Oncom is a fermented food made from the pulp of nuts, beans, and other foods, mainly produced and consumed in West Java. It can be made from different types of pulp and is used in various dishes, such as krupuk and pepes. The production process involves coating the pulp with spores and leaving it to ferment for 24 hours. Oncom has a distinctive fermented flavor and is commonly fried or roasted.
Oncom is a food that is mainly produced and consumed in West Java. It is a fermented block or sheet made from the pulp of nuts, beans and other foods that have been exposed to a particular type of spore and left to ferment for a full day. There are two main types of oncom, black and red, the difference being that sometimes they are the cultures used and sometimes they are an indication of the type of pulp used. Many dishes can be made from oncom, and it is very common to find them cut into thin pieces and fried to make a snack called krupuk or wrapped in banana leaves and roasted to make a variation of the food known as pepes. Once the pulp has been fully inoculated with the spores, it can be left to ferment longer to produce other foods, such as sage.
The material used to make oncom is the pulp of different foods which are left over after being processed for their liquids. The most common types of pulp, also called presscakes, are soy, peanut, coconut and cassava. Each imparts a slightly different texture and flavor. Most often, black oncom is made from peanut pulp and has a softer texture than other types. The pulp used can be harvested from industrial processing plants or it can be made by boiling the raw ingredients, filtering out the solids and grinding them.
The oncom production process begins by washing the pulp. Once washed, it is rigorously dried to help prevent the formation of harmful molds and bacteria on the pulp. In some cases, the pulp is boiled to soften the texture or mixed with vinegar to sterilize the surface. The dry pulp is laid out in a large, flat shape and then coated with the used spores.
Unlike similar products, such as tempeh, the spores are only placed on the outside of the oncom. The inoculated pulp is placed in a shady and constantly warm place for 24 hours, during which mold will develop on the surface of the pulp; the pulp will become very hot and begin to take on a thicker consistency. After the 24-hour period, the mold will have penetrated the pulp, meaning it’s ready to eat.
As a food, oncom has a distinctive fermented flavor. It is often cut into thin pieces which are fried and eaten as a snack similar to french fries. Food can also be broken down and fried or roasted and added as a non-meat protein in rice or soup. When wrapped in banana leaves and flavored with garlic, it becomes a form of pepes.
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