Indonesian Tempeh in American Taste

Tempeh is originally from Indonesia, but know it spread all over the world, including united states. I reviewed one of Indonesian restaurant in Wisconsin state to see the different.

Indonesian cuisine has a famous specialty that is complexly seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices. Howard Hilman, an author of world cuisine books who had travel to more than 100 countries placed Indonesia in the top 10 best cuisines in the world. But Indonesian restaurants are not really popular in United States. There is only one Indonesian restaurant in the entire state of Wisconsin and that is Bandung restaurant, located in Madison.

The restaurant is tastefully decorated with Indonesian ornaments: a batik map near the door, Javanese paintings and traditional masks along the wall. The food is Indonesian, but the music playing in the background is western classical music.

One of Badung’s unique menu items is tempeh, which is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. They serve tempeh in various dishes at a very affordable price. “Tempe goreng”, a sweet and crispy fried soybean cake costs $5.25. It surprised me because it has a sweet taste, very different from the “tempe goreng” served in Indonesia. “Tempe goreng” in Jakarta is usually served with raw green chilies. So it tastes a little bit salty and spicy rather than sweet.

“As an Indonesian, I grew up with tempeh. My mom usually cooked tempeh at home. So when I found it in Madison, I was so excited,” said Ilham Barab, a student from Indonesia.

“But I discovered that the dishes are less spicy and served in smaller portion than they should be. I think Bandung probably tends to adjust to American taste,”he added.

Compared to tempeh which I usually have in Jakarta, tempeh at Bandung restaurant is so different. For example, “Sambal goreng tempe,” which is soybean cake, green beans, lemon grass and potato stir fried with spicy candlenut and palm sugar, tastes delicious, with a pleasant balance in sweet and sour. It costs $8.95. Although the name “Sambal” in Indonesian refer to chili sauce, the dish is not spicy at all. What is particularly interesting is that menu items came with a beer recommendation. This is truly tempeh served American style.

Virginia Bryan, a Madison College librarian said that tempeh is one of her favorite dishes, “I like the nutty taste and the crispiness. It makes me want to keep eating it.”

Bandung restaurant has definitely succeeded in adjusting to American taste. Several of its dishes such as “opor ayam” and “perkedel jagung” won awards for the best ethnic food at the annual taste of Madison food festival.

“I have been making tempeh for 15 years,” Mochamad Sjahrani, the owner of Bandung restaurant told me. “Tempeh has a long history. It was invented in the sixteenth century by Javanese people in Indonesia. For hundreds of years tempeh has been a part of Indonesian identity,”he explained.

Before having dessert, I was curious to try “sate tempe,” a recommended items on the vegetarian's menu. It was a soybean cake marinated and grilled topped with sweet peanut sauce served on a bed of lontong (sticky rice). It is a creative way to serve it because in Jakarta, tempeh never appears in “sate” form.

Overall, Bandung restaurant provides a delightful experience for enjoying ethnic food. The Indonesian tempeh is definitely worth to try. It is served in many ways, from appetizer to special entrees. It also provides a good opportunity for vegetarians to have a delicious healthy food. Indonesian people who want to have more spicy taste can ask for “sambal.” I highly recommended “sambal goreng tempe” as the most pleasing menu item.