Mangan Opo ndik Malang? A Culinary Directory

This October, I will return to my hometown, Malang (also famous as Paris van East Java). My hometown is so beautiful: its varied geography provides a wealth of leisure activities, such as visiting to serene water dam and waterfalls, knowing the ancient history foundings, making a fascinating day trips. I’m so excited about returning home, for I plan to trace back my culinary adventure in my lovely town.It;s been soo long maan….kuangen puol with my town.

Here I will share you all recommendations of what and where to eat in Malang: from light snack to full meal… The list is arranged according to my preference from the most to the least. Anyway, I’d like to thank my net pals, Fahroe and Pipiw: they have been great sources of information. I believe that this post might not be very complete or accurate, since it’s been 3 years for me to leave Malang. Hopefully, someone will inform me if there are some changes or further information.

Wait, before we move on, you may check out some special terms below (in case you are not familiar with them). This post is trilingual: my language is a mix between Osob Ngalam, Bahasa Indonesia, and English. So, deloken, Jes!

First of, let me define some Indonesian or Javanese terms for you:

Arema= acronym of Arek Malang, means Malang people (especially the young)

Gang = alley

Goreng = fried

Kecambah = grean been sprouts

Kecap = black soybean sauce

Kukus = steamed

Lontong = rice cake (made from rice wrapped in banana leaves and boiled for hours)

Nasi = steamed rice

Pasar = traditional market

Perempatan/Prapatan = junctions

Pertigaan = T-junction

Petis = shrimp paste (or black paste)

Pikulan = a street vendor that ‘mikul’ (carry) his selling on his shoulders

Pojokan = the corner of

Pujasera = food court

Rombong = street vendor that push a ‘rombong (booth) while selling his product

Sambal = chilli paste

Sego = nasi; steamed rice

Warung = canteen/cafeteria serving local menu

NOW, HERE WE GO….

I. Bakso

It’s the trademark of Malang. Arema calls it OSKAB.

Details: a soup containing penthol (meat ball) with its variation: goreng (fried) , halus, kasar, telor; tahu (tofu), somay goreng or kukus , mie (noodle), jeroan sapi (beef liver), vermicelli. Served with daun bawang, fried onion, tomato and chilli sauce, soybean sauce.
Location : Bantaran, Lowokwaru, Glintung, Kemirahan in front of Gang, belakang Mitra II (this is my favourite “Bakso President”), pertigaan pasar Halmahera, Gajayana, etc. There are also rombong2 that sell them in housing areas.

II. Kripik Tempe

Details: fried chips from tempe.

Location: The most famous is Tempe Sanan Cak Mul at Jalan Sanan; Toko Ardani Jl. JA Suprapto.

III. Tahu Campur

Details: The soup is like soto (yellow) with extra bumbu petis, served with daging otot (beef tendon),fried tahu (tofu), menyok (mashed cassava), sayur slada (lettuce), kecambah , suun (vermicelli), krupuk, and hot spicy sambal. Huh-hah! Mbrebes mili…

IV. Rujak Petis ( Rujak Cingur)
Details : Sliced fruits (cucumber, pineapple, bengkoang/jicama) + boiled vegetables (kangkoong, kecambah, gobis (cabbage), kacang panjang/long peanuts), tahu, menjes, & tempe goreng, cingur sapi (beef mouth) served with peanut sauce + petis udang.

Location : Almost all kampung, Jalan Amprong, Jalan Lawu (pindah Sawojajar) Tenes Stadion Rujak Manis and Es Degan Stadion and Primagama Jalan Semeru, Stasiun Kota, Warung Pojok in front of BTC Pajajaran

V. Tahu Petis and Telor Tahu

Details: tofu, scrambled egg, kecambah, lontong, krupuk served with peanut sauce and petis

Location : near SMAN 5 (evening), perempatan Kasin in front of Sego Resek and Gang next to Sinar Brawijaya (in front of Kapal Teknik Unibraw)

VI. Warkop & Ketan

Details: ketan (steamed glutinous rice served with shredded peanut and sugar palm syrup), hot coffee/tea/ginger ale.
Location : perempatan Rampal – SKI, perempatan Kauman in front of RSB Muhammadiyah, Talun Gang next to billiard pool.

