Banjar cuisine facts for kids
Banjarese cuisine is the traditional food from the Banjar people in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. You can also find this delicious food in nearby countries like Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. Many different cultures have shaped Banjarese cooking. These include Malay, Javanese, Chinese, and Indian influences.
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Famous Banjarese Dishes
Soto Banjar: A Special Soup
One of the most famous dishes from Banjar is soto banjar. This special soup is well-known across Indonesia. Many restaurants in South Kalimantan serve soto banjar. It is a tasty soup made mainly with chicken. Cooks add many spices to make it flavorful. These spices include onion, white onion, cumin, fennel, and cinnamon. A squeeze of lime juice makes the soup even fresher. People often enjoy soto banjar for lunch.
Sop Ayam Banjar: Another Chicken Soup
Banjarese cuisine often features soupy dishes. Sop ayam banjar is another popular chicken soup. Unlike soto banjar, this soup is usually served with steamed rice. The broth is made with spices like clove, star anise, nutmeg, and ginger. You can add rice vermicelli, fried shallots, spring onion, and lime juice to your bowl.
Ketupat Kandangan: A Special Rice Dish
Ketupat kandangan banjar is a unique dish from South Kalimantan. It is often eaten during the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Fitr. This dish comes from Kandangan, in the South Hulu Sungai Regency. You can often find it during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. What makes ketupat kandangan banjar special is its main ingredient: tuna. Sometimes, it uses baked cork fish instead. The fish is cooked in a yellow coconut milk sauce. Spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom are used. It tastes savory and is great for breakfast or during the day.
Kue Bingka: A Sweet Treat
Kue bingka is a special cake (kue) of the Banjarese. It is very sweet, rich, and soft. Bingka is one of the many cakes used in Banjar traditions. For special events like weddings, people might serve 41 different types of cakes. You can find bingka all year round. However, it is especially popular during Ramadan. People enjoy it for breaking their fast.
Bingka is made from flour, eggs, coconut milk, sugar, and salt. It is usually baked with pretty floral designs. There are many kinds of bingka. Some popular types include bingka tapai, bingka kentang, bingka labu, and bingka pandan. Another type, bingka barandam, is also common during Ramadan. It is quite different from the usual bingka. Besides being a typical Banjarese dessert, bingka is also famous in nearby provinces. These include East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. It is even known in other countries like Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.
More Banjarese Foods to Try
- Bingka is a very sweet, rich, and soft cake. It is made from flour, eggs, coconut milk, sugar, and salt. People often eat it during Ramadan.
- Ketupat is a rice dumpling. It is made from rice packed inside a diamond-shaped pouch. This pouch is woven from palm leaves.
- Ketupat kandangan is ketupat served with tuna or baked cork fish. It is cooked in a yellow coconut milk sauce.
- Nasi kuning is a fragrant rice dish. It is cooked with coconut milk and turmeric, which gives it a yellow color.
- Pekasam is a fermented food. It is made from freshwater fish that is fermented with salt, palm sugar, toasted rice grains, and pieces of asam gelugur.
- Sop ayam is a chicken soup. It includes steamed rice and broth. The broth is made with spices like clove, star anise, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Soto banjar is a type of soto. It is spiced with star anise, clove, lemongrass, and a sour, hot sambal.
Images for kids
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Banjar-style nasi kuning.
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Soto banjar, one of the most well-known Banjar dishes.
