Bogana Rice is a type of food that has many side dishes, usually served with warm rice, chili sauce, and fresh vegetables. This bogana rice is similar to Nasi Campur (mixed rice). This food comes from Central Java, precisely in the city of Tegal, but some sources say that bogana rice comes from the city of Cirebon, these two cities are in different areas. The city of Tegal is in Central Java, while the city of Cirebon is in West Java. However, when we look at the cultural, culinary, and social aspects, these two cities have many similarities. It is not surprising that there are many culinary menus in these two cities. The word "bogana" comes from the Sundanese "saboga-bogana" which means "as little as possible" or "as much as possible". An expression of gratitude to God. Bogana rice is often served at thanksgiving events, traditional ceremonies, and salvation.
Usually, this bogana rice is wrapped in banana leaves or teak leaves. This type of dish is easily found in the Pantura region which stretches from West to East Java. We can see from the taste, presentation, and cultural meaning of Bogana rice, it is similar to Nasi Uduk, Nasi Liwet, and Nasi Megono. Side dishes that can be used for bogana include boiled eggs, chicken opor, beef jerky, serundeng, sambal, and lalapan. Lalapan is raw vegetables that can be eaten directly with bogana rice, for example, cucumber, lettuce, and basil leaves. The ingredients which can be used to make sambal bogana are shallots, red chili, tomatoes, a little salt, and sugar, then blended and sauteed until fragrant. To make this Nasi Bogana Sederhana, you can see the recipe below.