Betawi cuisine is rich, diverse and eclectic, in part because the

Betawi people Betawi may refer to: *Betawi people *Betawi language * Betawi cuisine *Betawi mask dance See also * Batavia (disambiguation) * Batavi (disambiguation) Batavi may refer to: *Batavi (Germanic tribe) **Revolt of the Batavi *Batavi (military unit) *Ba ...

that create them were composed from numbers of regional immigrants that came from various places in the

Indonesian archipelago The islands of Indonesia, also known as the Indonesian Archipelago ( id, Kepulauan Indonesia) or Nusantara, may refer either to the islands comprising the country of Indonesia or to the geographical groups which include its islands. History ...

, as well as

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

, and

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

traders, visitors and immigrants that were attracted to the port city of

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

(today modern

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

) since centuries ago.

History and influences

The Betawi cuisine developed and evolved with influences from various cuisine traditions brought by waves of newcomers to the port-city on the north coast of Western

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

. From the small port of Sunda Kalapa, it grew into an active hub of international trade, primarily involving Indonesian,

and

traders. By early 16th century, drawn by the spice trade, the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

were the first Europeans to arrive, followed by the Dutch later in the same century. During colonial

VOC VOC, VoC or voc may refer to: Science and technology * Open-circuit voltage (VOC), the voltage between two terminals when there is no external load connected * Variant of concern, a category used during the assessment of a new variant of a virus ...

era, foreign communities were kept in enclaves under Dutch colonial rule, as the result the culinary concentration grew in each area:

Tanah Abang Tanah Abang is a district of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. The district hosts the biggest textile market in Southeast Asia, Tanah Abang Market. It hosts Bung Karno Stadium, in Kelurahan Gelora, and the western half of the largely skyscraper-domin ...

for Arab cuisine, the

Glodok Glodok () is an urban village of Taman Sari, West Jakarta, Indonesia. The area is also known as Pecinan or Chinatown since the Dutch colonial era, and is considered the biggest in Indonesia. Majority of the traders and residents of Glodok are C ...

and

Kuningan Kuningan ( su, ᮊᮥᮔᮤᮍᮔ᮪) is a town and district located in eastern West Java, Indonesia, between Cirebon Cirebon (, formerly rendered Cheribon or Chirebon in English) is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of ...

area for Chinese food and Tugu in North Jakarta for Portuguese. Betawi cuisine is in fact really similar to

Peranakan cuisine Peranakan cuisine or Nyonya cuisine comes from the Peranakans, descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia, inter-marrying with local Malays. In Baba Malay, a female Peranakan is known as a ...

, as both are hybrid cuisine heavily influenced by

and

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

, as well as Arab and European cuisine, to neighboring

Sundanese Sundanese may refer to: * Sundanese people * Sundanese language * Sundanese script Standard Sundanese script (''Aksara Sunda Baku'', ) is a writing system which is used by the Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (' ...

and

Javanese cuisine Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java. Definition Javanese cuisine refers exclusively to the cuisine of Javanese peop ...

. '' Nasi uduk'' for example, which is a savory

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

cooked in

coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...

and served with several side dishes, may be a local version of the Malay dish ''

nasi lemak ''Nasi lemak'' is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. It is also the native dish in neighbouri ...

''. On the other hand, ''

asinan ''Asinan'' is a pickled (through brined or vinegared) vegetable or fruit dish, commonly found in Indonesia. ''Asin'', Indonesian for "salty", is the process of preserving the ingredients by soaking them in a solution of salty water. ''Asinan' ...

'', cured and brined pickled vegetables, and '' rujak juhi'', vegetables served with shredded dried

squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...

and

peanut sauce Peanut sauce, satay sauce (saté sauce), ''bumbu kacang'', ''sambal kacang'', or ''pecel '' is an Indonesian sauce made from ground roasted or fried peanuts, widely used in Indonesian cuisine and many other dishes throughout the world. Peanut ...

, demonstrate Chinese influences. Because of this common heritage, some of Betawi cuisines, such as ''asinan'' and '' lontong cap go meh'', are shared with

Chinese Indonesian Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have ...

. Betawi cuisine also shares some recipes and dishes with neighboring

, such as both of them are familiar with ''

sayur asem Sayur asem or sayur asam is an Indonesian vegetable soup. It is a popular Southeast Asian dish originating from Sundanese cuisine, consisting of vegetables in tamarind soup. The sweet and sour flavour of this dish is considered refreshing and ...

