Tag: Jakarta Street Food

Es Kelapa, A Healty Choice of “Energy Drink”

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Es Kelapa, a perfect choice to quench your thirst on a sunny day. As the largest coconut palm growing area in the world, coconut or “kelapa” is just a common ingredient in Indonesian delicacies. Not only in food, but in drinks as well. From the tree itself, coconut can be used for many functions, from the leaves and branches that can be used to create some decorations or another useful items, to the fruit and liquid that can be used in varieties of food creations.

Coconut iced drink or Es Kelapa is one of the variations of drink’s version. What’s special about Es Kelapa is the liquid came from the coconut water itself. The water already has a slightly sweet flavor, but some people may add sugar to add the sweetness. Inside the coconut water, a few pieces of coconut meat are added. The traditional Es Kelapa contains coconut water, its meat, sugar, and ice cubes. However, there are some other versions that use red syrup to add sweetness, contrasting with the white coconut meat. In some restaurants, there is sometimes also a fusion from orange juice and coconut meat.

Like the trees that can be easily seen when you land in Indonesia, Es Kelapa sellers or vendors can be easily found almost everywhere. By the roadside, in some food courts in malls, and in restaurant menus. The coconut meat has a nice chewy texture, especially if they use young coconuts. Combined with sugar and iced cubes, it is a perfect option to freshen your body in a hot weather.

Not only popular to drink in daily basis, Es Kelapa is also known as a popular appetizer for iftar, the meal taken after Maghrib prayer in Ramadhan. The number of Es Kelapa sellers will be doubled than any usual days. It says that consuming coconut water will have many benefits for the human body, hence a few energy drinks’ brands claimed to use “real” coconut water in their products to promote the benefits.

Join us in our Jakarta Food Tour, walk around a little on some corners of Jakarta, take a break to drink Es Kelapa with us, and see for yourself. A healthy choice of energy drink with less chemicals and artificial flavors.

Soda Susu, A Fizz of Colorful Happiness

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Soda Susu is not just an ordinary soda drink. It is a combination of carbonated drink and sweetened condensed milk, completed with a spoonful of iced cubes. Thanks to its sweet flavor and the freshness from ice cubes, it is also often called Soda Gembira, which means a carbonated drink that will uplift the drinker’s mood.

Soda Susu usually has a reddish color from red syrup, and the white color is from sweetened condensed milk. However, as varieties and brands of carbonated drinks are growing larger, the color sometimes will depend on the carbonated drink and the brand that the maker uses. It can be clear, red, black, or other colors.

 As a popular drink in the city, Soda Susu is easily found either in restaurants, cafes, small stalls, or at the side of the streets. It is usually sold along with mineral water, iced tea, fruit juice, and other cold drinks. It is a perfect choice for hot and sunny weather to refresh your body and mind.

If you have a sweet tooth, you will almost certainly like the taste of this drink. The sweet flavor comes not only from the carbonated drinks, but also the syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Some people might find it too sweet, but ice cubes are a great combination and will tone down the sweetness.

Just a little fact that although the name is Soda Susu, which is literally means milk soda in English, fresh milk is almost never used as ingredients, as it will not blends well with the soda. So, the milk is only referred to the sweetened condensed milk.

If you are staying in Indonesia, and in some days, you are having a bad experience or not in a good mood, try this so-called happiness soda, that said to be your instant mood booster on those gloomy days.

 Join our Jakarta Food Tour from afternoon through evening, walk around with us to taste various kinds of delicacies. Take a short break, sip a fizz of the happiness soda, Soda Susu, and we will be ready to continue our adventure.

Wedang Ronde, A Bowl of Chewy Glutinous Rice Balls That Warms Your Night and Day

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Wedang Ronde is not only pretty, but also tasty. If you are served with a bowl of Wedang Ronde, you can see colorful round balls, poured with a sweet ginger soup, sprinkled with peanuts, and a few small square cuts of white bread. It is rich in appearance and flavors. It has a sweet and slightly spicy flavor from the ginger broth, savory taste from the sticky rice ball’s fillings, and a crunchy texture from peanuts, served hot.

