Yogya's 'Warung Ijo' still keeping diners satisfied

By Budi Sardjono

YOGYAKARTA (JP): As she ladles up a plate of rice at Warung Ijo, Ibu Padmosudarmo remembers the day clearly, even though it happened in the 1960s.

A sedan pulled up in front of her food stall, called ijo (Javanese for green) because of the color of its front. Vehicles were still a rarity on the streets, and a luxury car was sure to attract attention.

An elegantly dressed Indonesian man got out of the car, went to the stall and ordered a plate of nasi brongkos, the eatery's specialty of the Yogyakarta dish of beef and green beans stewed in coconut milk and spices and eaten with rice.

He polished off the plate of food, paid and went out to see the small market, Pasar Tempel, nearby.

"I didn't know exactly who the man was, because my shop was crowded at the time," the 75-year-old woman said. "At Tempel market, people whispered repeatedly that this was Ngarso Dalem (Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, now deceased). I was so happy that he was willing to visit my shop personally."

She has been in business now since 1956, and her eatery remains small, about four meters by five meters. Bu Padmo, as she is known, opened the stall because she felt lonely, with no children and her soldier husband frequently away on assignment.

A neighbor suggested she should use her cooking skills to open a sidewalk eatery to occupy her time.

"I rented this small house of four meters by 11 meters, with the front part used for the eatery and the back part for a bedroom and kitchen," she said.

"It is small, but very strategic as it is close to the Krasak River bridge, the market and the Krasak Railway Station, right at the edge of a highway connecting Yogyakarta, Magelang and Semarang. At the time, the rent was very cheap."

The original menu comprised opor ayam (chicken stewed in coconut milk and spices), sambal goreng (food such as potatoes fried in chili), and tempeh and tofu. The brongkos was added later but quickly gave her restaurant its reputation. She also sells juadah bakar (a baked delicacy of glutinous rice).

Her eatery attracts many different types of diners, including schoolchildren, office workers, traders, train passengers, tourists on their way to nearby Borobudur temple and truck drivers.

"When my stall is crowded, I need about 40 kg of beef and dozens of chickens in a day," Ibu Padmo said.

She is helped in running the stall by some of her younger sisters and nieces, but the cooking is done in the kitchen by four people she has hired specially for the job.

Is there something special in her famous dish?

"Nothing, no secret recipe," she said with a smile. "I use the same cooking spices, namely red onion, garlic, lengkuas (a kind of plant from the ginger family), daun salam (a laurel-like leaf used in cooking), red chilis, greater galingale, daun serai (citronella leaf) and kluwak (the fruit of the kepayang tree used as a spice).

She said the last spice, kluwak, is the one which determines whether the brongkos will be delicious. Because if the kluwak is rotten and bitter, the brongkos will also taste overly tart. The spice also gives the stew its distinctive brown color.

In an effort to maintain the deliciousness of her brongkos soup, Bu Padmo always uses firewood for cooking, never a kerosene stove or a gas stove.

Customer

"I have been a customer of Warung Ijo for 15 years," said Sudarmaji, 53, from Semarang, who had brought along three of his friends to try the stew for the first time.

He said Warung Ijo's reputation was well-deserved.

"I once ate nasi brongkos in another food stall like Warung Ijo, but it tasted quite different. Bu Padmo's nasi brongkos is the best, the most delicious one as it has a special taste other stalls do not have," he said.

Bu Padmo said her customers included former Sleman regent Arifin Ilyas and family, Malang's regent, officials of the Central Java regional administration and Yogyakarta, journalists and artists, including noted cultural observer Emha Ainun Nadjib and his wife, actress-singer Novia Kolopaking.

"If you want to enjoy the deliciousness of brongkos, you have to eat it in Bu Padmo's Warung Ijo," said choreographer Bagong Kusudiharjo, another regular customer.

Other food stalls have opened up around Warung Ijo over the years, including several offering nasi brongkos as well as those serving satay and Padang food, the country's own fast food of curries and dishes all served up at once.

Understandably, their presence has indirectly affected the business at Warung Ijo; an average business day now needs about 15 kg to 20 kg of beef and a few chickens.

"But one's path in life depends entirely on God," Bu Padmo said wisely. "I am old already, and when I die, let this Warung Ijo be run by my nephews and nieces. They all are just like my children, as I am childless."