Ingredients
The pot
- 1 litrewater
- 100 gfresh ginger, sliced and bruised
- 150 gpalm sugar (gula jawa), chopped
- 1cinnamon stick
- 4cloves
- 3cardamom pods, cracked
- 2pandan leaves, knotted
- 1 stalklemongrass, bruised
- a pinch of salt
- ¼ tspblack peppercorns (optional)
To serve
- 4 tbspyoung coconut flesh, shredded
- 200 mlevaporated milk or coconut milk (optional)
Directions
- Grill or dry-roast the ginger slices in a pan for 3–4 minutes a side until lightly charred and fragrant. Roasting the ginger deepens the flavour and takes the raw edge off the heat.
- Bring the water to a boil with the roasted ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, pandan, lemongrass, peppercorns and salt.
- Simmer gently, partly covered, for 15 minutes so the spices infuse.
- Add the palm sugar and stir until fully dissolved, then simmer 5 minutes more. Taste: it should be sweet, hot with ginger and clearly spiced, and it should make the back of your throat tingle.
- Strain into mugs, or leave the aromatics in if you like it stronger as it sits.
- Put a spoonful of young coconut in each mug and pour the hot bandrek over. Add a splash of evaporated or coconut milk if you want it creamy, which is the Bandung street-cart style.
- Drink hot. It is a cold-weather and rainy-season drink in the West Java highlands.
Technique
- Bruise the aromatics rather than chopping them fine — you want infusion, not sediment.
- Palm sugar rather than white. The smoky caramel of gula jawa is half the drink.
- Adjust the ginger to taste, but bandrek is meant to be genuinely hot with it.
Substitutions
- Dark muscovado sugar in place of palm sugar.
- Ground ginger will not do; this needs fresh.
Variations
- Bajigur, the closely related West Javanese drink built on coconut milk and coffee.
- Bandrek susu, made with milk throughout rather than water.
History
A Sundanese highland drink of West Java, sold at night on cold mountain roads around Bandung.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bandrek?
Bandrek is a drink from Indonesia: hot ginger drink with palm sugar, cinnamon, clove and sometimes coconut shreds. A Sundanese highland drink of West Java, sold at night on cold mountain roads around Bandung.
How long does Bandrek take to make?
Bandrek takes 10 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 mugs. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Bandrek?
Yes, within limits. Dark muscovado sugar in place of palm sugar. Ground ginger will not do; this needs fresh.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bandrek?
Bruise the aromatics rather than chopping them fine — you want infusion, not sediment.
