Arem-arem facts for kids
Arem-arem
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| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Indonesia |
| Region or state | Java |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | compressed rice cooked in banana leaf with vegetables or minced meat fillings |
| Variations | Different fillings, also related to lemper |
Arem-arem is a yummy snack from Indonesia, especially from the Javan island. It's like a small, tasty package made of rice cake. This rice cake is shaped like a cylinder and wrapped carefully in a banana leaf.
What's inside an arem-arem? It's usually filled with chopped vegetables. Sometimes, it has tempeh or oncom, which are types of fermented foods. You might also find minced meat, like beef or chicken, or even abon (which is like shredded, seasoned meat floss). People eat arem-arem as a quick and filling snack.
Arem-arem is often called a smaller version of lontong. Because it has fillings, it's also known as lontong isi (which means "filled lontong"). You can find this popular snack in markets across Java. It's a common "market munchie" or jajan pasar. Arem-arem is often served at special events. These include traditional ceremonies, family get-togethers, birthdays, and office meetings. It's also a popular item in snack boxes. Arem-arem is similar to lemper, but lemper uses sticky rice, while arem-arem uses regular rice.
What's Inside Arem-arem?
The rice used for arem-arem is cooked with coconut milk. This makes it extra creamy and flavorful. The fillings can be different, depending on what's available or what the cook likes to use.
Some common fillings include:
- Chopped vegetables like carrot, green beans, and potato.
- Cooked minced meat, usually beef or chicken.
- Abon, which is a tasty beef floss.
- Tofu, oncom, and tempeh.
There are many kinds of arem-arem because people get creative with the fillings!
How Arem-arem is Made
Arem-arem is usually wrapped in thin, young banana leaves. These leaves are light yellow-green. This is different from lontong, which uses thicker, more mature banana leaves.
The way it's made gives arem-arem a special texture. It's usually softer than regular lontong or sticky lemper. This is because of the thinner banana leaf wrapper. Also, adding coconut milk and steaming or boiling it for a long time helps make it soft and delicious.
