Jepara: wood-carving legend of Central Java

Jepara have been famous because it's wood carving and furniture. Right now, we'll journey to another side of Jepara, and off course tasting its unique culinary.
One tourist destination is Mosque and Tomb at Mantingan. It's located about 5 km south from Jepara downtown. This mosque is a heritage from Jepara Islamic kingdom era, during the same time as Demak Islamic kingdom. This mosque built by Pangeran (prince) Hadiri, husband of Ratu (Queen) Kalinyamat. As one of its uniqueness, this mosque decorated with stone carving at its wall, that its style was combination of Chinese and Javanese art. Feel free to visit this scene if you arrive at Jepara, and you'll feel religious-exotic atmosphere there, at the heart of Jepara—where's carving spirit begin…

Exotic culinary from Jepara

Horog-Horog (traditional snack from sago palm stalk flour)
Prepare the flour:
1. sago palm stalk chopped and shaving until form chips
2. pour water, soak it for a while, then squeeze it
3. filter squeezed essence, and separate the dregs/waste
4. Let the essence for a while till precipitated, then take the solid part and drying it in the sun till we get the dry flour.

Cooking direction:
Similar as cooking the rice with steam.
Take enough sago palm flour, wash with flowing water if need (if have been stored for a time). Add 1000 cc water, cook with moderate fire. When boil, stir for a moment until the water soak out, the remove from fire. Boil steamer with 600 cc water, add 1 pc pandanus leaves. Add cooked sago palm flour, steam for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from fire; let the steamer open till the steam expires.
Serving direction:
Serve this horog-horog with seafood-sauce, fish chips, or other side dish as you wish.


Mangut Ikan Pari (smoked ray fish cooked with coconut milk gravy)
Ingredients:
4 piece cutted smoked ray fish (approx. 3 x 5 cm)
3 cm turmeric grinded with 1 tsp salt
2 tsp citrus fruit essence
Vegetable oil to fry and ripping the spice
1 pc bay leaves
10 pc vegetable star fruit (belimbing wuluh)
300 ml thick coconut milk

Grinded Spices:
6 pc big red chili
5 pc onion
3 pc garlic
1 tsp prawn paste
1 cm galangals
3 pc kemiri
1 cm lengkuas
1 cm temu kunci
Salt

Direction:
Prepare smoked fish, smear with citrus fruit essence and mixed salt and turmeric till spread evenly, the store it. Fry 2 tsp veg. oil, pour grinded spices till fragrant, add bay leaves and coconut milk. Simmer cooking till boil while sometimes stirred so the coconut milk didn’t damaged. Add veg. star fruit and still stirred till the gravy thickened. Add smoked fish, stir evenly, wait until boiled again, and then remove from fire. Ready to serve.