Wedang Ronde is originated from China, with different name, tangyuan. It is called Wedang Ronde in Javanese, in which wedang means something that is served hot, and ronde which means in a round shape, the shape of the glutinous rice balls. In Indonesia, the glutinous rice balls are colored with food coloring to make the dish more interesting in appearance and more appetizing.

Even though the original version has a few varieties of filling, sesame paste, red bean paste, or sugar cane candy, Indonesian version of Wedang Ronde filling is mostly mashed sweet peanuts. At first bite, you can feel the soft and chewy texture of the glutinous rice balls. The second you get to the filling, you can feel the crunchy and sweet taste of the peanuts inside the glutinous rice balls.

A Wedang Ronde peddler usually walks around a housing complex while clinking a bowl with a steel spoon to make their presence heard. Customers who want to buy it can call the peddler to stop by at their door. The dish can also be found on the menu of some restaurants or small food stalls by the side of the street.

Because it is always served with a hot or warm ginger soup, it is perfect to consume when the weather is cooler. On rainy days, or on cold nights for example. However, if you are craving some hot dish on a hot day, just go for it.

Join our Jakarta Food Tour with us, a best activity to do at afternoon through evening, where many kinds of street food peddler starting their business, and maybe you can find and enjoy a bowl of hot Wedang Ronde with us to warm your body when the night comes.  

Es Teler, a Hint of Freshness to Awaken Your Appetite

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Es Teler, in literal translation is drunken ice, but with zero amount of alcohol in it. The word “teler” or drunken, came from a customer who commented that the ice drink made them drunk as it is too delicious. But in fact, Es Teler is a name for a variaton of fruit cocktail mixed with shaved ice. It originated from es campur or mixed ice, added with a few of new ingredients, thus, became Es Teler.

As a tropical country, there are so many variations of tropical fruit drinks in Indonesia. A few cuts of avocado, young coconut, grass jelly, and jackfruit can be found inside one portion of Es Teler serving. With added sugar, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, and pandan leaf, it has a fragrant aroma and a sweet flavor. Its colorful appearance will awaken your appetite.

Es Teler is perfect to drink for Jakarta’s hot weather in dry season. Es Teler menu can be found in restaurants, as well as by the side of the street, sold by street peddlers in their carts. And because majority of Indonesian population are Muslim, especially around Ramadhan or the fasting month, many people are selling Es Teler as takjil or appetizer before iftar comes. It is to freshen the throat before eating a full meal.

The original creator of Es Teler, Tukiman Darmowijono was selling es campur in a small cart in some street in Jakarta in the 1970’s. After starting to sell Es Teler, his business had been grown rapidly ever since. In this present day, his stall is still standing in the heart of Jakarta, known as Es Teler Sari Mulia Asli.

With a price as affordable as IDR 23.000 or around $1.5 USD, you can have a glass of fresh and sweet Es Teler on your table. Not only Es Teler, but you can also choose to have other menu of ice fruit drinks such as avocado ice only, coconut ice only, or just a simple orange juice.

Join our Food Tour, and we will take you to experience a refreshing journey. Taste a glass of Es Teler, a drunken ice that will not make you drunk, but make you sober instead!

The Capital City Specialty, Nasi Goreng Jakarta

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First timer in Indonesia? Try Nasi Goreng Jakarta. If Indonesians are asked any kinds of food to recommend to foreigners, no doubt the answer will be nasi goreng or fried rice. Fried rice peddlers are easily found in almost every part of Indonesia, usually at night. They will be pushing their cart around the neighborhood and waiting for to be called by customers to buy their fried rice. Aside from fried rice, they usually have other options like fried noodle and boiled noodle. As it is a very popular menu in Indonesia, it also can be easily found in restaurants.

There are countless types of fried rice in Indonesian, some of them are named based on the area they are residing, like Nasi Goreng Jawa, Nasi Goreng Aceh, or Nasi Goreng Jakarta. Some of them are named by the ingredients, like chicken fried rice, mutton fried rice, seafood fried rice, rendang fried rice, and many more.

