THE ANCIENT JAVANESE OF THE NUSANTARA

THE ANCIENT JAVANESE OF THE NUSANTARA


Javanese origin art forms are among the best known and most cultured in Indonesia and the whole archipelago. The famous Javanese Wayang Puppetry culture was largely influenced by Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The Wayang repertoire stories, lakon, are mostly based on epics from India;  for example, “Ramayana” and “Mahabharata”.


These epics and stories influenced wayang puppetry as well as Javanese classical dances. The influences from Islam and the Western world also can be found here.


The art of Batik making and Keris dagger crafting are among the interesting  Javanese origin art expressions. Gamelan, producing enchanting sounds , a musical ensembles are found in both found in Java and Bali. All of these artforms holds important position, and function within the Javanese cultures and traditions.


On the cuisines, there are many similarities, but the main differences lie in the flavors. Central Javanese cuisine is sweeter and less spicy, while East Javanese cuisine uses less sugar and more chili, possibly influenced by the  Madurese cuisine.

Here, rice is the common staple food, and served with every meal
Javanese cuisine is largely divided into three major groups:

• Central Javanese cuisine (masakan Jawa Tengah)
• East Javanese cuisine (masakan Jawa Timur)
• Common Javanese dishes 

Coming next, will be a traditional Javanese recipe. Stay tuned.

NUSANTARA CHILI FRIED CHICKEN RECIPE. RESIPI AYAM GORENG CHILI

NUSANTARA CHILI FRIED CHICKEN RECIPE.  RESIPI AYAM GORENG CHILI

Malay cuisine in Malaysia and Singapore bears many similarities to Indonesian cuisines, in particular some of the regional traditions from Sumatra. On chicken, there are few similar dishes, while the other chicken recipes especially those from Java and Sunda are common only to Indonesia.

Chicken rendang is  a spicy chicken stew originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Sumatra, Indonesia. Rendang is also traditionally prepared by the Malay community during festive occasions. The Rendang Minang ( minangkabau of Sumatra) is one of the most famous and authentic rendang in culinary.

Most chicken dishes were marinated before they were fried or roasted. 
Others were cooked in gravy with spices added.

In central Java the chicken dish is called “Ayam goring kalasan / klaten”, where chicken is first  stewed in spices like coriander, garlic, candlenut (buah keras) and coconut milk, finally deep-fried until crispy. This is then served with sambal and raw vegetables salad.

The East Javanese cuisine is largely influenced by Madurese cuisine - Madura being a major producer of salt, hence the omission of sugar in many dishes.  Their popular “Ayam penyet” is  fried chicken, lightly smashed using a pestle in a mortar laced with sambal and then fried.

Here, is a recipe on the Malay "Chili fried chicken", where the fried chicken are coated in a sambal-based sauce, made from chili, onions, garlic, ginger and  tamarind paste.

CHILI  FRIED CHICKEN

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken- clean and cut into 8

10 pieces dried chilies- cut into fine slices and wash

1 large onion- cut into smaller pieces

4 pieces shallots

2 pieces garlic

1 inch ginger root (2cm)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoon thick tamarind juice

Salt to taste and spring onions for garnishing (thin slices)

Blend all the above ingredients with 1 ½  cup of water

Deep fry chicken until cooked. Put on a plate and set aside

JAVANESE RICE WRAPPED IN TEAK LEAF. TRADITIONAL RECIPES

JAVANESE RICE WRAPPED IN TEAK LEAF

Javanese cuisine and culture place an important role in rice, the staple food of the island. 

Among Javanese it is considered not to have a meal if a person hasn't eaten rice yet. It is also important part of identity that differentiate Javanese with foreigners that eat bread (the Europeans) and resident of other island who eat sago (for example Moluccans). Rice is also symbol of development and prosperity, while cassava and tuber is associated with poverty.

Javanese cuisine is varied by regions. Eastern Javanese cuisine has preference for more salty and hot foods. While the Central Javanese prefer sweeter foods

Rice wrapped in teak leaf and the dishes accompanying it

Example of Javanese cuisine. Clockwise: fried tempeh, mlinjo crackers, gudeg with  rice wrapped in  teak leaf, green chili sambal and sliced lime 

Gudeg is a traditional food from Yogyakarta and Central Java which is made from young Nangka (jack fruit) boiled for several hours with palm sugar, and coconut milk.