VII. CATEGORY: NASI

1/ Sego Campur Buk (Buk refers to ‘ibu’ in Arodam/Madurese)

Details : nasi sayur lodeh, paru goreng, jeroan, ayam, empal
Location : Next to Brantas Gas Sation; Pertokoan Stasiun Kota; Kidul Dalem, in front of Saguanto; Pasar Kebalen ; Pasar Besar

2/ Sego Goreng and Mie Jowo, Sego Resek
Details : nasi goreng putih / mawut, mie goreng / rebus.
Location : Pojokan perempatan Kasin next to bengkel Vespa, Pojokan perempatan Merapi – Buring (RRI Lama); perempatan Pattimura and gedung WISH / BTC, Gang in front of Soto Lonceng Wetan Pasar; Pak Wulan Klampok Kasri; Nasi Goreng Kambing Pedes in kampung Klampok Kasri

3/ Sego Campur Korak and Nasi Bebek

Details : sayur lodeh, bening, sop, kecambah, lauk tempe or tahu plus krupuk; accompanied by teh pait (black tea). The pakan (rice) bebek is nasi lauk pecel and gorengan weci
Location : pojokan pertigaan turunan Bendungan Sutami – IKIP lewat Ambarawa, gang2 kecil at IKIP jalan Surabaya and Jombang, gang Kerto2an in IAIN area and Unibraw, in front of Kelud, in front of Pasar Bareng, pertigaan jalan Jakarta – Ijen (nasi bebek is especially open in the evening)

4/ Nasi Orem-orem
Details : sayur tempe orem2 (sayur kunir), krupuk, lontong or nasi.
Location : in front of pasar Kebalen, rel kereta Boldi, Pertukangan in front of Bioskop Jaya. If you are lucky, you can find the street vendors (rombong) at Dinoyo, Gajayana and Veteran.

5/ SGPC alias Sego Pecel or LECEP

Details: It’s Javanese salad: boiled vegetables (turi, cambah, kenikir, bayam, kacang panjang, kobis dll) served with peanut sauce and rempeyek. Other accompaniments can be tempe orek, mendhol, bakwan jagung,  and serundeng. There are many versions of pecel: Malang, Blitar, Madiun, Ponorogo, Tulungagung.

Location:Jalan Gede (Dempo), Jalan Rajekwesi, Jalan Kawi , Jalan Letjen S. Parman near Wijaya Kusuma and Dinoyo (in front of pasar), Jalan Bendungan Sutami in front of Pom Bensin / Unmuh Kampus II, Pasar Mergan, Jl. Puntodewo (after SKI-Kalimosodo)

6/ Sego Trancam

Details: Nasi served with sayur lodeh tahu, urap2, lamtoro . Sometimes called seglo slametan or sego kuburan (meals for death ceremony).
Location : di pasar2, Kasin next to Sego Resek

7/ Nasi Pecel Lele

Details: Pecel Lele means nasi with Fried Ikan Lele served with sambal trasi and lalapan (raw vegetables: lettuce, cucumber, cabbage)

Location: Warung Citra Kawi and Soekarno Hatta, Kampung Klaseman (morning only), In front of Perbankan Unmer (evening)

8/ Nasi Gurami Goreng and Bakar at Pujasera2 and Natural Resto found at Kebon Agung.

9/ Tempe Penyet at Kuburan Kasin, many warung around Malang

10/ Warung Nasi Aneka Menu / Restaurant

Top names: Marhaen; Nyik Sun; Warung Lama H. Ridwan, Panglima Sudirman; Lesehan Stadion, Citra, Hok Lay; Toko Oen; Ringin Asri; Warung Bu Haji AREMA (with Javanese using AREMA naming for the meal n beverages) at perempatan Kidul Dalem

VIII. CATEGORY : JAJAN and KUE

1/ Jajan Gorengan

Details : Rich variety of fried snacks and cookies: pohong (cassava), tela (sweet potato), tempe menjes, tahu brontak, weci, tape, bakwan, kokam, gandoz, ketan jadah, tape ketan hitam, tahu petis, getas ketan, perut ayam, etc.
Location : Gorengan can be found almost everywhere in Malang, especially at traditional markets. My favorites are Pasar Bunul and Pasar Besar, Gang Jalan Gajayana next to Salon Didiet, Kaliurang, Perempatan rel kereta Ciliwung

2/ Jajan Pasar
It is the traditional delight served with shredded coconut and syrup of palm sugar.

Details : putu, lopis, cenil, klepon, gatot, sawut, horok2, ketan item-putih

Location : Gang In front of Dunkin Donat Celaket, pasar pagi and malam, Pasar Bunul, Pasar Besar.

3/ Martabak and Terang Bulan Lokal
Details : martabak telor, terang bulan (sweet pancakes)
Location : Pasar Senggol, Kelud, Martabak Dinoyo in front of Soto Kudus, Bang Sohel Tongan, Kairo pertigaan (T-junction) Kauman, Agung pertokoaan in front of Mitra Dept Store, Perempatan ITN

IX. SOTO-SOTOAN:

1/ Soto Dok Soto daging Lamongan

Dok means the sound of ketchup bottle flung hardly on the preparation table and sounds ‘DOK’ so loudly, normally visitors will be startled with the sound. So, murah meriah + kaget 😀 !
Details : soto daging, jeroan sapi, perkedel kentang and hot tea.
Location : It was near Bioskop President Jl. Sarangan, now it moves to pojokan in front of GOR Pulosari and Pasar Tawangmangu

2/ Soto Babon Khas

It’s like other soto in Malang, except for the chicken is from Babon meat. Babon means a fat, female chicken.

