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Tempeh mendoan is a variety of fried tempeh that hails from Purwokerto. Thin slices of tempeh—fermented soybean product—are dipped in batter that is enriched with ground coriander, sliced scallions, and garlic before they are deep-fried.
This tempeh variety is only shortly fried, creating a crispy outer layer, while the tempeh remains soft and juicy. The name of the dish stems from Banyumasan language in which mendo roughly translates as half-cooked. This tempeh is best served with sambal, other types of chili-based dips, or kecap manis—Indonesian sweet soy sauce.
Ketoprak is a traditional street food dish that's often described as tofu salad. It's made with a combination of fried tofu, steamed rice cakes, rice vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, cabbage, and cucumbers. The combination is served in peanut sauce and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis).
It's usually topped with fried shallots and krupuk. The dish can be found at numerous ketoprak food carts throughout Jakarta, although there is still an ongoing debate about the origin of the dish – some claim that it was first made in Cirebon because the majority of street food vendors come from Cirebon.
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Sayur asem is a sweet and sour vegetable soup. Often referred to as tamarind soup, it is one of the favorite vegetable dishes in Indonesia. The entire dish is based on tamarind, an unusual plant commonly grown in Southeast Asia, which gives the dish a distinctive sour taste.
Other traditional Indonesian ingredients in sayur asem include jackfruit, melinjo, long beans, bilimbi, pumpkin, corn, and chayote. Sayur asem originated among the Sundanese people residing in West Java. However, their original recipe for this traditional soup has been adapted across Indonesia.
MOST ICONIC Sayur asem
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Pepes tahu is a traditional dish hailing from West Java. It consists of spiced and steamed tofu that’s cooked in banana leaves. The ingredients usually include tofu, banana leaves, bell peppers, green onions, and a spice paste consisting of shallots, garlic, sugar, salt, and hot chili peppers.
The tofu is drained and mashed, then combined with the spice paste, bell peppers, and green onions. The combination is wrapped in banana leaves, steamed, then served while still warm with rice on the side. Alternatively, pepes tahu can be grilled instead of steamed, if desired.
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