Batagor facts for kids
Batagor, served in a fancy hotel.
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| Course | Snack |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Indonesia |
| Region or state | West Java |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Fried fish dumpling with tofu and vegetables in peanut sauce |
| Variations | Siomay, shumai |
Batagor is a super popular snack from Indonesia. Its name is a short way of saying Bakso Tahu Goreng, which means "fried bakso (meatball) and tofu" in the Sundanese and Indonesian languages. This tasty dish is made of fried fish dumplings, and it's usually served with a yummy peanut sauce.
Batagor is traditionally made from minced tenggiri (a type of fish called wahoo). But sometimes, other seafood like tuna, mackerel, or even prawns are used. The fish mixture is put inside wonton wrappers or stuffed into tofu. Then, these are deep fried until they are golden and crispy.
When you buy batagor from a street vendor, it often comes with fried tofu and finger-shaped fried otak-otak (fish cakes). All these pieces are cut into bite-sized chunks. They are then topped with a rich peanut sauce, Kecap manis (a sweet soy sauce), sambal (a spicy chili paste), and a squeeze of lime juice. Because it's fried, batagor is usually very crispy and crunchy. You'll often find batagor and siomay sold by the same person, as batagor is like a crispy version of siomay.
History and where it came from
You can find batagor almost everywhere in Indonesian cities! It's sold at street stalls, from carts that move around, by vendors on bicycles, and in restaurants. But it's most famous in the city of Bandung in West Java. This dish was influenced by Chinese Indonesian cuisine. It might even be a fried version of siomay, which is usually steamed. Over time, batagor became a big part of local Sundanese cuisine. Today, most batagor sellers are Sundanese people.
Batagor started appearing in different Indonesian cities in the 1980s. People believe it was first made in 1968 in Bandung. There's a story that batagor was created because a seller had too many bakso meatballs that didn't sell. To avoid wasting them, he got an idea. He ground up the meatballs, stuffed them into tofu, deep fried them, and served them with peanut sauce. This was similar to how siomay or ngo hiang are served. This new dish was called bakso tahu goreng ("fried bakso and tofu"), which was shortened to "batagor."
Different kinds of Batagor
Batagor is usually served with peanut sauce. But in Bandung, many sellers also offer a version served in a clear soup. This is called batagor kuah, which means "batagor soup." The soup is often made from chicken broth. It has ingredients like pepper, sugar, salt, leek, and celery. You can also add chili sauce, tomato sauce, and lime to make the soup even more flavorful.
People love batagor for its savory taste and the crispy texture of its fried wonton skin and tofu. The sweet and savory peanut sauce makes it even better. Batagor is also quite affordable. In 2018, a plate of street-side batagor cost around 10,000 Indonesian rupiah, which is less than one US dollar.
See also
In Spanish: Batagor para niños
