4 Surabayan Foods You MUST NOT Miss Out
Surabaya is one of the largest cities in Indonesia. As the capital of East Java province, Surabaya can be one of the best choices for an internship. One of the reasons is the culinary. Surabayan foods are well-known for their rich flavor. The price for Surabayan foods are generally not-too-expensive, especially if you are willing to brave visiting the street hawkers. These are the four foods that you must not miss out when you are in Surabaya.
1. Pecel Semanggi
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Semanggi (known as clover leaf in English) is an edible plant or vegetable, similar to spinach and papaya leaves. Like its name, the semanggi, which has been cooked by soaking it in boiled water, is the main ingredient. Pecel Semanggi is usually served on banana leaf, combined together with bean sprouts and boiled kangkung (known as water morning-glory or water spinach in English). The flavor of Pecel Semanggi is savory sweet, because all of the three types of vegetable are doused with peanut sauce. This peanut sauce is the mix of sweet potato, peanut, and brown sugar. Interestingly, the seller usually will not provide a spoon because you can eat it with puli crackers.
You only need to spend around Rp. 10.000 (around $0.75) to get unique sensation of the tender semanggi with savory sweet peanut sauce.
2. Lontong Balap
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One serving of Lontong Balap contains lontong (Indonesian rice cake), bean sprouts, fried tofu, and lentho. Lentho is a fried grated cassava mixed with soy and spices. Then, they are doused with sauce, soy sauce, and paste with a sprinkle of fried onions on the top of it. The combination of those ingredients will create an intense savory flavor.
A portion of Lontong Balap costs approximately Rp. 15.000 (around $1.12).
3. Rujak Cingur
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In Javanese language, cingur means ‘mouth’. It refers to the main ingredient of this food, which is the boiled muzzle or lips of a cow. Rujak Cingur consists of slices of several types of fruit such as kerahi—a kind of East Java cucumber, yam, young mango, cucumber, pineapple and ambarella. Those fruits will be combined with lontong, tofu, tempeh, cingur, and some vegetables, like sprouts and beans. All of the ingredients are mixed together with a sauce that is made from the blend of shrimp paste, chili, brown sugar, fried peanuts, fried onions, salt, and slices of pisang klutuk wulung—young green bananas which is also known as lack-stem Musa Balbisiana.
To enjoy a portion of Rujak Cingur, you only need to pay approximately Rp. 15.000 (around $1.12).
4. Nasi Krawu
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Nasi Krawu is a savory food from Gresik, East Java that is a combination of rice with meat stew, beef offal, fried coconut flakes and chili paste. It is usually served on banana leaf and sold in the morning as breakfast.
To enjoy this delicious rice, you only need to spend around Rp. 15.000 to Rp. 20.000 (around $1.12 to $2).