'', ''

gado-gado ''Gado-gado'' ( Indonesian or Betawi) is an Indonesian salad of raw, slightly boiled, blanched or steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato, fried tofu and tempeh, and ''lontong'' (rice wrapped in a banana leaf), served with a ...

'' (''lotek'') and '' semur jengkol''. Another examples are ''

nasi kebuli Nasi kebuli ('; ar, الرز الكابلى; ) is an Indonesian variation of pilaf. It consists of rice cooked in goat meat broth, goat milk, and clarified butter (most often ghee). It is popular among the Arab community in Indonesia and Be ...

'' and ''soto betawi'' that uses ''minyak samin'' (

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from c ...

), which indicates

or Muslim Indian influences. A gastronomy expert suggests that some Betawi dishes can describes the past condition of Betawi people reside in Batavia. For example, '' kerak telor'' was created due to the low quality of local

glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

, with the

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

and other toppings added to make it more tasty and satisfying. ''Soto tangkar'', which today is a meat soup, was mostly made from the broth of

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

rib-cage bones in the past because meat was expensive, or the common population of Batavia were too poor to afford some meat back then. Today, many authentic Betawi dishes are hard to find even in its native land. This is partly because as a cosmopolitan city, Jakarta also features dishes from many far-flung parts of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, as well as international cuisines — which is a myriad dishes for Betawi cuisine to compete with. Moreover, Betawi community were pushed out of the inner city to the marginal suburbs in and around

Greater Jakarta The Jakarta metropolitan area or Greater Jakarta, known locally as Jabodetabek (an acronym of Jakarta– Bogor–Depok–Tangerang–Bekasi), and sometimes extended to Jabodetabekjur (with the acronym extended to include part of Cianjur Regenc ...

in the wave of development. Nevertheless, some Betawi restaurants are striving to preserve their heritage cuisine, such as rare ''gabus pucung'', and ''pecak gabus'', snakehead fish (''

Channa striata ''Channa striata'', the striped snakehead, is a species of snakehead fish. It is also known as the common snakehead, chevron snakehead, or snakehead murrel and generally referred simply as mudfish. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, and h ...

'') in ''pecak'' sauce.

Ingredients and cooking method

Nasi Goreng Kambing Kebon Sirih Jakarta 1

Betawi cuisine uses rice as staples, numbers of its dishes are revolved around rice, either steamed, cooked in coconut milk as '' nasi uduk'' (

coconut rice Coconut rice is a dish prepared by soaking white rice in coconut milk or cooking it with coconut flakes. As both the coconut and the rice-plant are commonly found in the tropics all-around the world, coconut rice too is found in many cultures th ...

), or compressed as ''

ketupat ''Kupat'' (in Javanese and Sundanese), ''ketupat'' (in Indonesian and Malay), or ''tipat'' (in Balinese) is a Javanese rice cake packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf pouch, Originating in Indonesia, it is also fou ...

sayur'' or ''

lontong Lontong is an Indonesian dish made of compressed rice cake in the form of a cylinder wrapped inside a banana leaf, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Rice is rolled inside a banana leaf and boiled, then cut into small cakes as ...

sayur'' rice cakes in vegetables soup. As a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

-majority community, Betawi people favour

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

mutton Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries''. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton. Gen ...

and

meat, as they adhere to Islamic

halal ''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with ''haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification kno ...

dietary-law which forbid

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

consumption. Fishes are consumed too. Unusual for a coastal city, there are hardly any

seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...

dishes in Betawi cuisine. But there are plenty of freshwater fish dishes, using local varieties of snakehead fish and

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

. Popular Betawi dishes include '' soto betawi'' (beef

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also refe ...

s in milky broth), ''

'' (sweet and sour vegetable soup), ''sop iga sapi'' (beef rib soup) and '' kerak telor'' (spiced coconut

omelette In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives, ve ...

). Most of Betawi dishes are cooked in deep-fried, stir-fried, barbecued or braised methods, and feature a delicate balance of sweet, sour and salty flavours.

Dishes

* '' Asinan betawi'', a salad made from a mix of pickled vegetables, yellow noodles and sweet, sour and spicy peanut sauce, topped with a handful of rice crackers. * ''

Bakcang ''Zongzi'' (; ), ''rouzong'' () or simply ''zong'' (Cantonese Jyutping: ''zung2'') is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves (generally of the species ''Indocalamus ...

