Bandrek , Traditional Drinks Typical of West Java

Hello Foodies Bee Hive Lovers, it's nice to be able to share recipes for traditional drinks. Today I will share a recipe for a traditional drink from the province of West Java, Indonesia, the name is Bandrek.

Bandrek is a traditional Sundanese drink (one of the tribes in the province of West Java). Bandrek drinks are usually enjoyed during cold weather and during the rainy season. Bandrek is made from a variety of boiled spices. The spices used are usually ginger rhizome, lemongrass, cinnamon and cloves, some add pandan leaves and pepper.

According to the BMKG (the agency that manages weather and climate in Indonesia) 87.7% of Indonesia's territory will enter the rainy season in November. Usually we often make bandrek drinks at night to keep the body from getting cold easily. We also mix the bandrek with full cream sweetened condensed milk which makes it taste more delicious, the children also really like the bandrek mixed with sweetened condensed milk.

In traditional society,bandrek drink is not only useful for warming the body, bandrek has also been known for a long time because it is efficacious for increasing the body's immunity, reducing the risk of cancer, lowering blood pressure and overcoming pain during headaches.

The benefits of bandrek for health because bandrek is made from spices that have been proven to be efficacious for health.The bandrek that I will make consists of several ingredients, namely ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon, cloves and pandan leaves.

Before making bandrek drinks, let's look at the nutrients contained in the ingredients for making bandrek, namely:
1.Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale)
The nutrients contained in 100 grams of fresh ginger rhizome are:
1.Calories 80kcal
2.Carbs 17.77g
3.Water 78.89g
4.Protein 1.82g
5.Sugar 1.7g
6.Fiber 1.7g
7.Fat 0.75g
8.Vitamin C 5mg 6%
9.Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.025mg 2%
10.Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.034mg 3%
11.Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 0.75mg 5%
12.Vitamin B5 (Panthothenic acid) 0.203mg
4%
13.Vitamin B9 (Folate) 11µg 3%
14.Calcium 16mg 2%
15.Iron 0.6mg 5%
16.Magnesium 43mg 12%
17.Phosphorus 34mg 5%
18.Potassium (Potassium) 415mg 9%
19.Sodium 13mg 1%
20.Zinc (Zinc) 0.34mg 4%
source: https://www.depokpos.com/2018/07/23-kandungan-gizi-pada-jahe-dan-manfaatnya-bagi-kesehatan-tubuh/amp/

2.Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)
In 100 grams of lemon grass there are nutrients:
1.Energy: 99 Kcal
2.Carbohydrates: 25.31 g
3.Protein: 1.82 g
4.Total Fat : 0.49 g
5.Cholesterol: 0 mg
6.Folate: 75 ug
7.Riboflavin: 0.135 mg
8.Thiamine: 0.065 mg
9.Vitamin A: 6 mg
10.Vitamin C: 2.6 mg
11.Potassium: 723 mg
12.Calcium: 65 mg
13.Iron: 8.17 mg
14.Magnesium: 60 mg
15.Manganese: 5,244 mg
16.Selenium : 0.7 ug
17.Zinc: 2.23 mg
source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/id.theasianparent.com/manfaat-sereh/amp

3.Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
in every 2.7 grams of cinnamon powder there are nutrients:
1.energy: 6.42 calories
2.carbohydrates: 2.1 g
3.calcium: 26.1 milligrams (mg)
4.iron: 0.21 mg
5.magnesium: 1.56 mg
6.phosphorus: 1.66 mg
7.potassium: 11.2 mg
8.vitamin A: 0.39 ug
source : https://jovee.id/apa-saja-nutrisi-dan-khasiat-dari-kayu-manis/

4.Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum)
One teaspoon of cloves (2 grams) contains 21 calories of energy, 1 gram of carbohydrates, and 1 gram of fiber. One teaspoon of cloves is also able to meet 30% manganese needs, 4% vitamin K, and 3% vitamin C of the body's daily needs. Cloves also contain calcium, magnesium and vitamin E.
source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/hellosehat.com/herbal-alternatif/herbal/manfaat-cengkeh-untuk-kesehatan/%3famp=1

5.Pandan leaves (Pandanus odoratissimus)
The nutrients contained in 100 grams of pandan paste are:
1.Calories: 321 kcal
2.Protein: 2.2 grams
3.Carbohydrates: 78 grams
4.Fiber: 3.5 grams
5.Vitamin A: 390 – 724 micrograms
6.Thiamine (vitamin B1): 0.04 milligrams
7.Vitamin C: 2 milligrams
8.Calcium: 134 milligrams
9.Phosphorus: 108 milligrams
10.Iron: 5.7 milligrams
source : https://www.google.com/amp/s/hellosehat.com/nutrisi/fakta-gizi/manfaat-daun-pandan/%3Famp%3D1

If we pay attention, the ingredients for making bandrek are ingredients that are rich in nutrients such as fiber and minerals such as potassium and magnesium which are useful for maintaining bone health.

Since it's late, let's look for materials to make bandrek in the garden.

I found ready to harvest ginger in my garden. let's look for other ingredients in the garden.

I found lemongrass

I also found pandan leaves in the garden.

let's prepare the ingredients to make bandrek drinks.

Before we prepare the ingredients, we make a knot like this pandan leaf, so it's neat when we boil it.

The ingredients are :
100 grams of ginger rhizome (choose the old one, the skin color is darker than the young ginger)
3 lemongrass stalks
10 cloves
one finger cinnamon
1 pandan leaf
1 liter of water
150 grams of palm sugar
full cream sweetened condensed milk

How to make :
The first step: burn the ginger over low heat until the skin is black.

The second step: peel the ginger skin.

The Step three: wash the peeled ginger, wash the lemongrass stalks, then smashed.

The fourth step: put water in a pot, add ginger, lemon grass, cinnamon, cloves, pandan leaves and palm sugar.

I boil it until it boils and the palm sugar is well mixed.

The fifth step: after boiling, turn off the stove. serve bandrek while hot, more delicious when served with a piece of bread.

Here it is a delicious and nutritious bandrek drink, drunk when it rains like this (helps the body stay warm).

my son really likes bandrek with a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, so I add sweetened condensed milk (I add 2 tablespoons to bandrek).

Congratulations on making delicious and addictive bandrek, our family always makes it when the weather is cold to help the body stay warm and not catch a cold.
All photos I take using the iPhone 7 Plus camera.