Betawi chef adds zest to native dish
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Nasun's pecak is richer, nuttier and arguably more delicious than the original Betawi (native Jakartan) dish. "I have modified it and used my own recipe for the sauce," he said on Thursday.
True Betawi pecak, according to the 71-year-old man, is baked fish in a light sauce flavored with sauteed ginger, onion and chili. But, Gurame kuah pecak a la Nasun is fried gurame (a freshwater fish with big bones) in a thick sauce of coconut milk, with ground peanuts, candlenuts, chili, cashew nuts and turmeric.
"Nobody makes a sauce like mine," he boasted.
The sauce is full-bodied, spicy and quite hot, while the cashew nuts contribute to its uniqueness.
"Nasun is a native Jakartan, so I think his pecak can be called original," said culinary observer Arie Parikesit. "In my opinion, the sauce has more of a Sundanese (West Java) taste."
Debates over authenticity aside, Nasun's diner on Jl. Moh. Kafi II in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, emits an atmosphere similar to a lenong (traditional Betawi comedy) show.
Pak Haji -- the honorific used for a man who has gone on a haj -- greets everyone who steps into his diner, makes a joke or two and teases his customers.
Those who are not familiar with his style are likely to pause, wondering whether to respond. "Just kidding..." Nasun will finally burst out, with a laugh that is reverberated by the others.
Another traditional Jakarta dish that he offers at the diner is gurame kuah pucung, which is fried gurame in dark brown sauce. Pucung -- or kluwek, the name by which some people know it -- is the seed of the kepayang tree, which contains a black, pasty substance that imparts a distinctive flavor.
Before being served, the fried fish is marinated in the sauce for a few minutes on the stove. One gurame, served with the sauce, fried onion, lime and a plate of warm rice costs Rp 25,000 (US$2.69).
The fish dishes will be featured on Aug. 29 in the Heritage Food in Heritage City event at the National Archives building on Jl. Gajah Mada, Central Jakarta.
Nasun first set up a restaurant in front of his house in 1982. He tried selling the original gurame kuah pecak but it was unsuccessful until he modified the sauce and added gurame kuah pucung to the menu two years later. They became his signature dishes.
He imposed a special rule on college students who frequent the diner: Only half a portion is allowed, because "their money has to last them a month."
"Pak Haji's place is the only place where we can eat bananas -- as many as we like -- for free," said Parlin Sidabutar, a former student who was having lunch at the diner.
Now, Nasun can sell 40 kilograms of gurame fish in less than four hours, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
"An elder of the village told me once to upgrade my business and open branches at star-rated hotels," said Nasun. "But I don't want to.
"What's important is (my diner) stays open and it's not going anywhere. I do my prayers here, I receive my guests here. I don't worry 'the woman' (his wife) by staying home, here."