Ketoprak!
Hey all! I think it would be quite interesting to start this blog with a question.
“If you have to pick only one dish to eat for the rest of your life, what will it be?”
My pick will have to be a local Indonesian dish called Ketoprak. It’s nutty, spicy (only if you want it to be), slightly creamy and definitely yummy. The Indonesian ‘Ketoprak’ is a common local dish in its capital, Jakarta. It is a ‘salad’ of tofu, bean sprouts, vermicelli, Indonesian rice ball or ‘lontong’ and boiled eggs doused in a creamy peanut sauce with Kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), topped with crunchy shrimp crackers.
Ketoprak is very similar to several other traditional Indonesian dishes, all worth trying. One of them is the more famous Gado-gado. However, unlike Ketoprak, Gado-gado uses plenty of green vegetables and does not has vermicelli in it. Another dish similar to Ketoprak is called Karedok. The West Javanese dish is exactly the same with Gado-gado, however, the vegetables and the peanut sauce used in Karedok are all raw.
Ke-to-prak: Ke, just like the way you pronounce the ‘ke’ Miranda ‘Kerr’, ‘to’ from ‘tort’ and ‘prak’ similar to ‘prague’ but with a harder roll of the tongue to emphasize the R.
So, if for some crazy reason you decide to visit Jakarta, Indonesia, trying these three dishes is a must! But of course, a travelers’ time is precious and it is most important to prioritize. So, I’m going to be very biased here and advice you to try the Ketoprak.
The best place to eat Ketoprak in Jakarta is located in Jl. Ciragil, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. Ketoprak Ciragil, as known by locals, is a small outdoor restaurant or ‘warung’ with long rectangle shaped table which you have to share with other visitors. The appeal of Ketoprak Ciragil is of course the Ketoprak itself. There is nothing particularly special about the tofu, bean sprouts or lontong in the Ketoprak.
However, the ‘secret weapon’ that makes the Ketoprak so good and different from the other Ketoprak is its peanut sauce. In the restaurant, you can see the owner tirelessly pounding the pestle against her big stone mortar full of peanut sauce. Here I always wonder what other ingredients does she put into that mortar that makes me want to lick the plate clean from the sauce! Unlike other places, Ketoprak Ciragil has a slightly creamy and smooth peanut sauce. Moreover, if you’re a fan of spicy food, adding the Indonesian chili paste will definitely bring the flavours into a burst!
And if you need some cooling down after the flame of that chili paste really did burn the insides of your mouth, there is a dessert vendor just next to the Ketoprak, selling the cool and sweet Es Podeng or mixed shaved ice with shredded coconut meat, condensed milk and Indonesian hagelslag.
The only thing about this place/ or any other warung type restaurant is never never ever think about the cleanliness or what method the use to wash the plates (or if there’s any method… haha). For only around Rp.11000 or AUS$1.40, the only thing you can do is just enjoy this tasty local dish!
So, going back to my earlier question… what’s your pick?
