Delicious Sate Bulayak, Lombok's Specialty Cuisine that is Popular and Sweet during Breaking the Fast

JAKARTA - Sate bulayak is known as one of the typical Lombok culinary that stimulates the appetite. This dish combines meat skewers with a spicy santan sauce that is savory and slightly spicy, served with a typical elongated lontong and wrapped in young coconut leaves.

The taste of rich food makes him often hunted, especially during Ramadan. In Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), sate bulayak is one of the favorite menus for breaking the fast.

"The spicy seasoning and the spicy chili pieces make the sate bulayak suitable to eat during the fasting month," said Rahman, a buyer who was met at the Sate Bulayak Narmada culinary center, West Lombok, as quoted by ANTARA.

Rahman came with his wife and child. He was willing to travel dozens of kilometers from Mataram City to Narmada District to enjoy the dish in his home area. So far, he has often eaten bulayak satay in the Udayana Street area, Mataram, and only now has tried the authentic version directly in Narmada.

Sate bulayak is indeed from Narmada District, West Lombok Regency. Now, the culinary is easy to find in various corners of Lombok Island, especially in tourist areas and crowded centers.

"We are here for the first time because we are interested in the many culinary centers of Sate Bulayak Narmada," said Rahman.

The uniqueness of this dish lies in the lontong which is shaped like a long tapered shape and wrapped in coconut leaves or young areca. In Sasak language, the lontong is called "bulayak". The sate used can be chicken meat, beef, or offal, then poured with thick coconut milk sauce flavored with spices and beans.

The combination of savory, spicy, and characteristic spice aromas makes sate bulayak considered suitable to be eaten after fasting all day. In addition, its relatively affordable price makes it a choice for various circles.

During Ramadan, traders start selling after Asar time until around 22.00 WITA. Ahead of the Magrib call, the queue of buyers usually begins to crowd the culinary center area, especially on weekends.

One of the sellers, Budi, said sales tended to increase after entering the first 10 days of fasting, when people started looking for an atmosphere to break the fast outside the house. "The price of bulayak sate is Rp. 20,000 per portion, with the option of chicken sate, meat, and beef offal," he said.