Madura, just a few minutes away from the bustling Surabaya, might be known as the paradise of varied festivals such as Karapan Sapi (a traditional bull race), Suramadu, and Daol Combodug. Still, the island of salt famous for its Toroan waterfall and Arosbaya limestone hill is where you can delight in a wide variety of worth-tasting delicacies. Check out the best Madurese foods.
1. Sate Madura
Who doesn’t know Madura satay? The phenomenal food is not only found on the island, but most out of the Indonesian region have this type of sweet meaty dish – this is one of the national Indonesian dishes. The diced beef, chicken, and lamb is skewered, grilled over the fire, and served with the peanut sauce. What makes it so fanciful is the additional spices such as the dark shrimp paste, garlic, and palm sugar.
Warung Sate Madura
Address: Banyu Ajuh, Kamal, Bangkalan Regency, East Java
Opening Hours: 4 pm to 11 pm
2. Soto Madura
What makes Soto Madura different from the rest is the clear yellowish broth and the condiments. The soupy dish using beef as the main ingredient is so flavorful. The meat is slowly cooked with some aromatic spices like turmeric, lemongrass, and ginger for almost two hours over low heat. To savor it, you need some companions that include hard-boiled egg, lime juice, and fried shallot.
Depot Soto Madura
Address: Jl. Raya Teuku Umar, Kemayoran, Kec. Bangkalan, Kabupaten Bangkalan, Jawa Timur
Opening Hours: 6:30 am to 6 pm
3. Topak Ladeh
Topak Ladeh is one of the most delicious foods in Madura which is a perfect dish gobbled up on a rainy day. Unlike the Indonesian soup, which mostly comprises of beef, the Madurese specialty uses cow’s shank. The meat is cooked along with a number of spices that include nutmeg, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, kencur, and cinnamon. It’s usually eaten with ketupat, string beans, and three types of powder made of cracker, soybean, and dried tiny shrimp.
Rumah Makan Tera' Bulan
Address: Jl. Raya Ketengan No. 69 (Burneh) Bangkalan, East Java
Opening Hours: 9 am to 10 pm
4. Tajin Sobih
Craving for Madurese dessert? One of best ones would be Tajin Sobih. The porridge-like delicacy is sweet and full of shades. There are several main components include the white part consisting of rice flour, starch, coconut milk, and grated coconut; the brown part made of starchy flour and brown sugar; and the bright red mutiara sago.
Street Vendors at Pendopo Bangkalan
Address: Kecamatan Bangkalan, Mlajah,Kabupaten Bangkalan, East Java
Opening Hours: 3 pm to the evening (during Ramadan month)
5. Nasi Serpang Bangkalan
The rice enthusiasts shouldn’t miss out Nasi Serpang Bangkalan. At glance, it looks like the common steamed rice found in Java named “nasi campur.” Yet, the food has different offerings in terms of the side dishes. The highlights are the sambal terasi (shrimp paste sauce), rice vermicelli, salted egg, beef jerky, grated coconut, fish pepes, cow skin, and rempeyek (peanut cracker).
Nasi Serpang
Address: Jl. Raya Ketengan, Pejagan, Kec. Bangkalan, Kabupaten Bangkalan, East Java
Opening Hours: 6 am to 9 pm
6. Kaldu Kokot
Another mushy delight while discovering the land of the bull race is the Kaldu Kokot. Kokot, which literally means calfskin, is commonly mixed with other inner organs such as offal. The pieces are boiled along with mung bean and special herbs that feature ginger, nutmeg, garlic, shallot, and spring onion. It’s usually eaten with fried or steamed cassava.
Warung Adnan
Address: Jl. Dr. Wahidin No.5, Pajagalan, Kotasumenep, Kabupaten Sumenep, East Java
Opening Hours: 5 am to 5 pm
7. Lorjuk
If you are not able to stay away from the seafood, try Lorjuk. It’s a sort of peeled clam sautéed with several ingredients such as mushroom, red chilies, shallot, garlic, and onion. It’s incredibly tempting when oyster sauce, sesame oil, and sweet soy sauce are added. The steamed rice really is fitting for this type of dish.
Campur Lorjuk
Address: Majungan, Pademawu, Pamekasan Regency, East Java
Opening Hours: 7 am to 5 pm
8. Bebek Songkem
Instead of being deep fried, Bebek Songkem involves a steaming process. The duck dish, having a low cholesterol level, is spicy yet tender. The whole fowl is marinated with some aromatic spices including chilies, turmeric, shallot, garlic, and lime, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed over low heat for about three hours.
Bebek Songkem Pak Salim
Address: Jl. Raya Ketengan No.85, Tunjung, Burneh, Kabupaten Bangkalan, East Java
Opening Hours: 8 am to 9 pm
9. Nasi Jagung Madura
Nasi Jagung Madura is basically a mix of rice and corn. The staple food is commonly eaten in the entire region of Madura. To enhance the flavor, some companions like fried salted fish, fried tempeh, blanched green veggies, and lodeh soup are added. Although the food looks simple, it does pamper your taste buds.
Warung Jagung Nusa Indah
Address: Jl. KH. Moh Kohlil 105, Bangkalan—Madura
Opening Hours: 7:30 am to 9 pm
10. Rujak Cingur Madura
Rujak Cingur Madura might be one of the strange Indonesian foods you can easily find on the island. Its main ingredient is cow’s snout and the dark petis seasoning – it is a sticky substance made of fish and prawn meat. They are mixed with blanched veggies, tofu, tempeh, and compressed rice cake or lontong.
Warung Rujak Bu Ponok
Address: Jl Letnan Sunarto, Bangkalan, Madura
Contact Number: +62 0313092239
Madurese foods are worth trying
When you plan to spend your long holidays in Madura, you should take a culinary adventure tasting these listed foods. The satay, the meaty soup, and the desserts are extremely good, while the corn rice and seafood are super fabulous as well.