps. A gooey, light-brown sauce accompanies the lumpia. As you chomp along, pop in a small shoot of shallot bulb every now and then to boost the overall flavor — never mind the bad breath that comes immediately after.
Notable lumpia hawkers are aplenty along Jalan Pandanaran and Jalan Pemuda in downtown Semarang, but there is a good reason why one in the Chinatown area draws more people than others. Lumpia Boom Gang Lombok is run by Siem Swie Kiem, the aging grandson of Chinese Tjoa Thay Yoe and Javanese Wasim, the original creators of loenpia. If you wonder what Lumpia Boom, Lumpia Mataram, and Lumpia Mbak Lien — the three most popular lumpia sellers in Semarang — have in common, it’s that they all hail from the same family. Here’s one dish with a history worth learning as you eat.
Come evening, scores of food hawkers open up business, replacing those closing down for the day. If you happen to be around Chinatown, perhaps riding on a becak (pedicab) or strolling around the Tay Kak Sie ancient temple complex to sweat off the loenpia, you would not want to miss Semawis.
Spanning the entire length of the bustling Gang Warung, Semawis hosts stalls selling all sorts of cuisine in Tio Ciu, Hokkien, Cantonese and other Chinese styles, all night long. There are also a few dishes in a Semarangan vein. Look for the lovely chicken porridge, bacang (sticky rice with pork filling wrapped into a pyramid shape) and the juicy flamed srimping (soft, thick-bodied molluscs), among a myriad of others along this vibrant food avenue.
Semawis is open only every Friday to Sunday evening. Should it be closed or you fail to find something to tickle your taste buds, saunter along for about 30 minutes to Mie Titee Grajen on Jalan MT Haryono. Established by an ethnic Chinese man in the 1960s, the business is now run by his daughter, who is already in her senior years. In her tiny eatery, she devotedly prepares steaming bowls of mie titee , a masterful combination of Javanese-style fat yellow noodles, spinach, shrimps, slabs of pig innards and meat, all boiled in greasy pork stock.
Grab a seat and order a bowl; it’s a heavenly dish, ideal for the closing act of your gastronomic pursuit.
Source: http://thejakartaglobe.com
