Thursday, March 18, 2010

A Bowl of Bubur Ayam from the Hotel

Bubur Ayam

This was one of the few local things that I could find in the hotel breakfast spread. At first it just looked like the usual porridge in a bucket that one scooped out into a bowl and topped off with a few trimmings. But there was another heated container on the side containing a yellow sauce, and I wasn't sure what the deal was.

It was then explained to me that the coconut sauce was meant to be poured on top of the porridge, and then one loads on all of the condiments. One local told me that the chili sauce was the most important - and he loaded his bowl up so much that he pretty much had more condiments than rice. It seemed like that would just be overwhelming, so I kept it easy with my selection.

And I'm glad I did it. Even with the few teasers that I put on my bowl, there was more than enough flavor...so much that when I went for seconds, I went even easier on the toppings. I especially had to avoid that thick dark brown sauce, which provided an awkwardly bitter taste that made the first bowl a bit of a turn-off. But the second bowl without the sauce finally hit the spot, especially with those cool little peanuts. I'm not sure how this hotel version compares to a proper one off the streets, but at least this wasn't from McDonald's.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you're Jakarta, you got to try Sari Bundo, it's a padang place in the city, and it's pretty bomb!

Anonymous said...

Try the Bubur Manado if you happens to be there. Cornmeal porridge with condiments. You might like it since you like this.