TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best East Java Foods
Rawon is a unique Indonesian dish with origins in East Java. This flavorful soup is usually made with slow-braised beef and other traditional Indonesian ingredients such as lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger, and chili. However, the key element is buah kluwek, the Indonesian black nut.
This unusual Indonesian spice is highly toxic when raw, and always needs to be fermented before consumption. It is ground with other ingredients and spices, giving the dish its earthy and sour taste and the unique dark black color. The origin of the dish is believed to be the city of Surabaya, the capital of East Java.
MOST ICONIC Rawon
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Sate Madura is a traditional dish and a type of sate originating from the island of Madura, hence the name. The dish is prepared with chicken or mutton pieces that are placed onto skewers and grilled. This type of sate is different from most other types since the meat is cut into thinner chunks than usual.
The skewers are accompanied by a dark sauce made with a combination of kecap manis (sweetened soy sauce), palm sugar, fried shallots, shrimp paste, peanut paste, candlenuts, salt, and garlic. If made with chicken, the dish is served in peanut sauce, while the mutton version often comes served in kecap manis.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Satay
MOST ICONIC Sate Madura
As the name suggests, this traditional soto variety originated in Lamongan. It is mainly prepared with chicken cuts that are slowly simmered in broth, along with a spice paste that usually consists of lemongrass, coriander, caraways seeds, galangal, garlic, turmeric, and ginger.
The chicken is then shredded, and the dish is typically served with noodles, cabbage, scallions, boiled eggs, prawn crackers, or other garnishes. Soto Lamongan can be served as a standard soup, but sometimes the main ingredients and the broth may be served in two separate bowls.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Soto
MOST ICONIC Soto Lamongan
View moreIndonesian pecel may refer to a fragrant peanut sauce or a combination of the sauce and various vegetables, when it is commonly referred to as a salad. The base of the sauce is prepared with roasted peanuts and spices that typically include chili peppers, palm sugar, garlic, tamarind juice, shrimp paste, kaffir lime leaves, salt, and kencur, an aromatic ginger variety.
Usually associated with Java, the sauce is characterized by its distinctive combination of sweet and spicy flavors. When served with rice, the dish goes under the name nasi pecel.
MOST ICONIC Pecel
View moreThis Indonesian dish consists of pieces of fried chicken that are served coated in sambal, a popular chili paste. The word penyet from the name of this dish means to press or push, referring to the preparation method in which the chicken is pressed by a pestle in order to make the meat more tender.
Some versions tenderize the chicken after frying, at the same time coating it with sambal. The dish is served with extra sambal on the side, usually accompanied by fresh vegetables, tempeh, tofu, and rice. Although it hails from East Java, ayam penyet is found throughout the country and is also popular in Singapore.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
This Indonesian dish combines rice with various vegetables and a sweet peanut sauce. It commonly employs lightly blanched green vegetables such as water spinach, asparagus bean, papaya, and cassava leaves, as well as bean sprouts, tofu, and tempeh.
The dish is doused in a thick, flavorful pecel - a peanut sauce that is characterized by its combination of sweet and spicy flavors. Nasi pecel is usually served with crispy peyek crackers, cucumber slices, boiled eggs, and a dollop of spicy sambal paste.
MOST ICONIC Nasi pecel
View moreAs its name suggests, bakwan Malang is an Indonesian dish that originated in the city of Malang, and it is closely associated with bakso - another well-known Indonesian meatball soup. Both bakso and bakwan Malang derive from the Indonesian-Chinese culinary tradition, and since Indonesia is predominantly a Muslim country, the meatballs are usually made with beef or chicken.
The two dishes share some similarities, but bakwan Malang is characterized by the addition of fried wontons (bakwan). Although it consists of common and inexpensive ingredients, the dish combines typical Indonesian flavors that are enjoyed both by locals and tourists.
MOST ICONIC Bakwan malang
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Rujak cingur is one of many versions of Indonesian rujak, a fruit salad which consists of different tropical fruits, usually served with a spicy and sweet dressing. Rujak cingur is a unique variety, because apart from fruits, it also incorporates vegetables and a rare ingredient – animal muzzle.
Traditionally, beef or buffalo muzzle is used in rujak cingur, while fruits and vegetables are served boiled or raw. The dish is assembled and covered with generous amounts of spicy Indonesian dressing made with shrimp paste, peanuts, sugar, and chili.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Rujak
MOST ICONIC Rujak cingur
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Iga senyet is a traditional meat dish originating from Surabaya, but nowadays it's popular throughout the country. The dish consists of squeezed beef spare ribs and sambal sauce. In order to prepare the dish, beef spare ribs are cooked until tender with herbs such as lemongrass and galangal.
Coconut milk is added to the pan, and the ribs are shortly cooked until the coconut milk starts to boil. The spicy sambal paste is placed into a mortar, and the ribs are then placed on top and crushed with a pestle so that the meat becomes even more tender.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Krengsengan is a traditional stir-fry dish originating from Surabaya. It's usually made with a combination of lamb, onion, garlic, chili peppers, bay leaves, salt, ginger, soy sauce, and oil. The ingredients are simply sautéed in oil, and the lamb meat is cut into chunks and stir-fried near the end of cooking.
A bit of water is added to the pan and it's brought to a boil, and the dish is ready when the meat becomes fully tender. This dish can be bought from vendors at numerous street stalls.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best East Java Food Producers
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best East Java Food Products
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Melbourne International Beer Competition - Gold
2018
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