But the most famous food originated in Java is perhaps tempeh, a meat substitute made from soy bean fermented with mold. It is a staple source of protein in Java and popular in the world as an excellent meat substitute for vegetarians

Tempe

Javanese do not usually have family names or surnames. Many have just a single name. For example, Sukarno or Suharto. Javanese names may come from traditional Javanese languages, many of which are derived from Sanskrit. Names with the prefix Su-,which means good, are very popular. After the advent of Islam, many Javanese began to use Arabic names, especially coast populations, where Islamic influences are stronger. Commoners usually only have one-word names, while nobilities use two-or-more-word names, but rarely a surname.

wikimedia commons –author unknown The traditional Karo Rice Barn

Nederlands: Foto. Een Karo Batak rijstschuur

Generally all over the Nusantara, rice is the staple food for the people

For the Karo people of North Sumatera, rice being the staple food of the region, as well as an important source of income and indicator of wealth, in the size of one's rice barn. The Karo traditionally planted rice once per year, using dry rice (in Indonesian 'ladang') cultivation. 

Rice cultivation has an important role in the traditional Karo religion (known as pemena).

In order to ensure the success of the rice-planting, the Merdang Merdem festival is conducted, paying homage to Beru Dayang, a female spirit also associated with childbirth, a process with which the rice planting is analogised by the Karo

SOTO AYAM (CHICKEN SOTO)- found in all Indonesia with enough variations to fill an entire cookbook

NAME OF CV NUSANTARA RECIPE:
SOTO AYAM  ( CHICKEN SOTO)

Soto is a common dish  found in various regional variations of Indonesian cuisine. It is a traditional soup mainly composed of broth, chicken/ meat and vegetables. There is no clear definition what makes a soto, but normally all traditional soups are called soto, while western/foreign influenced soups are called sop.

It might be considered Indonesia's national dish, served as it is from Sumatra to Papua and in enough variations to fill an entire cookbook. Soto is omnipresent in Indonesia. One way to classify sotos is by their regional style. Many metropolitan areas have their own regional soto versions

Here is a traditional recipe on SOTO  AYAM JAVA ( Java Chicken Soto)

Ingredients: for 4 persons

1/2 cup sliced shallots

1/4 cup chopped garlic

¼ cup blanched almonds

3 thin slices of fresh galanghal or fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Blend all the above ingredients to form a paste.

3 tbsp oil

1 lemon grass- crushed

5 cups chicken broth (from the other bony parts of chicken like wings)

Breast of 1 chicken (about ¼ chicken)

Fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste

2 cups cabbage- cut into smaller pieces

2 medium size red tomatoes- each cut into 6 pieces

Heat oil and fry lemon grass and paste, stirring until golden-add in broth and cover with lid .

Add chicken, salt , pepper. When chicken is halfway cooked, add in cabbage and tomatoes.

When full cooked, remove chicken from broth, leave to cool and tear into shreds. Set aside.

SOTO AYAM- wikimedia commons- by sakurai midor

Final Ingredients:

3 cups bean sprouts- clean, to be eaten raw

2 pieces tempe (soy bean cake)- cut into small pieces and fry until golden. Tempe is regarded as a Javanese invention, a local adaptation of soy-based food fermentation and production

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro- garnish

4 large hard boiled eggs- shell and cut into 4 eachs

1 cup shalltots- chiffanade (paper thin slices)- Fry until golden brown- for garnishing

Some binjai crispy chips/ tiny potato croquettes or prawn/ fish crackers

Serve as condiments:

Lime wedges, sweet soy sauce and chili sauce-

Take portions of shredded chicken, bean sprouts, tempe and put in individual soup bowl. Pour in boiling hot  soup . Garnish with eggs, cilantro, fried shallots. Just before eating add on lime wedges and crispy binjai , tiny potato croquettes or use prawn/ fish crackers. Serve hot. Enjoy.

Javanese adapted many aspects of Indian culture, such as Ramayana epic dance..wikipedia.

THE BLESSINGS OF THE RICE SEEDS. NUSANTARA VEGETABLE URAP RECIPE-

THE BLESSINGS OF THE RICE SEEDS;    NUSANTARA VEGETABLE URAP RECIPE-

 A TRADITIONAL NUSANTARA  SALAD RECIPE

URAP-URAP SAYUR NUSANTARA RECIPE

vegetable urap recipe

The culture of  the Sunda kingdom was heavily centered on agricultural activity, especially rice cultivation. The annual Seren Taun rice harvest festival can still be found today in traditional Sundanese communities, who worship the deity of rice during “The blessing of the rice seeds” ceremonies and harvest festival.

There are many varieties of rice recipes amongst which are the plain white rice, fried rice, exotic flavored rice, rice cakes and porridge. These rice are mainly eaten with meat, chicken, crackers and vegetables dishes… One the most popular vegetable varieties is URAP-URAP SAYUR NUSANTARA or  The traditional vegetable urap mix salad.

