Bandar Togel is a staple of Indonesian culture, often being served as part of a breakfast or lunch meal. It is a long, rectangular dish of rice, meat, and vegetables, typically served with an aromatic sauce and served with bread. The name means “a round bowl made from round stones” in English. While some people confuse the dish for being merely a snack or quick food, it is a complete meal and is very different from the more commonly known tangerine or orange that most people have in their pantry.
One of the best things about this delightful dish is that it can be prepared many different ways. Traditionally, it is served as part of a starter course at many establishments, but depending on your preferences, you can substitute chicken or beef (or even pork) for the rice. You can also substitute vegetable for the meat (or beef or chicken) and add sesame oil or lemongrass for the lemongrass. Of course, you can always go with what you know and have a plain old chicken or beef or pork round steak served with the same dish.
Traditionally, especially during the fasting period, a round wooden vessel called ini adalah, or basin, is placed in front of a bed of rice. Guests are invited to dip their bread in the basin and take a seat. After a while, portions of the bread are removed, only to have them replaced with portions of fish (tongkat Ali, Tunis, mallard, chicken, and beef), stewed beans, and vegetables (sweet potato, roasted pork, and manjikani).
Traditional additions to the setiap include fried prawns (dermis), fried squid or oysters (pangas), or vegetables. If you wish to switch things up a bit, you can prepare a mango sauce flavored with tamarind instead of lemongrass. For the bonus of spices in your Malaysia halal restaurant in Singapore, you can include saffron and black pepper. It is advisable to use small amounts as the spices usually get lost in the oil.
A bonus new member bonus new to the Bandar To Gel restaurant in Singapore is the inclusion of an authentic Malaysian dish, which is a must try for any first time visitor to the establishment. The dish is named “Kue Pepe” and is made with noodles and meat that are cooked in a traditional Chinese style. As the name implies, the noodles are colored (usually green and yellow) and the meat is usually marinated with Chinese spices and served with a sauce that is a blend of peanut and fish paste. This sauce is typically used on the top of the noodles to enhance the flavor and to seal in the flavor. To make it more interesting for guests, a green mango sauce is also served on the table.
Another popular appetizer at Bandar To Gel is their Anda Bika, or thin rice with egg cooked in teriyaki sauce. Again, this dish uses noodles with egg and is cooked using a method that employs a little bit of creativity. For starters, you can choose to serve it with a white fish like salmon. Then, you can also include other fish such as tuna, king mackerel, and yellow fin tuna. You can also go with shrimp, chicken, or pork, but regular customers seem to be a bit underwhelmed by the selection.
The Anda Bika appetizer is topped with a delicious mango salad, served in a clay pot. Again, the ingredients are chosen to suit the taste of the customers, but there is little variation between the different dishes. For starters, the mango salad is made by blending pitted mangoes and then grating them into a fine paste. There is also a traditional version of the dish that makes use of coconut milk and is flavored with sandalwood and a dab of wasabi, but people seem to prefer the original ingredients.
After these three meals are completed, you can then have the guests enjoy two more selections from the Anda Bika collection. The second course, which is called hondatoto bisa, is a type of rice that is served with an egg and a variety of toppings. For starters, you can opt for mangoes, kiwi, and kuromame yogurt. For the main course, you can choose to go with grilled squid or sweet potatoes. The award winning gyoza appetizers at Bandar To Gel represent a slightly different twist on the traditional style of yoga, and people who are familiar with Japanese food might appreciate them a little bit more.