'',

stuffed with meat and wrapped in bamboo leaf in triangular (more precisely, tetrahedral) form. * ''

Bubur ayam Bubur ayam ( Indonesian for "chicken congee") is an Indonesian chicken congee. It is rice congee with shredded chicken meat served with some condiments, such as chopped scallion, crispy fried shallot, celery, '' tongcay'' (preserved salted veget ...

'' (lit. chicken congee), rice

congee Congee or conjee ( ) is a type of rice porridge or gruel eaten in Asian countries. It can be eaten plain, where it is typically served with side dishes, or it can be served with ingredients such as meat, fish, seasonings and flavourings, most o ...

with shredded chicken meat served with some

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific Flavoring, flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is serv ...

s and cakwe. * ''

Empal Empal gepuk ( Sundanese) or sometimes simply known just as empal or gepuk is an Indonesian sweet and spicy fried beef dish. This dish is commonly popular in Java island, but can trace its origin to Sundanese cuisine of West Java, Indonesia. In ...

'', sweet and spicy fried beef dish * ''

Gado-gado ''Gado-gado'' ( Indonesian or Betawi) is an Indonesian salad of raw, slightly boiled, blanched or steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato, fried tofu and tempeh, and ''lontong'' (rice wrapped in a banana leaf), served with a ...

'', a kind of boiled or blanched vegetables salad in peanut sauce. * '' Kerak telor'' (lit. egg crust), a glutinous rice cake cooked with egg and served with shredded coconut and a dried

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

topping. * ''

Ketoprak ''Ketoprak'' ( jv, ꧋ꦏꦺꦛꦺꦴꦥꦿꦏ꧀, Kethoprak) is a theatrical genre of Java featuring actors who may also sing to the accompaniment of the gamelan. It draws its stories from Javanese history and romances and in this differs from ...

'', vegetables,

tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super firm ...

, rice

vermicelli Vermicelli (; , , also , ) is a traditional type of pasta round in section similar to spaghetti. In English-speaking regions it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy it is typically thicker. The term ''vermicelli'' is also used to ...

and rice cake in peanut sauce. * ''

Ketupat ''Kupat'' (in Javanese and Sundanese), ''ketupat'' (in Indonesian and Malay), or ''tipat'' (in Balinese) is a Javanese rice cake packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf pouch, Originating in Indonesia, it is also fou ...

'', rice

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...

made from rice packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf pouch. * '' Ketupat sayur'', ''

'' compressed rice-cake in spicy vegetables in thin coconut milk soup. * ''

Lontong Lontong is an Indonesian dish made of compressed rice cake in the form of a cylinder wrapped inside a banana leaf, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Rice is rolled inside a banana leaf and boiled, then cut into small cakes as ...

'', pressed

rice cake A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten and are particularly preval ...

(

) inside banana wrapping. * '' Lontong cap go meh'', lontong in rich coconut milk with chicken opor ayam, liver in chilli, sayur lodeh, and telur pindang (marbled egg) * ''

Lontong sayur Lontong sayur (lit. vegetable rice cake) is an Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian traditional rice dish made of pieces of ''lontong'' served in coconut milk soup with shredded chayote, tempeh, tofu, hard-boiled egg, sambal and krupuk. Lontong sayur ...

'', almost identical to ''ketupat sayur'', but uses ''

'' instead. * '' Laksa betawi'', a Betawi laksa—the thick yellowish coconut milk based soup is a mixture of spices contains ground ''rebon'' or ''ebi'' ( dried small shrimp), ''

'', vegetables, boiled egg, sprinkled with ''bawang goreng'' and often topped with '' emping'' cracker. * '' Mi kangkung'' (lit. water spinach noodles),

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, Indo ...

with

water spinach ''Ipomoea aquatica'', widely known as water spinach, is a semi- aquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots. ''I. aquatica'' is generally believed to have been first domesticated in Southeast Asia. It is widely cultivate ...

. * '' Nasi biryani'', Betawi-style of biryani rice dish—flavoured rice dish cooked or served with vegetables, mutton or chicken meat. * '' Nasi goreng domba'', spicy

fried rice Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dish. Fr ...

with mutton meat, cooked in

. * '' Nasi goreng kambing'', spicy

with goat meat, cooked in

. * ''

Nasi kebuli Nasi kebuli ('; ar, الرز الكابلى; ) is an Indonesian variation of pilaf. It consists of rice cooked in goat meat broth, goat milk, and clarified butter (most often ghee). It is popular among the Arab community in Indonesia and Be ...

