Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Putu cake is a traditional Indonesian culinary dish made from rice flour filled with Javanese sugar and covered in grated coconut. Apart from being popular on the island of Java, putu bamboo cake is also available in Medan.
What is the difference between Medan putu bamboo and those on Java?
Talking about putu cake, what comes to mind is definitely a green cake, filled with coconut sugar covered in grated coconut. The sweet and savory taste combines with the aroma of pandan leaves in every bite.
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However, the image of putu cake for the people of Medan, North Sumatra is actually different. Even though they are somewhat similar, actually the putu cakes of the people of Java Island and the putu cakes of Medan are actually different.
In terms of appearance, color, taste and aroma, it is completely different.
Not green
Sahat, one of the Putu Bambu Medan traders who sells his wares at the Serpong Culinary Festival, Tangerang, said that Putu Bambu Medan doesn’t have anything green.
“We are pure white, like Medan people, if we make it a strange color, for example red, pink, or whatever, it hurts us Medan people,” said Sahat when met in the Gading Serpong Mall area, Tangerang, Thursday (15/8).
Sahat himself has been selling Putu Bambu Medan for 13 years. He knew very well the significant differences between ordinary putu bamboo and typical Medan putu bamboo.
The most striking difference, he said, is in the use of pandan leaves.
If putu usually uses pandan leaves in the dough which is also used to color the putu until it turns green, this is not done in putu Medan.
Putu Medan must be white. There should not be any additional colors, including the natural color of pandan leaves. But what happens so that the aroma of pandan leaves remains strong?
“We still use pandan. But not in the dough. We use it in a pan to steam the putu dough,” he said.
Sahat said pandan leaves are also boiled in a covered pot and the steam is used to cook putu cake. Therefore, the putu Medan dough remains white, but the pandan aroma released is actually stronger.
“The water vapor that heats the putu dough is 100 percent the aroma of pandan leaves. So, this way the aroma also permeates all parts, making it give off an even stronger aroma,” he said.
(tst/pua)
[Gambas:Video CNN]
