Spicy Oyster Mushroom in Banana Leaves – a Guest Post by Tika

My dear friends, please welcome my dear friend Tika of Cemplang Cemplung.

The food blog community offers more than just recipes. We also get to “meet” new friends,  learn about new culture and cuisine and build relationships across the land and sea for a lifetime. It is a concept almost like making a pen friend. We meet on a common platform of our blog and interest in food photography and over time, start exchanging more than just comments. I have been so fortunate to make such beautiful friends around the world, and even if I have never met them, I know we would be like old friends if we ever did, chit chatting about the things we love – our family, food, photography and so much more.

Tika has a beautiful blog full of traditional (and also non-Indonesian) recipes and her photography inspires me. I had done a guest post for her a couple of months back and I wanted her to do post for me; a post that will speak about her cuisine and more so about herself.  And she has done just that.  I will allow this charming lady to present her gorgeous photograph and recipe now.  Thank you and a big hug lovely lady for doing this for me and my readers.

Enjoy!  and do take you time and visit her blog for more Indonesian recipes, photographs and tips and lessons on food photography.

Over to Tika now….




In my country, Indonesia, pepes is one of the cooking method that often use by wrapping all the ingredients together in banana leaves. The using of banana leaves as food wrapper is commonly used here. But it’s not the only leaf we use as traditional food wrapper. Some of Indonesian foods are wrapped with pandan leaf, coconut leaf, teak leaf or rose apple leaf. One thing I love from using banana leaf is it give special aroma to the food inside it. Whether I steam or grill the food, it always tastes good. Living in tropical country like where I live now doesn’t caused me so much trouble to find fresh banana leaf. I don’t even need to buy it, because I could find it easily near around the neighborhood.

When Soma offered me to do the guest post, I promised her to cook something traditional from my country. Ideas of Indonesian traditional recipes flew through my head. It took me few days before I decided to cook Pepes Jamur Tiram (Spicy oyster mushroom in banana leaves). Soma is a friend I met through Flickr and I’m a fan of her photographs. She’s a genuinely humble, kind and charming person. Having a chance to introduce Indonesian recipe to her loyal blog readers. So, doing this post for her is a great pleasure for me. Big thanks to you, Soma, who gave me the chance and feature this recipe on your blog.

I am incredibly lucky to have inherited the recipe from my mother-in-law. This pepes (we used to call it pelasan) is our true family favorite recipe ! It something that my husband (and all his siblings) grew up with. I find it as a quick and healthy recipe. I will sometimes substitute mushroom for cob fish. Means, you could also find many substitutes you like, fish or chicken. But cob fish and oyster mushroom are my favorites.

Do you know how Indonesian enjoy this dish ? Wash hands carefully, take a plate of warm steamed rice, take a packet of pepes and eat with bare hand (right hand). Yes, I do the same thing. It feels more natural and satisfied digging the food with my hand. *I think I’m drooling now ! So, if you happen to be curious about the recipe, all you need to do is scroll down and there it is.

Pepes Jamur Tiram- Spicy Oyster Mushroom in Banana Leaves

Ingredients : makes 5 packets

1. 250 gr oyster mushroom
2. 100 gr red chilies
3. 2 bird eye chilies
4. 2 cloves garlic
5. 1 ½  tsp tamarind soaked in 3 tbsp lukewarm water
6. 1 tsp salt
7. 1 tsp sugar
8. banana leaves for wrapping, wash and wipe dry
9. 10 toothpicks

Method :

1. Cut off any tough end of mushroom stems. Pull apart or cut the larger mushrooms lengthwise into pieces about the size of whole small ones. Set aside.

2. Grind the chilies, garlic, salt and sugar in a blender (or using mortar and pestle). If you use blender, add a little amount of water only to move them.

3. Combine the chili paste with tamarind juice in a bowl. Add the mushroom into the bowl, stir gently.
4. Divide the mushroom mixture into 5 equal portions. Set aside.

5. Put 1 portions of mushroom onto banana leaves and carefully roll it up. Secure the packets with a toothpick at each ends.

6. Steam all packets in medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

7. Grill the packets over charcoal or you may use non-stick pan. Grilled until both sides are slightly charred.

8. Serve.


Cook’s note :

* To make the leaf more malleable, you could dampen and cook the banana leaf in a microwave until steam appears.
* Add your own bird eye chilies according to your liking.

Related Posts:

Mushroom Almond Burger

Marinated Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushroom and Green Tomato Stir Fry