JAKARTA (ANN/THE JAKARTA POST) – Deep within the forest of Gede Pangrango in West Java, Isep, founder of Bumi Bagja Food Forest, guided us on a foraging adventure. To our surprise, most of the forest was a treasure trove of ingredients perfect for a fragrant salad.
As he plucked a leaf from the lush sea of green, Isep Kurnia ripped it in two and handed it to us. “This is edible too,” he said, “it tastes similar to kacang panjang [long bean].”
Isep and his wife, Ari Hasniar, established Bumi Bagja in 2006. Over the years, it has grown into a homestay, smokehouse, and restaurant. The couple also offers residencies and courses for those eager to explore the forest’s bounty.
On our journey, Isep led us through sun-dappled bamboo tunnels and to secret waterfalls, gathering leaves and mushrooms for our evening meal.
Just a short walk from Bumi Bagja is the entrance to Situ Gunung National Park and its renowned suspension bridge, often bustling with visitors escaping Jakarta’s hustle. But here in the forest, tranquillity reigned, interrupted only by the flutter of butterflies or the sight of a Javan lutung.
For this week’s feature, we asked Isep to share five edible plants easily found in green spaces around the forest and throughout Indonesia.
POHPOHAN
A Sundanese staple, pohpohan (Pilea melastomoides) leaves are delightfully light and lemony.
Used primarily in lalapan (Sundanese fresh salad) in West Java, these leaves slightly resemble the perilla leaves used in Japanese and Korean cooking, and can be used in a similar way – eaten fresh and plain to accompany fried chicken, tempeh and sambal. Luckily, these leaves are quite easily found in most high areas, not only in the centre of the forest.
Isep tears pohpohan leaves and tops them with crushed tomato and a light, homemade vinegar for a simple yet refreshing salad.
WALANG
If you happen to eat at Bumi Bagja, you will find yourself marvelling at the tangy sambal offered to go with the main courses. The secret ingredient? Shredded walang (Eryngium foetidum) leaves, commonly known as culantro, or sawtooth coriander.
The nickname culantro comes from its similarity in flavour to cilantro, although about six times more powerful, even though walang actually comes from the same species family as carrots. With long, slightly spiky stems that grow in a rosette, the leaf can also be found across damp, forested areas of Java, as well as around Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and South America.
Isep explained that walang works well either fresh or cooked, where, unlike cilantro, it retains its distinctive citrusy flavour.
WILD MINT
Across the hills and forest surrounding Bumi Bagja is the nearby village of Cikaramat, where villagers work the nearby paddy fields and produce deliciously smoky palm sugar. Here, we were surprised to be introduced to bushes of wild mint growing near a spring that gives the village its name, “sacred water”.
This mint, Latin name Mentha canadensis, primarily grows in North America but can also be found here in Java and across eastern parts of Asia. It tastes primarily like peppermint and has a more waxy texture than the mint you normally buy in the supermarket.
We brought some back with us for the evening’s salad and to add to our drinks.
REUNDEU
Another plant to occasionally make an appearance in lalapan, reundeu (Staurogyne elongata) tastes like a mix of long bean and cilantro. Isep explained that it also has a number of medical properties, such as treating kidney stones and joint problems.
Reundeu, native to Java and Sumatra, is often found along the river bank. Though the flavour is less intense than most of the leaves we nibbled on as we walked, there was something moreish about reundeu, and its light, fresh flavour would complement a range of salads and sides.
PAKU SUUK
There are many regional dishes in Indonesia that use fern fronds, from Padang dishes where they are cooked in a creamy coconut sauce to Sundanese dishes where fronds are sauteed. On this particular ramble through the forests of Gede Pangrono, we came across the paku suuk (nut fern in Sundanese) – Isep and Ari have yet to find the Indonesian or latin name.
A large fern species, the tightly furled fronds – which I have recently discovered are called fiddleheads in English – grow firmly to the stem and need to be removed with a knife. As the name suggests, they have the texture of a nut rather than curled leaves.
Isep stir fries the paku suuk with soy sauce, garlic and chilli, with the result being a unique crunchy, sweet yet earthy dish.
