A journey in search of
the signature dish of Madiun, East Java
Originally published in
the Jakarta Globe, 19/02/12
As the train rolls into
the station a chorus of shouts erupts from the vendors on the platform: “Pecel,
pecel, pecel Madiuuuun…” They balance plastic baskets full of
banana-leaf-wrapped bundles on their shoulders, and cluster around the open
carriage doors. I buy a packet as I disembark, the first of many portions of
nasi pecel in the coming 24 hours…
The
East Java town of Madiun lies in the basin of flat green land between the
towering Lawu and Wilis volcanoes. Few travelers stop off here, and for most
Indonesians, mention of Madiun brings only one thing to mind – pecel, for this
is the home of this quintessential East Java dish, and I am here on a culinary
pilgrimage to seek out the very best…
The
key component of pecel is a spicy sauce, made from a paste of peanuts, red palm
sugar, lime leaves, chili, tamarind, garlic, and any number of secret extra
ingredients. A good pecel sauce manages to be sweet, sour, creamy and spicy all
at the same time. It is served over rice and fresh greens, and topped with
peyek – crispy crackers studded with peanuts or anchovies. Several towns claim
pecel as their own – Ponorogo, Blitar and even Klaten in Central Java. But as
the banners above street-side stalls all over Java make clear, there is only one
true pecel capital – Madiun.
The
vendor’s pecel isn’t the best, but it’s enough to whet my appetite, and outside
the station gates I ask a becak driver to take me to the best pecel in town.
His choice is hardly controversial – it’s a place that I’d already heard of
from friends and internet searches, Depot Bu Wo.
It’s
a simple, open-fronted place, marked by a flapping yellow banner on Jl S
Parman, across the street from Madiun’s branch of the French hypermarket chain,
Carrefour. I tell the staff that I’m hunting Madiun’s best pecel, and they say
I’ve come to the right place: “There isn’t anywhere else; we’ve been on
television!”
Bu
Wo herself, a chain-smoking 65-year-old matriarch who’s been selling nasi pecel
for 40 years, is a woman of few words. When I ask what the secret of her success
is she snorts and flicks her cigarette – “It’s a secret!”
It’s
time to test the wares. The pecel comes served in a basket of pinned banana
leaves, with two kinds of peyek, and a selection of greens. The sauce is creamy
and sweet, and the peyek suitably crispy, but as a true pecel aficionado, I’m
somewhat underwhelmed. The flavors are a little flat, and the greens could be
fresher. I’m too intimidated by Bu Wo to tell her so, however.
My
second stop stands right next door, in an identical open-fronted warung. This
was another suggestion from a friend – Warung Mbak Yakuk, a younger upstart
snapping at Bu Wo’s venerable heels.
The
eponymous Mbak Yakuk herself is not on duty, but the two women in charge, Narti
and Wati, are delighted to hear of my search, and dish me up a prime portion –
the price is the same as next door, and my pecel and iced tea comes in at a
princely Rp6000. When I’ve eaten they ask for my verdict, and with Bu Wo in
earshot, I have to whisper it – Mbak Yayuk’s pecel gets my vote. The sauce here
has a cleaner, fresher taste, and a spicier kick from the chili. And the peyek
is perfect – rumpled leafs of crispiness with a salty, oily taste.
After
three portions of pecel I’m beginning to feel a little full, so I lumber off to
take a look at the town. Between the ubiquitous concrete shop fronts I spot
fine old Dutch-era villas with crumbling dormer windows, and mildewed roofs. I
check into a guesthouse near the station, and resume my mission, asking the
receptionist for his personal pecel recommendation. He sends me in the
direction of the Alun-Alun, the town square, to visit Mbak Lina…
The
sun has set, and the sky behind the minarets of Madiun’s blue-tiled Grand
Mosque is smeared with fiery light. The palm-studded Alun-Alun is busy with
courting teenagers and gamboling children. I ask a parking attendant for
directions to Mbak Lina, and he points me to the northern side of the square.
He’s not convinced of the quality of her pecel, however.
“To
be honest, it’s just standard. The really delicious one is Pecel Rahayu on Jl
Haji Agus Salim,” he says.
I’m
duty bound to try however. Mbak Lina herself, a cheerful woman with cropped
hair, presides over a low table loaded with pecel add-ons – fried eggs, hunks
of chicken and bean-curd. She’s doing a roaring trade, but I’m inclined to
agree with the parking attendant – her pecel is decent enough, but nothing
special.
Four
portions of pecel is enough for one day. I walk back to the guesthouse and fall
into a heavy sleep, full of peanut-flavored dreams…
***
Pecel
can be eaten at any time of day, but it is particularly popular as a breakfast
food. The next morning there are stalls open all over town, with office workers
and students hunched over plates of pecel to start their day.
On
Jl Haji Agus Salim, however, neither Pecel Rahayu, nor another recommended spot
– Pecel Murni – is open for business. I head instead to a souvenir shop to pick
up some packs of pecel spice – the sauce is made by pounding the various
ingredients into a thick, sticky paste, which is then let down with warm water.
I ask the checkout girl to suggest a place for breakfast pecel, and she sends
me to a spot called Warung Pojok. If I ever want to get out of Madiun, I need
to stop asking random strangers where to find the best pecel – everyone, it
seems, has their own personal favorite.
Warung
Pojok, however, turns out to be a good call. It’s a little corner café with
pale blue walls on Jl Cokrominoto, and has been in business since 1967. The
breakfast rush is over, and the staff are watching television. There’s a choice
of “spicy” or “medium”, and this early in the day I go for the softer option;
it’s fresh and creamy, and I can taste the lime leaf and tamarind. One point
counts against it, however: the peyek – which turns out to be very average – is
not included and has to be bought separately…
***
I
promised the staff at Bu Wo and Mbak Yayuk that I would report back when my
journey was over. I am beginning to feel like I’m drowning in peanut sauce by
now, and can only manage a half-portion at both places. Bu Wo is in a cheerier
mood today, and asks for my verdict. Yesterday, I was convinced that Mbak Yayuk
had the edge, but now I’m not so sure – the sweet creaminess of Bu Wo’s sauce
seems better suited to the morning. Bu Wo takes this pragmatically, as do her
neighbors.
“If
you want spicy, come to us,” says Wati, who’s busy frying peyek in Warung Mbak
Yayuk; “if you want sweet, go to Bu Wo.”
And
I think she’s right. These two neighboring warung are, in the end, the twin
queens of pecel Madiun.
I
bid the pecel ladies goodbye, clamber into a becak, doubtless rather heavier
than I was 24 hours ago, and head for the station, feeling like I never want to
see another portion of pecel in my life.
The
vendors are waiting for the incoming train in the shade of the platform. “Pecel
Madiun, mister?” they ask. I pause for a moment, and then reach for my wallet:
I might get hungry on the journey, after all…
©
Tim Hannigan 2012
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