PEPES TAHU

PEPES TAHU - VEGETARIAN

(Tofu in banana leaf wrap)

Pepes is one of the Indonesian cooking styles in banana leaf wrappings. This cooking technique allows the rich spice mixture to be absorbed naturally in the main ingredients while steaming it. People love the specific aroma of the herbs. 

That is what I love when I cook the pepes tahu. The tantalizing aroma comes out perfectly, and usually, it is tempting to people's appetite. 

My mother-in-law was born Sundanese and introduced me to her culture through food. Sundanese is an ethnic native to the western part of Java island, Indonesia. This food was my husband's favourite, and soon after I got married, it was soon on the list of our family's favourite foods.

This recipe was passed down to me far before my mother-in-law passed away, and thank you to Anita Arief, my friend who moved from Perth to Auckland, who gave me her idea to add mushrooms and reminded me of several herbs that I missed. These additional ingredients make this food incredibly tastier. 

The way you wrap this food could be varied. These two types of wrapping here are my favourite ones when I am making pepes tahu. 

Ingredients :

• 500gr firm tofu, mashed
• 200gr button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 beaten egg
• 10 bay leaves, cut it but not too small.

Spices:

• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 big red onion or 5 cloves of shallots
• 3 cm galanga
• 7 candle-nuts
• 1 tablespoon  coriander powder
• 1 lemongrass 
• Salt, pepper, and sugar to taste
• Banana leaves to wrap. 
• You may add fresh tomato slices.

In Auckland, we found the leaf in Asian groceries, usually in the frozen section. 

Directions :

1. In a bowl, mash the firm tofu with a fork until the big lumps are gone.
2. Mix all spices in a food processor until smooth.
3. Put the smooth herbs in the pan with a small amount of oil and fry to get the best fragrance.
4. Beat the egg.
5. Mix mashed tofu, egg, blended spices, mushroom, and the remaining ingredients in a bowl, except the bay leaves. 
6. Cut the banana leaves into half size of A4 paper, prepare to wrap the mixed tofu and place one bay leaf in each centre. You can blend the bay leaves with the herbs if you have little.
7. Wrap it nicely to avoid leakage.
8. Prepare a steamer and place the pepes tahu inside it and cook for about 30 to 45  minutes. 
9. Ready to serve.