4. Nasi Uduk & Pecal Lele

Indonesian is a country steeped in traditions, culture, history and of course, food. Every street corner or mall, be it in metropolitan Jakarta or laid back Pekanbaru, Indonesian food is available alongside the fast encroaching fast food and  foreign cuisine.

During my last adventure in Pekanbaru, I managed to unearth (OK, so maybe I didn't newly discover this place, haha) a gem of a stall that sells Indonesia's authentic dishes. It was raining cats and dogs the whole day till about 7pm. Our stomachs were wailing for a much-awaited dinner and we couldn't bare to wait any longer for the rain to subside.

With the owner of the Nasi Uduk and Pecal Lele Stall.

Trudging through the rain, we found a quaint roadside stall selling Nasi Uduk and Pecal Lele. This dish is something like our Malaysian Nasi Lemak but without the usual fixings. The rice is cooked with coconut milk, cloves, lemongrass, cinnamon and pandan leaves. Fluffy and fragrant, the steaming rice with a smattering of fried onions on top was simply wonderful without overpowering the side dishes that go with it.

The side dishes were actually a choice of chicken or various types of freshwater fish which were marinated in turmeric and salt then fried. All Indonesian meals would be incomplete without the spicy and savory sambal and ulam (raw leaves and cucumber). Sounds familiar? Well, yes, this is the Pecal Lele I introduced to you in my previous post on Nasi Kapau. The fish was fried to golden perfection with nary a hint of fishiness. Tasty and satisfying, I scoffed down two servings of Nasi Uduk before I realized it!

Drinks consisted of either teh es (iced tea) or jeruk es or jeruk panas (iced or hot lime juice). Believe it or not, a simple village-style meal like that proved to be a piece of Indonesian heaven. The iced tea was extraordinary with strong flowery overtones. At first I was skeptical when the owner told me it was just tea leaves and sugar syrup. However, it turned out to be a type of tea called teh wangi (fragrant tea) which is spiked with vanilla.

All aboard the wagon of smiles (good food always makes me happy!).

When we asked his wife where to purchase it to be brought back home to Malaysia, she just pushed a box of tea leaves into our hands and told us to take it home with us. We were taken aback as she told us the tea cost IDR2500 which to them means a lot. The whole meal only costs us about IDR65000 (RM23). My mum just gave the couple's baby a IDR5000 note as a token of appreciation for their generosity. It really pulls at my heartstrings to see that such generous people still exist in a time where no one cares much for each other.

May god bless this simple family who fills people's stomachs with generosity, love and kindness.

If you ever make a trip down to Pekanbaru, I suggest you make a pit stop here for dinner as the food's simple yet awesome and the family's generosity is beyond words. It's just along the walking way to Pekanbaru Mall so it shouldn't be hard for you to locate. Happy eating!