"The Best Pecel Lele in Town"
East Javanese people like to eat spicy (hot) food, by spicy I mean really-really spicy. One of the most famous spicy dish is pecel lele (fried catfish served with sambal) and one of the best place to enjoy pecel lele is this small, dirty and messy street food stall that I am going to talk about. But wait, even though I am talking about pecel lele, the picture above is not showing lele (catfish). Yeah, this time I did not have the chance to eat lele (catfish) because they were sold out. However, in this place, they also serve other amazing fish dishes that will also blow your tongue.
 |
| Pic1. Pecel Lele Cak Di Nganjuk |
The place is called Pecel Lele Cak Di Nganjuk and yes, the seller comes from a small town called Nganjuk. Nganjuk and its neighboring areas are famous for its sambal terasi (chilli paste mixed with shrimp paste). And sambal terasi is the most favorite sambal in East Java Region of Indonesia.
Here, they serve variety of fish dishes you can choose, and when I came, they only had Gurame (Carp) and Patin fish left, because I came too late at night. The place is always packed and not too big. Usually, you will have to wait for others to finish before you can sit down.
 |
| Pic2. Take Away is a Nice Option |
They accept order directly from the counter, or the guy cooking next to the table area. As I mention you before, the place is quite messy but for a food explorer like me, there is no boundaries in eating and exploring street food. Usually, the messier it is, the better it tastes ;)
 |
| Pic3. The Messier it Gets, The Better it Tastes |
I ordered one portion of fried gurame (carp fish) and one portion of rice. It is usually come with fresh vegetables as sides, but they ran it out of stock as well, because I came too late. Nonetheless, the food still tastes great! The fish is crispy on the outside and very moist in the inside. The sambal terasi is also perfectly seasoned but might be a little bit too salty for some people. The distinct flavor comes from the sambal terasi that I mentioned before. If you eat using your hand, you will surely have the aroma with you overnight. Overall, it was a food blast for me. One portion of Gurame and rice with an ice tea only cost me Rp.18.000,- or around $1.35. Very very cheap!
If you want to experience the original pecel lele taste, I surely recommend you to go here. As usual, I give you the location below for you to go. Happy Exploring!
Pecel Lele Cak Di Nganjuk
Jl. Mayjend Prof. Dr. Mustopo
Surabaya 60285