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FOOD | Feb 09, 2010

Diners Lining Up For Best Of Betawi

A strong, savory aroma engulfs the quiet kitchen in an old house in South Jakarta. The hush is only interrupted by the sound of cooking oil bubbling in big woks on two stoves.

Two men are busy grinding red chillies and peanuts for sambal kacang (peanut chilli sauce).

A woman sits on the floor cooling steamed rice with a bamboo fan, while another is tasting soup that she spoons from a pot.

In the corner of the room, a 76-year-old man sits comfortably on a bench, crossing his legs. He is stacking a wad of bills, grouping them by denomination. The man is Haji Nasun, owner of a small warung (food stall) that serves Betawi cuisine.

Pak Haji, as he’s known to customers and friends alike, sells only a few dishes at his warung. Among these are his mouthwatering pecak gurame (fried freshwater fish in thick ,spicy yellowish sauce made of coconut milk) and his trademark gabus pucung (freshwater fish soup).

Haji says customers can’t find these dishes in just any warung serving Betawi dishes.

The rich, ginger-infused pecak gurame sauce has other ingredients thrown in — peanuts, turmeric, shallots and candle nuts — and is ground carefully and set aside before coating the fish. When fried, the fish remains juicy and savory. The sauce only coats the outside part of the fish, leaving its meat milky white and tender.

The gabus is another type of freshwater fish. Gabus pucung is like fish soup, except that its broth is dark and richly flavored. The nutty flavor comes from the pucung, a spice more popularly known as kluwek in local culinary circles.

Kluwek, derived from the Latin pangium edule , is a hard shell seed containing nutty meat. When the dish is ordered, the fish is fried and served with the broth.

At Haji’s warung, these two dishes sell like hotcakes, with people lining up for a taste.

“Sometimes, people wait outside even before the door is open,” Haji says.

Haji started the eatery with his mother in 1982. The warung, which sits in front of their house, remains nondescript, even for a restaurant that purchases nearly Rp 6 million ($636) worth of ingredients from the market each day.

“There are some 16 chairs in the warung, well, it can sit 40 people, but they have to take turns,” Haji says with a laugh.

The old man is well-known for his sense of humor. He said that when he is not tired, he sits in the warung and talks to customers, mostly joking with them. When it’s harvest season, he also gives away bananas to his customers. Haji grows the produce, along with many other kinds of fruit, in his vast backyard.

“I have learned that a restaurant that looks good does not always have good food. Often, good food is found in very modest places, very small warungs, like the one I ate at in when I was in Tegal [Central Java].”

When asked if he was willing to pose for a photo, Haji disappears and changes into a bright yellow long-sleeved shirt and an shiny pair of pants.

“These are the pants I always wear during a shoot,” he said with a grin.

Old newspaper clippings that adorn the walls of his warung readily support his claim.

Although he loves trying out other Indonesian food, Haji believes that Betawi is still the best.

He has no opinion on Western cuisine, however, because he has never tried it.

“I’m just worried that I wouldn’t know how to address the women in the warung,” he said, referring to the servers.

“When eating at a Javanese warung, I can call them mbok [Javanese for mother], at a Padangnese warung, I can call them uni [sister].

“I don’t want to be left confused. Let’s just eat at simple places.”

Rumah Makan Haji Nasun
Jl H Kahfi II No. 21 Sawah–Jagakarsa, South Jakarta
021 787 0016
Open from 9:30 a.m. until food sells out (usually around 1 p.m.)

Source: JG

Indonesian Lifestyle 2008