'', Arab-origin spicy

steamed rice Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Asian rice (both Indica and Japonica varieties), African rice or wild rice, glutinous ...

dish cooked in goat broth,

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

and

. Similar to

kabsa ), ''makbūs/machbūs'' ( ar, مكبوس/مچبوس) , country = Saudi Arabia , region = Arabian Peninsula , creator = , course = Meal , served = , main_ingredient = Rice (usually long-grain, ...

. * '' Nasi mandi'', rice dish served with either roasted chicken, lamb or other meat. * ''

Nasi tim Nasi tim is an Indonesian steamed chicken rice. In Indonesian language ''nasi'' means (cooked) rice and ''tim'' means steam. The ingredients are chicken, mushroom and hard boiled egg. These are seasoned in soy sauce and garlic, and then placed a ...

'', steamed chicken rice served with chicken broth soup. * '' Nasi uduk'', rice cooked in

, served with assortment of side dishes according to customer's choice; from eggs (hard boiled or omelette),

tempeh Tempeh or tempe (; jv, ꦠꦺꦩ꧀ꦥꦺ, témpé, ) is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. A fungus, ''Rhizopus ...

anchovy An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

, to fried ''

empal Empal gepuk ( Sundanese) or sometimes simply known just as empal or gepuk is an Indonesian sweet and spicy fried beef dish. This dish is commonly popular in Java island, but can trace its origin to Sundanese cuisine of West Java, Indonesia. In ...

'' beef and fried chicken. * ''

Nasi ulam ''Nasi ulam'' is a traditional Indonesian dish of steamed rice (''nasi'') served with various herbs and vegetables (''ulam'') The herbs being used especially the leaves of ''pegagan'' (''Centella asiatica'') or often replaced with ''kemangi'' ( ...

'', rice with vegetables with side dishes. * ''Pecak gabus'', spiced snakehead fish dish. * ''

Perkedel ''Perkedel'' are vegetable fritters from Indonesian cuisine. Most common ''perkedel'' are made from mashed potatoes, yet there are other popular variants which includes ''perkedel jagung'' (peeled maize ''perkedel'') and ''perkedel tahu'' (tofu '' ...

'', fried patties, made of ground potatoes, minced meat, peeled and ground corn or tofu, or minced fish. * ''Pesmol'', spiced fish dish, usually carp or

milkfish The milkfish (''Chanos chanos'') is the sole living species in the family Chanidae. However, there are at least five extinct genera from the Cretaceous. The repeating scientific name ( tautonym) is from Greek ( ‘mouth’). The species has man ...

. * '' Pindang bandeng'', milkfish cooked in dark color,

sweet and sour Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been used in England since the Middle Ages. Dickson Wright, Clarissa (2011) ''A Histor ...

soup. * '' Pindang serani'', a fish dish with vegetables from Marunda. * '' Roti buaya'' (lit. crocodile bread), crocodile-shaped bread. * '' Roti gambang'' (lit. xylophone bread), rectangular shaped brown bread with sesame seeds, flavored with cinnamon and palm sugar. Usually served during Ramadan and other Betawi occasion. * '' Rujak juhi'', vegetables with shredded dried

. * '' Rujak shanghai'', preserved seafood and jellyfish with vegetables and

sauce. * ''

Sapo tahu Sapo tahu () is a Chinese Indonesian tofu dish traditionally cooked and served in claypot. Sapo tahu may be served as a vegetarian dish, or with chicken, seafood (especially shrimp), minced beef or pork. It is a popular tofu dish in Indonesia, w ...

'', soft

with vegetables, meat or seafood in a

claypot Clay pot cooking is a process of cooking food in a pot made of unglazed or glazed pottery. History Cooking in unglazed clay pots which are first immersed in water dates at least to the Etruscans in first century BC but likely dates to several ...

. * ''Sate kuah'', beef

satay Satay ( , in USA also , ), or sate in Indonesian spelling, is a Southeast Asian dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. The earliest preparations of satay is believed to have originated in Javanese cuisine, but ha ...

served in rich and creamy spicy soup, akin to soto tangkar. * '' Semur jengkol'', a pungent-smelling bean stewed in a sweet soy sauce. * ''

Sayur asem Sayur asem or sayur asam is an Indonesian vegetable soup. It is a popular Southeast Asian dish originating from Sundanese cuisine, consisting of vegetables in tamarind soup. The sweet and sour flavour of this dish is considered refreshing and ...

