Antasari's culinary legacy lives on

Suryatini N. Ganie, Contributor, Jakarta

Those living near Kemang in South Jakarta will probably be "familiar" with a legacy of South Kalimantan's royal dynasty. They are bound to have been caught on Jl. Pangeran Antasari, notorious for its traffic jams.

It is named in honor of the heroic leader of the Kingdom of Banjar in the 19th century.

"Poor Prince Antasari," said a friend who hails from Kalimantan. "If he knew this congested street would bear his name, he would certainly try to find a better solution! Apart from being an ardent opposer of Dutch supremacy in the 19th century, he was known as a lover of pleasant environments and good food!"

That's why when passing through the street, I try to ignore the slow traffic and remember the good old days I spent in southern Kalimantan, pampered by the local people's hospitality in serving guests with their best local food.

The food could be an exciting mix and match of jungle and city products, like young, slightly bitter tasting rattan shoots in a curry sauce, served on an antique plate, or a simple stir fried kangkung (water convolvulus), and above all, a plateful of delicious local sweets.

To the people of Banjarmasin, the capital of the province and a melting pot of people from surrounding islands in the South China Sea, different flavors are everyday fare -- gladly accepted and mixed into a memorable dish or sweet.

My friend said the fasting month was the time to feast on the sweet goodies in Banjarmasin, with a special late-afternoon market for local delicacies.

The sweet tooth of the people will be obvious at certain events. For instance, when a baby reaches his or her 41st day, there is a gathering called Ayun Anak, or literally "swinging the baby".

At the event, 41 kinds of kue-kue (traditional sweets) are served -- all laid out in front of the relatives and guests sitting on beautifully woven mats from Samarinda, and left to eat to their heart's content.

Many kinds of the sweets are not only typical of southern Kalimantan, but also influenced by dishes brought by Indian merchants, such as apem (a type of pancake from India), or kue cucur, from Madurese migrants to the area.

The famous southern Kalimantan bika or bingka, which has traveled throughout our archipelago, can also be enjoyed here.

Curiously, bika kentang from potatoes is made elsewhere from other basic ingredients like wheat flour, such as bika ambon in the eastern part of the country.

Another interesting this is that the bika Ambon made in Medan is considered the most tempting of bika -- soft, fragrant and moist. This kind of bika is even found in Malaysia, called bingka Ambon, and baulu (from the Portuguese bolo meaning cake) suri is another version of bika Ambon in Malaysia.

Kalimantan cooks often name their dishes based on the final color of the dish -- such as ayam masak hijau (green cooked chicken) or masak kuning (a yellow cooked dish, whether beef, mutton or chicken).

Local dishes are also named based on an event, like the baso Malvinas mealball dish, which must have been named after the war in the Malvinas (also known as the Falklands). Or, there are dishes named according to the cook's journeys, like Martabak Mesir, a rather oily and heavy filled pancake derived from Egypt.

Both can be found in some food courts in southern Jakarta. But please think of your waistline -- though the martabak tastes good, better not to order two at the same time.

Southern Kalimantan is the place for durian, where it is found in abundance. Considering the hospitality of Kalimantan hosts, if you don't like this fruit, please politely say no, or you will be laden down with a bundle of them.

But if you are a fan of the fruit, ask for durian flavored sweets, neatly packed. You will not be disappointed.

So now when you pass along Jl. Pangeran Antasari, you had better picture delicious southern Kalimantan sweets than the traffic jam ahead of you.