5 Sundanese Foods You Have to Know

TheIndonesia.id - Who can resist the taste of Sundanese food? Authentic cuisine from West Java approved by locals and the global community. Sundanese food is widely known for its fresh sourness, slight sweetness, saltiness, and perfect spiciness compared to other Indonesian traditional food.

One of the must-have dishes is lalapan, raw green veggies dipped into shrimp paste condiments. Below is some authentic cuisine you can try when you visit West Java.

1. Nasi Liwet Sunda

Nasi Liwet is one of the most popular rice dishes in Indonesia. The rice is cooked in coconut milk, along with chicken broth and various seasonings such as bay leaves and lemongrass. Nasi liwet can be served with the topping of shredded chicken, omelet, anchovies, chili peppers, and various vegetables. Usually, nasi liwet is served on banana or teak leaves.

2. Nasi Timbel

Another Sundanese rice dish you can try is Nasi Timbel. The rice is wrapped in banana leaves. Then, it is steamed until the aroma of the green sheet pops up, creating a specific sensation. This simple rice dish is rarely eaten on its own. It is mainly served with various side dishes such as fried chicken, fried fish, tofu, tempeh, soups, or sambal (chili paste).

3. Nasi Tutug Oncom

One more rice dish that you can't miss is Nasi Tutug Oncom. Tutug means pounded, while oncom is fermented soybeans. So, Nasi Tutug Oncom is a mixture of rice and pounded oncom. It is wrapped in banana leaves.

The usually called Nasi TO is originally from Tasikmalaya, West Java. Nasi TO is not only served on its own. The other dishes to savor include green chili sauce, salted fish, tempeh, and lime.

4. Karedok

Karedok is a traditional Indonesian version of a vegetable salad. Fresh and raw veggies are sliced and served with a traditional peanut sauce. The most common vegetables included are cucumbers, cabbage, green beans, bean sprouts, and eggplant.

The sauce is made by grinding fried peanuts together with salt, palm sugar, and chili. Due to the same peanut sauce, Karedok is often compared with other Indonesian specialties, Gado-gado. However, Karedok uses raw ingredients only, which makes it different.

5. Combro

Combro is a Sundanese cake made of grated cassava and oncom. Combro is short of the word "oncom di jero" which means "oncom inside." Oncom is a kind of fermented soy bean. The oncom is stuffed into a handful of grated cassava, and then it is fried. The cake tastes spicy yet sweet.