While there is also fried rice in different parts of the world, Indonesian fried rice has their own uniqueness, which is using an ingredient that most of the other countries didn’t have, kecap manis or sweet soy sauce. The texture of sweet soy sauce is thicker than the ordinary soy sauce and has a sweet flavor from palm sugar. Sweet soy sauce is an essential ingredient to cook many other Indonesian food such as satay, tongseng, semur, and many more. However, there might be some versions that only use original soy sauce.

If you stay in Jakarta, of course you don’t want to miss finding the capital city version, which is Nasi Goreng Jakarta. Fried rice is a convenient choice to be eaten any time and anywhere in Jakarta. It is a perfect menu for dinner, lunch, or even breakfast. The key to having perfect fried rice is to use an overnight left-over rice as it will provide a crunchy texture. It also has a unique dark brown color from the sweet soy sauce.

While most of the populations are fond of spicy flavor, some sellers will naturally add chili to add some spiciness, so if you have a low tolerance of spiciness, you might need to request the chili to be left out in your fried rice. Now enough with the description, join our Jakarta Food Tour to try the authentic Nasi Goreng Jakarta firsthand. No need to be fancy, just prepare your tummy!

Kerak Telor In Jakarta, a Delicacy for Delightful Fiesta

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Crack some eggs, add some spices, roast a little, then Kerak Telor will be ready to serve. It is another indigenous cuisine from Jakarta, a Betawi traditional omelet from chicken or duck eggs, but in crunchy version, thus the name is Kerak Telor, from kerak or crust, and eggs or telor.

Asian is well known to eat rice with almost everything, even snacks. But the main difference in Kerak Telor, instead of steamed rice, glutinous rice is directly added to be roasted along with eggs and other ingredients, such as dried shrimp, along with other spices, producing a crunchy sensation.

Using eggs as the main ingredients, you can choose between chicken or duck eggs. Some people prefer using duck eggs as they have more savory taste. Kerak Telor is known to be easily found around Central and West Jakarta, near Jakarta’s landmark, National Monument or Monas. Other than in those areas, the dish is not easily found elsewhere because it is rarely found in restaurants’ menus. Kerak Telor is usually sold by a street peddler who carries their bakul or traditional basket on their shoulders by walking around the city.

There are some convenient ways to find Kerak Telor peddler, one of them is visiting Jakarta Fair, it is an annual festival held every year to celebrate the capital city’s birthday. There will be many Kerak Telor sellers setting up their stalls around the area. It usually starts around the middle of June and will end in the middle of July. It is called Pekan Raya Jakarta, or in literal translation, Jakarta Fair. There will be many kinds of activities, including shopping, concerts, and many more.

However, if you want to try Kerak Telor even though the annual event hasn’t started or already ended, you can still find it around Jakarta area. Not every Jakartans know when and where to find an original Kerak Telor, but you can leave it to Jakarta Walking Tour Happy Walkers for guidance. Join our Jakarta Food tour, and we will gladly help you find a route full of delicacies as you stay in Jakarta. Have an unforgettable journey to find the authentic taste of Jakarta with us.

Find A Bowl of Soto Betawi on A Sunny Day by Walking Around the City

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If the weather is scorching hot, find Soto Betawi to the rescue. It is said that eating piping hot food in hot weather will lower your body temperature. For weather like in Jakarta, which is almost always sunny with average temperature around 27-33 °C throughout the year, the perfect lunch menu is soto. It is a soup-based dish that is extremely popular around Jakarta and the rest of the archipelago.

There are so many variants of soto in Indonesia, some said between 16 until 40 kinds of soto can be found in Indonesia, from Sabang to Merauke. In Jakarta, of course Soto Betawi is the main star. Even though it is called Soto Betawi, it is first introduced by a Chinese descendant, Li Boen Po in 1971. He created this name because there were already many kinds of soto in Indonesia. Soto Madura, Soto Kudus, Soto Sulung, Soto Bogor, Soto Bandung, and many more for example. So, in order not to lose on the competition, he decided to use the name that didn’t exist before. And since native people of Jakarta is from Betawi ethnicity, he named it Soto Betawi.