'', vegetables in

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs ...

soup. * ''Sayur besan'', vegetarian dish made of ''

Saccharum edule ''Saccharum edule'' is a species of sugarcane, that is a grass in the genus '' Saccharum'' with a fibrous stalk that is rich in sugar. It is cultivated in tropical climates in southeastern Asia. It has many common names which include duruka, tebu ...

''. * ''Sayur papasan'', mixed vegetable soup. * '' Soto betawi'', beef offal soup with diced

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es and slices of fried

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

. * '' Soto kaki'', beef or goat leg tendons and

cartilage Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck an ...

soto. * ''

Soto mi ''Soto mie'', ''Soto mi'', or ''Mee soto'' is a spicy Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian noodle soup dish commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. ''Mie'' means noodle made of flour, salt and egg, while ''soto (food), soto'' refers to ...

'', spicy noodle soup dish that consists of yellow noodles and soto soup. * '' Soto tangkar'', soto made of chopped beef ribs. * ''

Tahu goreng Tahu goreng ( Indonesian spelling) or Tauhu goreng (Malaysian and Singaporean spelling) is a generic name for any type of fried tofu dish in the cuisines of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Preparation When preparing the dish, cakes of har ...

'', fried

with

or sweet soy sauce with chopped chili. * '' Tauge ayam'', steamed chicken that served with

bean sprout Sprouting is the natural process by which seeds or spores germinate and put out shoots, and already established plants produce new leaves or buds, or other structures experience further growth. In the field of nutrition, the term signifies ...

s and light

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...

flavoured with oil. * '' Tauge goreng'', savoury vegetarian dish made of

stir-fried Stir frying () is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and t ...

s with slices of

and yellow noodles, served in a spicy

oncom Oncom ( Aksara Sunda: ; IPA: ) is one of the traditional staple foods of West Java ( Sundanese) cuisine of Indonesia. There are two kinds of oncom: red oncom and black oncom. Oncom is closely related to tempeh; both are foods fermented using mold. ...

-based sauce

Snacks and desserts

* ''

Bubur cha cha Bubur cha cha, also spelled as bubur cha-cha or dubo jiajie, is a Betawi and Malay dessert and breakfast dish in Indonesian cuisine, Malaysian cuisine, Singaporean cuisine and Phuket cuisine (Thailand) prepared using pearled sago, sweet potat ...

'', dessert or breakfast dish made of pearled sago, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, coconut milk, pandan leaves, sugar and salt. The ingredients are cooked in coconut milk, and the dish can be served hot or cold. * ''Bubur sumsum'', white

made from rice flour and eaten with brown sugar sauce. * '' Cakwe'', cruller or fried long bread, served with sweet, sour and spicy dipping sauce. * ''

Cincau Grass jelly, also known as leaf jelly or herb jelly, is a jelly-like dessert eaten in East and Southeast Asia. It is created by using Chinese mesona (a member of the mint family) and has a mild, slightly bitter taste. It is served chilled, wit ...

'', grass jelly—jelly-like dessert. * ''

Dodol ''Dodol'' is a sweet toffee-like sugar palm-based confection commonly found in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Originating from the culinary traditions of Indonesia, it is also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philipp ...

'', a sticky confectionery made of coconut, glutinous rice and

brown sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

* '' Emping'', bite-size snack

kripik ''Kripik'' or ''keripik'' are Indonesian chips or crisps, bite-size snack crackers that can be savoury or sweet. They are made from various dried fruits, tubers, vegetables, and fish that have undergone a deep frying process in hot vegetable o ...

cracker, made of '' Gnetum gnemon'' nuts (which are seeds). Emping crackers have a slightly bitter taste. * ''

Geplak Geplak is an Indonesian sweet snack, originating from Java, made from equal parts coarsely grated coconut and sugar, often brightly colored. Some versions include rice flour, citrus leaves and/or pumpkin."Geplak Waluh", Chronic UnikSoegijapran ...