Location : Pasar besi tua Bentoel Lama

3/ Soto Ayam lamongan Oro2 Dowo and di Tlogomas, Khas Jalan Lombok and near STIA Tlogomas spesial pake koyah (soybean powder).

4/ Soto Kambing (Ngelo) It’s soto daging and jeroan kambing with koyah and lontong. The soup contains much fat (gajih)
Location : atround Kampus III Unmuh Tlogomas (Terminal Landungsari)

5/ Soto Shampo . It’s like Soto Lombok, but the taste is more spicy.
Location : a warung at perempatan Lapangan Shampo (Angkatan Laut near SMAN 5) (awas suka antri and habis sebelum jam 11 malem)

X. CATEGORY: BEVERAGES

1/ Wedang Ronde and Angsle

Ronde is a bowl of hot gingerale with roasted peanut and sticky ball called klepon ; Angsle is sweet kuah santan  mixed with bread cut into kotak2.
Location : there are many phikulan or rombong around housing area

2/ STMJ Hot milk, eggyolk, honey, and ginger (sometimes plus ginseng and other herbs)

Location : STJM is always sold at evening time. Jl. Trunojoyo (Pak Sentot), Jalan Kawi, Bareng near Jalan Semangka, Jalan Surabaya, Pujasera Pulosari. The sellers usually sell Roasted Corn and Toast (Jagung & Roti Bakar).

3/ Es Selon

Details: this is actually Es Campur: a bowl of fruit cocktail (blewah/cantalope, nanas/pineapple, melon, alpukat/avocado, tomato) with milk and syrup plus kolang-kaling/sugar-palm fruit, cincau, agar-agar/jelly, rumput laut/ fresh seaweed. I used to have it at Lapangan Rampal , Pasar Bunul, or Jalan Muharto, but it can be found almost everywhere in Malang.

XI. CATEGORY: CHICKEN MENU

Chicken is not only the main ingredient for Soto. There are many variations of chicken dishes:

1/ Sate Ayam ARODAM . Sate Medhure or ETAS KITIP are available everywhere in Malang.

2/ Ayam Bakar Pak No Pom Bensin Kasin Sawahan and sejumlah tempat lainnya

3/ Ayam Goreng

Details: Fried chicken menu. The famous names are Ayam Goreng Pemuda, Ayam Tenes, Ayam Prambanan. I heard Ayam Goreng Lintang Cafe Sawojajar is also good.

Location : In front of Perbankan Unmer, Jalan Galunggung in front of Gading Pesantren and di Pujasera2.

XII. Rawon Jahat Kawi Atas masuk Bareng, Nguling, Warung Perempatan Muharto

XIII. Bang Sohel Tongan Sate Gule and Etas Mbik diberbagai pelosok kota

XIV. Pujasera DEMPO, Bondowoso, Pulosari, Soekarno Hatta, Kawi, Bengawan Solo (Sanan / Purwantoro jalan logam2)

XV. Cantonese Cuisine and Sea Food

1/. Cwimie or Mie Pangsit
Location : Belakang SMA Dempo, Pujasera Pulosari, jalan naik Tanjung – Mergan, Isor Uwit in front of Pasar Oro2 Dowo, Mie Gloria in front of Plasa Malang (non halal), Mie Gajah Mada Pecinan next to Rahman Sports (non halal); and Gang Jangkrik (this too, non halal).

2/ Seafood Location: in every Pujasera; jomplangan Ciliwung

3/ Duk-Duk Chinese Food (Duk-Duk means the sound of kentongan by the street vendors when they wander around Malang to sell their meals)

Details : ala chinese food nasi goreng, mie rebus or goreng, fu yung hai, cap cay, tamie goreng, ayam mentega, nasi mawut, mihun dll.

Location : in front of Bank Bali jalan Semeru, gerbang UNMER, pertigaan jalan Jakarta – Ijen; every housing residences and kost2an (boarding house for students)

XVI. CATEGORY: OLEH-OLEH

Besides tempe Malang, you can try other special OLE2 from Malang:

1/ Kue dollar It’s crepes shaped like coins; It has many variations: plain, banana, chocolate, sesame (wijen), etc. Available at Sukun area.

2/Kripik buah (fruit chips) It’s amazing that many fruits can be converted to chips, like pineapple, strawberry, jackfruit, apple, etc. My favorite is made by Kusuma Agro Wisata. Get them from Lancar Jaya shop.

3/Kripik Bakso I usually buy kripik bakso at any outlets of Bakso President (di Mitra I or behind Mitra II building), Bakso Kota Cak Man.

Well, that’s all that I still remember about the food and beverages in Malang. I think there will be more to hunt in Malang (especially after 3 years of leaving the town). Wadooh, selak moleh, Ker! Kuangeen puool!!!