The main difference of Soto Betawi from other variants of soto is in the broth, which is using milk as the ingredient. It also contains almost every part of cow’s body, from its meat, offal, liver, and the rest. For many restaurants, they usually provide options if you only want to eat only the “daging” or flesh, without offal or other parts.

Not only using milk and coconut milk as a broth, but there are also many spices and other ingredients to add in. Along with beef, diced potato, and slice tomatoes, with also ghee as a main ingredient, Soto Betawi is rich in flavour. The savoury and slightly sour taste are perfect to taste in a sunny afternoon. If you have a sweet tooth, you can add sweet soy sauce to add the sweet flavour.

Don’t miss the chance to taste the delicious Soto Betawi by walking around the city. Our Happy Walker Agents will help you experience a delightful journey to find what the best delicacies that the city can offer. So, see you on the next Jakarta Food Tour!

Jakarta Food Tour

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jakarta-food-tour

Calling for all foodies around the world! It is for you who always say YES to food. We invite you to join the first food tour in town: Jakarta Food Tour. With us, you will eat here and there, with tons of food choices. We will take you to taste popular Jakarta’s Food in a right place.

Let’s taste an unusual spices, street food, favorite meals, refreshment drinks, tropical fruits and learn how to eat like a Jakartans with your bare hand. We will show you how and where to eat like a SPARTAN! Anything you eat is on us, and you do not need to pay, because…

Jakarta Food Tour is all in tour package.

Here are Jakarta food tour highlights :

– Eat popular snack and drinks in Jakarta
– Eat with local style
– Eat a real meals in Jakarta’s restaurant
– Discover the process to prepare your foods
– Explore the best street food in Jakarta
– Explore different taste of spices in local foods
– Understand more about Indonesian foods


You can ask us to customize your food list, but one thing for sure, we always want you to try our tastiest food as we know as local. Only one rule applied: please don’t waste your food. With us, all you need to prepare is a big happy tummy and COURAGE to eat something that you never see in your country.

Send us your eat-wish-list and book Jakarta Food Tour now.

 

 

Duration            : 3,5 – 4 hours
Type of Tour      : Walking Tour with Jakarta Private Travel Guide*
Meeting Point   : Central Jakarta
Price List for Jakarta Food Tour:
– 59 Euro per person
– 54 Euro per person for two pax booking
*Jakarta Food Tour could cater any food preference, including vegetarian

Included :
1. Transportation during Jakarta Food Tour (tuk-tuk or taxi but mostly walking)
2. All Food, Snack and Drink
3. Private Tour Guide Service

Excluded  : Guest pickup, drop off, personal expenses, take away foods
Rules        : Dine in and don’t waste your food.
FAQ          : What happens if I order food and I don’t like it, then I throw it to the trash bin?
Answer     : For preventive reason, we will explain to you what its taste like and the ingredients before you make an order. We will make sure our food will be eaten, even in the slowest way, and with a little ‘help’.

We love foods, but it should not suppose to be wasted and we are not going to buy food that will be wasted afterward. 😉

Need more information about Jakarta Food Tour? Please send us email to : tahu@jakartawalkingtour.com or simply click here : contact us

 

How To Make ‘Nasi Goreng’

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If you have read about favorite Jakarta street food in previous posts, fried rice or ‘nasi goreng’ is not a new word for you. Nasi goreng is also already quite popular with foreigners who came to take a city tour Jakarta.

You can buy nasi goreng in a restaurant, street vendors or eat it in your local friend’s house and the price can differ depend on where you eat. If you buy it from mobile vendors that travel around the residential area, the price is usually IDR 10k per portion. Usually they make rounds at night, between 7 pm to 11 pm.