'',

sweets Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English, New Zealand English), is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, i ...

made from sugar and grated coconut. * '' Kembang goyang'' (lit. shaking flower), traditional snack made of

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening a ...

which is mixed with eggs, sugar, a pinch of salt and coconut milk. The dough can be fried after heating the oil and the ''kembang goyang'' mold. * ''

Kue ape Kue is an Indonesian bite-sized snack or dessert food. Kue is a fairly broad term in Indonesian to describe a wide variety of snacks including cakes, cookies, fritters, pies, scones, and patisserie. Kue are made from a variety of ingredients i ...

'', a soft-centered cake with a flimsy but crisp crust. * ''

Kue cubit Kue cubit is a Southeast Asian snack, originating from Indonesia. It is common snack food served in many Indonesian cities. It is a cake, around in diameter. The sellers of this snack usually operate near schools or traditional markets. Kue cub ...

'' (lit. pinch cake), traditional

pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a Starch, starch-based batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or fryi ...

that uses flour, baking powder, sugar and milk as its primary ingredients. This cake is related to

poffertjes ''Poffertjes'' () are a traditional Dutch batter treat. Resembling small, fluffy pancakes, they are made with yeast and buckwheat flour. Typically, ''poffertjes'' are a sweet treat, served with powdered sugar and butter, and sometimes syrup or ...

. * ''

Kue cucur ''Kue cucur'' ( Indonesian) or ''kuih cucur'' ( Malay), known in Thai as ''khanom fak bua'' (, ) or ''khanom chuchun'' ( or ), is a traditional snack from Indonesia, and popular in parts of Southeast Asia, includes Indonesia, Malaysia, southern ...

'', a pancake made of fried rice flour batter and coconut sugar. * ''Kue gemblong'', a rice flour dough covered in sticky brown coconut sugar. * '' Kue ku'', a small round or oval-shaped pastry with soft sticky

flour skin wrapped around a sweet filling in the centre. * ''

Kue pancong ''Kue pancong'' (in Indonesian and Betawi), ''kue pancung'' (in Sumatran Malay), ''bandros'' (in Sundanese), ''gandos'' (in Javanese), or ''buroncong'' (in Makassarese) is an Indonesian '' kue'' or traditional snack made of a rice flour and ...

'', a sweet coconut hot cake. * ''Kue pepe'', a sticky, sweet layered cake made of glutinous rice flour. * ''

Kue putu ''Kue putu'' or ''putu bambu'' is an Indonesian '' kue''. It is made of rice flour called ''suji'' and coloured green with pandan leaves, filled with palm sugar, steamed in bamboo tubes (hence the name), and served with desiccated coconut. Thi ...

'', traditional cylindrical-shaped and green-colored steamed cake. * ''

Kue putu mayang Kue putu mayang is an Indonesian Betawi string hopper dish made of starch or rice flour and coconut milk, then shaped like noodles. This noodle-like dish served with ''kinca'' (liquid palm sugar) in Betawi and Javanese cuisine, or with chut ...

'', idiyappam-like rice noodles with a mixture of coconut milk and served with liquid palm sugar. * ''

Kue rangi Kue rangi or also called sagu rangi is an Indonesian coconut '' kue'' or traditional snack made of a coconut and starch-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is one of the traditional Betawi snack of Jakarta. Kue rangi often des ...

'', coconut waffle served with thick brown coconut sugar. * ''Kue talam'' (lit. tray cake), traditional cake made of rice flour, coconut milk and sugar steamed in cake mold or cups. * '' Lumpia jakarta'', lumpia that usually being deep fried. Unlike Semarang lumpia that uses ''rebung'' (bamboo shoots), Jakarta lumpia uses

jicama ''Pachyrhizus erosus'', commonly known as jícama ( or ; Spanish ''jícama'' ; from Nahuatl ''xīcamatl'', ) Mexican turnip, is the name of a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. Jícam ...

and served with spicy

as a dipping sauce. * ''

Pastel de nata ''Pastel de nata'' ( (plural: ''pastéis de nata''; , )) is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon. Outside Portugal, they are particularly popular in other parts of Western Europe, Asia and former Portuguese colon ...

'', an egg tart pastry dusted with cinnamon from

Kampung Tugu ''Kampung Tugu'' ( jv, ꦏꦩ꧀ꦥꦸꦁꦠꦸꦒꦸ) is a historical neighborhood located in the northwestern Jakarta in the island of Java. ''Kampung Tugu'' grew from the land granted by the government of the Dutch East Indies to the convert ...

—derived from

Portuguese cuisine The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dishes of meat, fish, poultry and others. ''Culinária Portuguesa'', by António-Maria De O ...

