There are few ingredients more polarizing than cilantro. For some, it tastes fresh, fragrant and citrusy; for others, it’s basically dish soap. I’m one of the rare people who has experienced both sides. For most of my life, I couldn’t stand cilantro and avoided anything cilantro-related for decades. Then I rolled the dice on the BoPo Tempeh at the Indonesian restaurant Bandung, and it’s been one of my favorite dishes ever since. It also opened the door for me to cilantro in general.
The dish comes with marinated, battered, deep-fried tempeh (or chicken), steamed onions, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, and an incredibly herbaceous sauce. Bright green, loaded with fresh cilantro, scallions, ginger and jalapenos, Bandung’s BoPo sauce is spicy and addictive. Combined with the chewy tempeh, the crunchy vegetables and fluffy white rice, this dish satisfies in both flavor and texture. I feel like I’ve missed out on this unique flavor for years, but one benefit of avoiding something since childhood is that it’s new and exciting when you finally come around to it.
