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Surabi Bandung, a local pancake made of rice flour mixed with coconut milk and served with a large variety of toppings, has always been a popular snack for people living in Bandung and other places in West Java.

Traditional surabi is topped with coconut milk and brown sugar, while the savory version has oncom (a type of tempeh cooked in spices).

However, as times have changed, so have the toppings and today there are myriad versions to satisfy the taste buds, especially those of young consumers.

Surabi Bandung is so popular that it has spread out of West Java and can now be found in Bali, among other places.

Warung Surabi Bandung on Jl. Cok Agung Tresna in Renon is one place that serves these Bandung-style pancakes.

Kang Jamal, the owner of the food stall, said he prepared his surabi with a soft texture and a large variety of toppings, including cheese, chocolate sprinkles, strawberry jam, jackfruit, banana, sausage, shredded chicken and mushrooms.

Each surabi costs only Rp 8,000 (59 US cents).

Jamal explained the best way to get a soft, moist pancake. '€œWe use a charcoal stove to make the pancakes taste better and cook evenly. The heat is more stable than with a gas cooker,'€ he said.

In addition to the new toppings, Jamal also adds a special sweet sauce made of condensed milk, egg yolk, vegetable oil and coconut flavoring.

Nobody knows the origin of the surabi Indonesian pancake, but according to the World Heritage Encyclopedia (cn.worldheritage.org), the name surabi was derived from the word Serbia. During the Dutch colonial period, Serbian immigrants arrived in the Indonesian archipelago and cooked palačinke, Serbian pancakes, which later became popular as surabi.

German cook Thomas Hartwig said he had opened a café in Berlin selling Indonesian surabi with toppings such as salmon, duck and chicken, while other cafés sell vegetarian surabi with mushrooms, tempeh and sweet potato toppings. These are sold for around '‚¬5 ($5.50) each.

Research jointly conducted by Roman Egger and Christian Maurer in Bandung, Medan and Surabaya for the International Student Conference in Tourism Research in 2014 (ISCONTOUR 2014) revealed that rendang (spicy beef stew), surabi, gado-gado (mixed vegetables with peanut sauce), batagor and nasi tumpeng (yellow rice cone with savory accompaniments) were the most popular Indonesian dishes in the international culinary world.

If you have yet to taste surabi, visit Warung Surabi Bandung in Renon and try this delicious snack with a cup of coffee.

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