If you are hungry but the restaurants that sells nasi goreng already close and you don’t find any mobile vendors that still making their rounds, don’t worry. You can still cook it by yourself. It is quite simple to make. I’ll tell you how to make nasi goreng.

how to make nasi goreng

First, you will need these ingredients:
1) White rice 2) Vegetable oil 3) Egg 4) Garlic 5) Soy sauce 6) Vinegar 7) Fish sauce 8) Sweet soy sauce

9) Salt and pepper 10) Chili 11) Sliced scallions 12) Meatballs 13) Chicken stocks 14) Crackers 15) Pickles

Then, you can start cooking. This is how to do it:
1. Pour some vegetable oil into the wok, add sliced scallions, garlic and then stir it together
2. Add beaten egg, pour a tablespoon of soy sauce and fish sauce, then stir it together again
3. Pour a portion of white rice, add some meatballs, chili paste, salt and pepper before stir it again
4. Sprinkle the rice with some chicken stocks, a tablespoon of sweet soy sauce and stir it well until all the ingredients are blended nicely
5. Serve it on a plate, and garnish it with some pickles and fish or shrimp crackers

Here is the ‘how to make nasi goreng’ video :

There! Nasi goreng is ready in less than five minutes. Enjoy your meal 😉

how to make nasi goreng

Your home made nasi goreng ready to eat!

You can also add variations to your nasi goreng dish. For example, you can change meatballs with seafood, beef or mutton as you like. Or, if you feel buy a-ready-to-eat fried rice is better, then our Jakarta Food Tour might suits well on you. We are happy to take you to eat the best fried rice in town, find out more here

The Best Food in Jakarta

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Since snacking with Jakarta street food become everybody’s favorite, some entrepreneur takes it to a new level. They sold it as a real meal inside mall in Jakarta, sold alongside fine dining’s menus. Let say it as Jakarta Most Favorite Meals, here are those.

1. The Best Food in Jakarta : Bakso

Beef in round shape, which called ‘meatball’ or ‘bakso’ is Jakartans favorite. Meatball is minced meat rolled into a small ball that is cooked by boiling it. Meatballs in Jakarta served in broth soup with noodles, vermicelli, bean curd, sliced celery leaves, and fried red onion. Usually, Jakartans eat meatball along with chili sauce and crackers.

city tour jakarta

Bakso in Jakarta

Where to find bakso seller?

You can find meatball easily in Jakarta. A lot of brands, meatball side dish with widely range of prices. Not only can be found at roadside stalls, mobile and street vendors, you also can found bakso served in fine restaurants inside the mall. Try to find restaurant that has bakso menu on its signboard. But well…sometimes street sellers are the best. 

2. The Best Food in Jakarta : Sate (Satay)

city tour jakarta

Goat Meat Satay in Jakarta

Satay is a dish of seasoned, skewered, and grilled meat served with soybean sauce that sprinkled with grilled chili or peanut sauce. In Jakarta, usually satay is using chops of goat meat in cube shape or chicken meat to be barbecued. As a popular Jakarta street food, satay is usually sold at night. We don’t know why, but looks like satay is a rare option to be a lunch menu for Jakartans. Don’t worry if you can’t hardly wait to eat satay in daylight, you can go to a mall and find restaurants that sold satay in any time of the day.

3. The Best Food in Jakarta : Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice)

Even though fried rice or ‘nasi goreng’ is sold in every corner of Jakarta, almost all Jakartans can cook it well with their own secret recipe. If you want to find delicious nasi goreng, don’t go to a restaurant in hotels, just go to tent stalls (warung tenda) or roadside stalls that has nasi goreng as its top menu. We think, you should try local food that is cooked by local people, not a Western master chef. For example, you might want to try ‘nasi goreng kambing’ or ‘mutton fried rice’ around Kebon Sirih, Jakarta Pusat. They served one of the best nasi goreng with mutton curry recipe in town.

city tour jakarta

Nasi Goreng

And, where is the second best nasi goreng in Jakarta? It is in your local friend’s house, ask your friend to cook nasi goreng for you. If you’re lucky, maybe you will get her or his secret recipe. 😉 So, which one of those you would like to try? Make sure you try the best food in Jakarta during your stay in Indonesia. Local herbs and spices melt in your mouth, yumm~