The  rich Sunda Kingdom was located on the western part of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering areas of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, and the western part of Central Java

NUSANTARA VEGETABLE URAP

RAP-URAP SAYUR NUSANTARA RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh grated coconut

Blended ingredients:

2 red chilies- cut into fine slices (or more if you wish)

2 bird chilies (green)

1 teaspoon sugar and salt to taste

2 pieces shallots

½ cube anchovies

Coarse blend all the above blended ingredients . When done, mix with grated coconut. Wrap it up so that the steam does not enter the ingredients.

 Fill up a steamer pot with water and put to boil. When the water starts to boil, add in the wrapped ingredients. Steam for about 7-10 minutes. Once done, set aside to cool.

Vegetable ingredients

6 pieces long beans- cut into 6 cm slices and boil until crisp tender

12 stalks kangkung vegetable- cut  6 cm and boil until crisp tender

1 cup cut cabbage- cut into smaller pieces and boil crisp tender

1 cup bean sprouts- clean wash (raw)

Blanch the above vegetables separately until crisp tender. Do not overcook.

When ready to serve, mix all vegetables with coconut ingredients. Serve with rice or rice cakes and other dishes of your choice

THE MALAY RACE IN THE NUSANTARA. THE NUSANTARA MALAY CUISINE. NUSANTARA DIP RECIPE.

The word "Melayu" began in use and popularized when Malacca Sultanate  rose to power in the 15th century, to describe the cultural preferences of the Malaccans from  that of the foreigners from the same region, notably the Javanese and Thais. Malacca is a state in the now Malaysia.


A MALAY WOMAN OF
PALEMBANG, SUMATRA

  ^{AESAN GEDE- SONGKET PALEMBANG}

(Photo file) This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons
(converted into digital photography)

A  Pelembangese Malay woman in the traditional wedding costume from South Sumatera, Indonesia, known as Aesan Gede.   

Aesan Gede is traditional wedding costumes of Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia.

 It employs songket fabrics with silver and golden threads, also golden jewelries.

This rich and luxurious costumes displays the grandeur of THE Srivijaya empire

Many Indian scholars believed that the

origins of the word Melayu (Malays)

came from the Sanskrit word Malayadipa

(Mountain Insular Continent ),
referring to the mountainous terrain of the
Malay Peninsular- Titiwangsa Mountains

The main characteristic in traditional Malay cuisine is undoubtedly the generous use of spices, coconut
milk, lemongrass, screw pine leaves. Most Malay meal is served with rice, the staple food in many
other East Asian cultures

Different Malay regions have their  own unique or signature dishes - Terengganu and Kelantan for their Nasi dagang, Nasi kerabu and Keropok lekor, Negeri Sembilan for its Lemang and Rendang, Kedah for its northern-style Asam laksa, Malacca for its spicy Asam pedas.

Brunei for its unique Ambuyat dish and  Rendang Minang adopted from Minangkabau in Sumatra

Also a characteristic Kelantanese-  SouthernThai malay dish  called  'kaeng matsaman'—a mouth-watering beef curry cooked with peanuts, potatoes and chopped red onions in a thick coconut milk .

Other Kelantanese-Thai malay specialties include: 'kaeng phanaeng kai'—savoury chicken and coconut curry AND 'Kaeng som nom mai dong'—hot and sour fish ragout with pickled bamboo- wikipedia excerpt

HERE'S A TRADITIONAL DIP RECIPE FOR ULAM

( RAW VEGETABLES AND FRUITS SALAD DIP)

This can be eaten by itself, with rice or nasi tumpeng, along with other dishes


IMAGE OF RAW VEGETABLES AND FRUITS WITH DIP

Ingredients:

5 Red chili, 2 Shallots and 1 garlic (blend), 6 cm cekur root

1 tablespoon prawn paste (substitute with 1 tbsp fish sauce)

1 tablespoon concentrated tamarind juice

2 tablespoon brown palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon date vinegar and  Salt to taste

3 tablespoon coarsely grounded roasted peanuts

Mix all the above with blended ingredients except peanuts.

Peanuts are added, only when ready to serve.