. * '' Semprong'', wafer snack made by clasping egg batter using an iron mold (

waffle iron A waffle iron or waffle maker is a utensil or appliance used to cook waffles. It comprises two metal plates with a connecting hinge, molded to create the honeycomb pattern found on waffles. The iron is heated and either batter is poured or dou ...

) which is heated up on a charcoal stove. * ''

Wajik ''Wajik'' or ''wajid'', also known as ''pulut manis'', is a traditional glutinous sweet made with rice, sugar and coconut milk. It is an Indonesian ''kue'', and a ''kuih'' of Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia (especially in the state of Sabah). Def ...

'', diamond-shaped compressed sweet glutinous

Beverages

* ''Bir pletok'', a non-alcoholic drink made from the bark of the '' secang'' tree. * ''

Cendol Cendol is an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of green rice flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. It is commonly found in Southeast Asia and is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, Vietnam, ...

'', an iced sweet

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

that contains droplets of green rice flour jelly,

and palm sugar syrup. * ''Es cincau'', grass jelly drink served with shaved ice, coconut milk and sugar. * ''Es selendang mayang'', a sweet iced dessert made of ''kinca'' or liquid

palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar is sometimes qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed s ...

, coconut milk,

pandan leaf ''Pandanus amaryllifolius'' is a tropical plant in the ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) genus, which is commonly known as pandan (; ). It has fragrant leaves which are used widely for flavouring in the cuisines of Southeast Asia and South Asia. Occurre ...

for aroma, ice and cakes made of glutinous

or ''hunkwe'' (

mung bean The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...

s starch powder). * ''

Sekoteng Sekoteng, a ginger-based hot drink which includes peanuts, diced bread, and '' pacar cina'', can be found in Jakarta, West Java, and Central Java. See also * Bajigur * List of Indonesian beverages This is a list of Indonesian drinks. The mos ...

'', a warm beverage made of

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

and milk, poured with peanut, cubed bread, and ''pacar cina'' (

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but wh ...

pearls).

Gallery

File:Asinan Betawi Sarinah.JPG, '' Asinan betawi'', pickled vegetables in peanut sauce. File:Gado-gado in Jakarta.JPG, ''

'', vegetables in peanut sauce. File:Kerak Telor.jpg, '' Kerak telor'', spicy coconut omelette. File:Ketoprak Boplo.JPG, ''

'', vegetables, tofu, rice vermicelli and rice cake in peanut sauce. File:Ketupat sayur Betawi.JPG, '' Ketupat sayur'', ''

'' rice cake in spicy vegetables soup. File:Lontong sayur.jpg, ''

''. File:Laksa Jakarta.JPG, ''

Laksa Laksa is a spicy noodle dish popular in Southeast Asia. Laksa consists of various types of noodles, most commonly thick rice noodles, with toppings such as chicken, prawn or fish. Most variations of laksa are prepared with a rich and spicy coco ...

'' Jakarta style. File:Mie Kangkung.JPG, ''

Mie kangkung Mie kangkung (lit: "kangkung noodle"), is an Indonesian vegetable noodle soup with ''kangkung'' ( water spinach), usually served with ''bakso'' meatball and mushroom. It is of a specialty of Betawi cuisine, Jakarta, Indonesia. The yellow egg nood ...

'', noodle with water spinach. File:Nasi Goreng Kambing Kebon Sirih Jakarta 3.jpg, '' Nasi goreng kambing'' (goat meat fried rice) Kebon Sirih File:Nasi Ulam Betawi.jpg, ''

'' Betawi. File:Rujak Juhi 1.JPG, '' Rujak juhi''. File:Sayur Asem Betawi.jpg, ''

'' Betawi version. File:Soto Betawi Jakarta Street Side Food.JPG, '' Soto betawi'', a Betawi beef meat and offals in rich and creamy milk or coconut milk soup. File:Soto Kaki Mencos Betawi.JPG, ''Soto kaki'' cow's foot tendons and cartilage soto, a Betawi specialty File:Roti Buaya.JPG, '' Roti buaya'', crocodile-shaped bread is often served in festive occasions. File:Roti gambang.JPG, '' Roti gambang'', xylophone-shaped bread with sesame seeds. File:Peter's Mum's Bubur Cha Cha.jpg, ''

''. File:Nasi Kebuli Jakarta.JPG, ''

'' with goat meat.

References

External links

* {{cuisines Indonesian cuisine-related lists