Tag: Jakarta Street Food

Nasi Bakar, Unlike Any Other Breakfast in Jakarta

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We have seen rice dishes as breakfast in Jakarta served on plates, bowls, and banana leaves. Aside from that, there is one rice dish that other than served in a wrap of banana leaves, it is grilled. It is called nasi bakar or literally means grilled rice.

Unlike any other rice dishes in Indonesian that is served separately with the side dishes, in grilled rice, the side dishes are filled inside the rice. The outside appearance is quite intriguing. With a wrap of tubelike green banana leaves, you wouldn’t know what is inside without descriptions placed on it.

It is usually kept intact with toothpicks on both sides. When it is served on a plate, you can just tear the center part of the wrapper to reveal the rice. Once you open the wrapper, you can smell the fragrant banana leaves and it will increase your appetite.

There are many options for the filling. It can be salted squid, beef rendang, chicken, or stir-fried vegetables. The combination of fresh ingredients, rich spices, and condiments, makes nasi bakar as a choice of flavorful breakfast in Jakarta.

Although it is a good option to be a variation of breakfast in Jakarta, it is not as common as other dishes that can be found anywhere. It is usually sold in the morning by breakfast stalls or vendors, or you can find it in traditional markets. However, you can find it in some certain restaurants in the city.

Eating one portion of fragrant nasi bakar not only can boost your appetite and mood, but it can also provide a boost of energy to start your busy day. So, don’t hesitate to try one for your breakfast in Jakarta.

Come visit Jakarta to try nasi bakar and join our Jakarta Walking Tour later to discover more about history, culture, and delicacies around Jakarta with us. Find and see Jakarta closer with firsthand experience. See you around!

 

Enjoy Ketoprak, A “Sound” of Healthy Breakfast in Jakarta

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Have you ever heard of a dish that is named by the sound of the ingredients being processed? Ketoprak is one of them. A bit different from other breakfast in Jakarta that we are featuring before, the origin of “ketoprak” is a unique one. It came by the sound of the ingredients that are mostly crushed or mashed. From another source, it came from the sound of the plate when it dropped and broke after hitting the floor.

However, don’t get mixed up with another “ketoprak” in Central Java. Instead of food, it is the name of a performing art. It is a show based on Javanese cultures and legends. Performed by a group of people with traditional costumes. So, it has no correlation whatsoever with the ketoprak as a breakfast in Jakarta.

Now, back to ketoprak dish, if you ever heard of gado-gado, then you might be familiar with this one. It is different yet similar to gado-gado. The similarity came from the brown colored peanut sauce, that is made from grounded peanuts with other spices. The difference is in the ingredients.

While gado-gado is rich with green vegetables, ketoprak consists of relatively simple ingredients such as fried tofu, vermicelli, beansprouts, and rice cake. It served with peanut sauce and sweet soy sauce toppings. Although it is relatively simple, it is a fulfilling breakfast in Jakarta.

With sweet and a little savory flavor, ketoprak would be a perfect choice of breakfast in Jakarta to start your busy days. It is also relatively easy to find, as ketoprak vendors can be seen walking with their cart around housing complex or setting their cart by the side of the road near office buildings or even around schools. The affordable price is another reason that the dish is popular among locals.

Ready to hunt and ketoprak firsthand as your breakfast in Jakarta? Then visit our city and join our Jakarta Walking Tour to know more about our city, culture, and delicacies with us. See you around!

 

Enjoy a Tasty Experience of Soup in Jakarta

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Need something refreshing in this hot weather? Then let us introduce Soup in Jakarta. The rich flavor of the broth will bring your tasting experience on another level. While there are a dozen of soup-based type food spreading in Indonesia, we will introduce you some of Soup in Jakarta that are popular and warmly welcomed by Jakartans, which are soto lamongan, soto mie, and soto betawi.

The first kind of Soup in Jakarta is soto lamongan. “Soto” is a type of soup using a hot broth that prepared in advance poured to ingredients that is ready to be served. While “Lamongan” is where the dish came from, it is the name of a city from Central Java. It contains finely chopped chicken meat, vermicelli, cabbage, onions, and cooked with other Indonesian spices. The warm broth will refresh and supply your body with enough hydration, and the clean taste will make it easy to swallow. It is a perfect dish to eat when you have a cold.

The next Soup in Jakarta is soto mie. Soto mie originated from Bogor, West Java. So, it is often to find vendors who put up “Soto Mie Bogor” as their sign. The dish is made from noodles, beef, or other parts of cows such as its feet, tripe, and innards, depend on the request of the customers since not everyone can eat intestines, added with fresh tomatoes, vegetables, cabbage, potatoes, risoles, and poured with beef broth. This is can also easily found in various parts of Jakarta and West Java.

The last one is soto betawi, the authentic Soup in Jakarta. It is an authentic dish brought by native of Jakarta, Betawi people. The dish is known for its distinctive broth that uses a mix of fresh milk and coconut milk. Similar to soto mie, cow meat is also used as the soup filling, making it a rich and flavorful dish. You can also read about soto betawi in details here: https://t.ly/6kPT0

Now, are you ready to taste a delicious Soup in Jakarta? Then let’s join our food tour and you can have a tasty experience of warm food in Jakarta. See you around!

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!