NASI TUMPENG- AN ANCIENT JAVANESE RICE RECIPE. OR NASI TUMPENG FROM THE ANCIENT SUNDA NUSANTARA

"The blessing of the rice seeds” ceremonies and harvest festival
NUSANTARA FOOD RECIPE AND FOOD CULTURE

RICE WAS THE STAPLE FOOD FOR THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF THE NUSANTARA 

A KINGDOM WAS BORN.....The word NUSANTARA was taken from an oath by Gajah Mada, a powerful military leader and Prime Minister of the Majapahit Empire who was credited with bringing the empire to its  PEAK OF GLORY

Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people. In a wider sense, Javanese cuisine might also refer to the cuisine of the whole people of Java Island, Indonesia; which also include Sundanese in West Java, Betawi people in Jakarta and Madurese on Madura Island of East Java. These ethnic groups have their own distinctive cuisines

Javanese cuisine is largely divided into three major groups:

1.Central Javanese cuisine (masakan Jawa Tengah)

2. East Javanese cuisine (masakan Jawa Timur)

3. Common Javanese dishes 

Image from cooking-varieties nusantara gallery- A Kingdom was born

 The word NUSANTARA was taken from an oath by Gajah Mada, as written in an old Javanese manuscript by Negarakertagama. Gajah Mada was a powerful military leader and Prime Minister of the Majapahit Empire who was credited with bringing the empire to its  PEAK OF GLORY.

THE SUNDA KINGDOM

The Sunda Kingdom was a Hindu kingdom located on the western part of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering areas of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, and the western part of Central Java

Knowledge about the kingdom amongst Sundanese people has been kept alive through Sundanese Pantun oral tradition, the chanting of poetic verses mostly tells the story of the golden era of Sunda Pajajaran and the legend of King Siliwangi, the popular king of Sunda.

Sunda kingdom was heavily centered in agricultural activity, especially rice cultivation. The annual Seren Taun rice harvest festival can still be found today in traditional Sundanese communities, who worship the deity of rice during “The blessing of the rice seeds” ceremonies and harvest festival.

Oriental (1513–1515)” Tomé Pires wrote: (excerpts)

The Sunda kingdom was very rich with as much as four thousand horses bought from Priaman (Sumatera) and other islands. It had up to forty elephants; these were for the king’s array. An inferior gold, of six carats, were also found.There was abundant tamarind which served the natives as vinegar. Pepper was also abundant here.

The city where the king was most of the year, is the great city of Dayo. The city had well-built houses from palm leaves and wood. The king’s house had three hundred and thirty wooden pillars. The city is two days journey from the chief port, Kalapa. The people of the sea coast got along well with the merchants from the land. They were accustomed to trade and very often traded with Malacca using junks as a mode of transportation.

Ancient rice cooking called “Tumpeng” - see recipe below

Tumpeng is rice shaped like a mountain with  side dishes added (vegetables and meat). Traditionally featured in the Slamatan ceremony, the cone shape rice was made by using a cone-shaped weaved bamboo container. The rice itself could be plain steam rice, uduk rice (cooked with coconut milk), or yellow rice (uduk rice colored with kunyit (turmeric).

The tumpeng is placed on tampah (rounded woven bamboo container/ tray) covered with banana leaves and surrounded by assorted dishes/ Tumpeng is a very popular ancient Javanese cuisine, as such its also popular amongst the Sundanese, located on the west side of Java.. Excerpts from Wikipedia

JAVANESE NASI TUMPENG, SURROUNDED WITH ANCIENT  DISHES

Recipes on the surrounding dishes will be published in the coming few posts

NASI TUMPENG RECIPEIngredients:  6 to 8 servings

2½ cups long-grain rice
2½ teaspoons ground turmeric
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
Mix the above turmeric and salt with water (turmeric solution)
Wash rice and soak in turmeric solution for 8 hours. Drain water and set aside

1 cup coconut milk
3 pieces kaffir lime leaves (daun limau purut)
2 pieces bay leaves (daun salam)
1 stalk lemongrass- crushed
2 1/2 cups water
Garnishes:
1 red chili- thin slices1 small cucumber- cut into thin slices
6 pieces shallots-  paper thin slices / chiffanade and fry until golden brown
Put the already drained rice inside a rice cooker. Set aside

Use a cooking pot –add in water, coconut milk, bay leaves, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves over medium heat  and bring to a gentle boil. Put off fire and carefully pour contents  into the rice cooker. Mix well and cook. Whilst rice is cooking , stir occasionally like 2 or 3 times using a wooden spatula, to avoid rice from sticking at bottom of cooker.
Once rice is cooked, gently fluff the rice and remove bay leaves, lemongrass and  kaffir lime leaves
To do cones
Use thick paper that will not tear off easily when you put the rice
Shape into a cone according to desired size. Tape along the folded ends to hold the cone in shape. Line the inside with alluminium foil.
Use scissors and cut a few cm off the tip, so that the cone can stand upright. Fill in the rice and pressed it well, else it will crumble if loosely packed. Make it stand upright until ready to serve. Scissor the paper and put rice on a main serving plate or tray.