Ketoprak (dish) facts for kids
Ketoprak sold in Jakarta
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| Course | Main and snack |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Indonesia |
| Region or state | Jakarta and West Java |
| Serving temperature | Hot (for fried tofu), and room temperature (other ingredients) |
| Main ingredients | fried tofu, steamed rice cake (lontong or ketupat), bean sprouts, rice vermicelli, cucumber, served in peanut sauce and sweet soy sauce, topped with krupuk and fried shallots |
Ketoprak is a tasty vegetarian dish from Jakarta, Indonesia. It is made with fried tofu, fresh vegetables, rice cakes, and thin rice vermicelli. All these ingredients are covered in a rich peanut sauce. It's a popular street food that many people enjoy.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name ketoprak is a bit of a mystery! Some people say it comes from the sound "ketuprak" that a plate made when someone accidentally dropped it. This person was trying to invent a new dish because they were tired of their usual food.
Another idea is that the name is a mix of words from its ingredients. Ket comes from ketupat (a type of rice cake). To comes from tahu (tofu) and toge (bean sprouts). And prak comes from digeprak, which means "mashed" or "crushed" in the Betawi language. This describes how the garlic, chili, and peanuts are mashed to make the sauce.
Where Did Ketoprak Come From?
Today, ketoprak is very famous in Jakarta. You can find it easily there. But people still debate where it first started. Some think it came from Cirebon, a city in West Java. Others believe it came from Central Java. As of 2018, no one has found the exact origin. Many ketoprak sellers in Jakarta actually come from Cirebon.
Ketoprak might be similar to a dish called kupat tahu (tofu and rice cake). Ketoprak adds extra things like rice vermicelli, bean sprouts, cucumber, and sweet soy sauce.
How Ketoprak is Made
Ketoprak is special because many street vendors use the same kind of cart. They arrange all their tools in the same way. A ketoprak cart usually has a shiny stainless pan, a frying pan, a biscuit can for crackers, and a wooden pestle and mortar.
The main ingredients for ketoprak are:
- Sliced fried tofu
- Steamed rice cakes (called lontong or ketupat)
- Sliced cabbage and cucumber
- Thin rice vermicelli (called bihun)
- Bean sprouts
All these are served with a rich peanut sauce. It's topped with crispy krupuk (crackers) and fried shallots. The fried tofu is very important. It's usually fried fresh when you order, so it's hot and crispy.
The peanut sauce is made from ground peanuts and palm sugar. These are mixed into a thick paste. Then, garlic, chili pepper, and salt are added. A special ingredient is kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), which gives it a unique sweet and savory taste.
How to Enjoy Ketoprak
Ketoprak is a classic street food. It started in Jakarta but is now popular all over Java. Sellers prepare the ingredients at home. Then, they mix everything right in front of you when you order. You can find it sold from small stalls or carts on the street.
When you order, the cook will often ask how spicy you want it. You can choose mild, medium, hot, or extra hot. The more chili they add, the spicier it gets! Sometimes, you can even add a hard-boiled egg to your ketoprak.
Similar Dishes to Ketoprak
Ketoprak is similar to other Indonesian dishes. These include kupat tahu, lotek, and karedok from West Java. It's also like gado-gado from Jakarta and pecel from Central Java.
While they all use peanut sauce, the ingredients in the sauces are a little different. For example, gado-gado and karedok only use brown sugar for sweetness. But ketoprak uses sweet soy sauce for extra flavor. It also adds ground garlic to its sauce. There's even a similar dish in Singapore called Satay bee hoon.
