Pandoraspace

 

Dearest Uncle G,

On our first day in Jogjakarta, Danang took us to an authentic Javanese restaurant called Yu Djum. Getting to Yu Djum reminds me of how I got to Alamo’s in Legaspi, Albay. That is - we drove through narrow alleys lined with small houses until we hit the end of a road, which opens up to a cluster of small houses, and in one of those houses, you will find Yu Djum.

We got to Yu Djum at 11:00 a.m. and were among the first customers there.

I instantly felt at ease in Yu Djum. It felt like one of those old restaurants in the province that remains unchanged by time. As we entered, four old men started playing Javanese musical instruments while an old lady sang. Inside, there are about six or seven rectangular wooden tables each with two benches. On each table there are a few glass jars filled with kerupuk (fish crackers).

There are only a few dishes served in Yu Djum, among them is the famous Gudeg, which is chicken cooked with jackfruit. As I was a bit dazed when we were in Yu Djum (I had very little sleep the night before and had just come from a walking tour of Prambanan on a hot day), I failed to ask about how the dish is prepared. In fact, I did not even know that I was eating jackfruit as it was so unrecognizable. All I remember was eating sweetened chicken. I probably would have appreciated Gudeg more if I knew that I was eating jackfruit. The closest taste I could associate Gudeg with is Humba, which is a Filipino dish of meat cooked in soy sauce, a little vinegar and sugar. Only, instead of being sweetened by sugar, Gudeg is sweetened by jackfruit, which has a very distinct taste.

I loved the kerupuk, which became my staple food in Jogjakarta. The kerupuk would be placed in a jar on the tables so diners would open the jar, pick a kerupuk and eat it with their meal.

By 11:30 a.m. hordes of people started entering Yu Djum to either sit down and eat or take food out. I was amazed at how popular the place was. I also found the take out packaging so charming. It was a box made out of dried coconut leaves. The box would be lined with fresh banana leaves. After, the rice and Gudeg would be placed inside the box and covered with another banana leaf before the box is closed.

The waiter allowed me to enter the kitchen to take pictures.  Being in that kitchen reminded me of what Filipino kitchens in the province look like when there are fiestas (town celebrations) as food would be prepared in large quantities and cooked using firewood.  Strangely, the kitchen made me feel warm and at home.

I do want to go back to try to Gudeg again specially now that I know what is in it.  We must try this together.

Love, Pandora

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 17th, 2009 at 12:08 am and is filed under My Indonesian Experience, Palate Pleasers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.