Healthful Sundanese fare a vegetarian's dream

Sundanese food, although perhaps not quite as well known as the internationally famed cuisine of West Sumatra, has justifiably branched out of its West Java origins to earn a nationwide reputation.

Its emphasis on freshness and liberal use of vegetables has led to the quip that if a Sundanese ever runs out of food, he can always gather a few leaves and plants to whip up a lalap, the West Java salad of greens dipped in sambal (chili paste).

West Sumatra's spicy curries and meat dishes are known all over the country in ubiquitous Padang restaurants, but the use of heavy sauces made from santan (coconut milk) and offal often make for a rich, cholesterol-laden meal.

No so with kind-to-the-heart Sundanese fare. The predominance of plant matter, fish and vegetables either eaten raw or steamed make for a vegetarian's dream and a prescription for a well- rounded diet.

The Sundanese, especially those of the temperate climes of Bandung and Garut, are renowned for being fare of face and figure. Their celebrated complexions must in large part be owed to a healthy diet.

Staples of Sundanese food are to be found from Banten to Bandung, Cibubur to Cimahi. Of course, dishes vary in the different regions according to the supply of food and their historical legacy. Bandung, for instance, abounds both with traditional Sundanese food and cake shops with Dutch treats (not to be missed is the moorish pisang moelen from Kartika Sari).

Banten and the coastal section stretching to Anyer and Carita are famed for their bountiful harvest of seafood. The area is also a favorite for lovers of the seasonal prickly, pungent durian.

The coastal area is still largely underdeveloped, except for the Tanjung Lesung Resort and major hotels at Carita and Anyer, which is part of its attraction.

A trip to the coast may be the time to try the food at sidewalk warung. Do not immediately dismiss these places as unsanitary and a prescription for an upset stomach. The warung provide the atmosphere which comes with sitting down with the locals and getting to try whatever takes your fancy.

If you cannot head out to try the dishes in their place of origin, then they can be sampled in Jakarta in such chain restaurants as Sari Kuring.

Another good setting to sample Sundanese fare is at Bi Bet on Jl. Ampera Raya in Kemang. Its cozy, friendly atmosphere, a welcome change from the rest of the area's high-energy, high- exposure eateries, is ideal to explore the wealth of West Java's delicacies.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Lalap: As mentioned before, West Java's contribution to the world of salads (along with karedok). Raw chunks of vegetables, often including green beans, cabbage, lettuce and leaves such as the minty daun popohan are served with a generous helping of home-ground sambal. The vegetables are eaten by scooping up the sambal; lalap is a mainstay of a traditional Sundanese meal.

Leaves? It may sound like it is a meal for the goats, but the right type of leaves -- freshly picked and washed -- could win you over to the argument that human omnivores should, for the most part, give our bodies a break when it comes to the modern love affair with meaty matter. And even if it does not bring you over to the cause of veganism (most Sundanese food meals do include the option of some fish or a piece of chicken), it will provide a high-fiber, vitamin-packed repast.

Terasi: Diners either develop a lifelong love of this fermented shrimp paste or find it positively repulsive. Once smelled and tasted, its pungent aromatic odor is never forgotten. The most commonly used chili accompaniment for Sundanese dishes, it is often used to flavor fried rice.

Pepes: A method of cooking involving the packing of foods in banana leaves for steaming. Commonly used ingredients are tofu, fish, mushrooms and shredded chicken, flavored with such spices as lemon grass and basil.

Oncom: Some people try to dissuade others from trying this dish by sniffing that pieces of oncom are the scraps from tempeh. A kinder description for the uninitiated is to think of it as tempeh fermented a little longer; it is distinguished from tempeh by its distinct orange color.

An acquired taste, oncom is delicious when prepared as pepes and eaten with hot rice (try the excellent one served up at Bi Bet). An easier initiation for those reluctant to try the real thing are oncom crackers, sold in many stores in Bandung and Jakarta.

But oncom can be the culinary equivalent of the little girl with the curl -- when it's good, it's very, very good, but when it's bad, you are going to feel horrid. Twice in my life I have eaten bad oncom and lived to regret it for the next few days. If it smells like it has "turned", which is, needless to say, a tough call with any fermented product, then it is better to think twice.

Karedok: West Java's gado-gado, except the vegetables -- shredded julienne-style and tossed in a spicy peanut dressing -- are raw, not boiled like its Central Java cousin, and sprinkled with dried grated coconut. Some diners find its chewy texture more to their liking than gado-gado, which many restaurants have a tendency to overcook. (Bruce Emond)