Food You Must Try When Visiting Tegal

Me and family live in Jakarta, but my parents were born in Tegal, a small city in Central Java Province. Tegal is very well-known for culinary tour destination. They have variant typical food (cuisine and snacks) which are very tasty and made by some traditional spices. We used to visit Tegal at least once a year, but I had very strict schedules for my study these years. So, after more than two years, I finally got a chance to visit this nice warm city. This place always reminds me about the foods. Before I go, I had imagined the deliciousness of Nasi Langgi, Sauto Tegal, and many more.

Here, I recommend you, if you visit Tegal, you must try these foods!

1. Nasi Langgi



Nasi langgi is a combination beetween rice, sliced omelete, shredded fried chicken, sweet potato chips, dendeng (jerked beef), serundeng (grated fried coconut), and vegetable salad. In Tegal, the rice served with a seasoning made of  grated coconut and beans which stir-fried with galangal, lemongrass, bay leaf, garlic, and red onion.

2. Sauto Tegal



Almost every part of Indonesia have their own kind of Soto, but the speciality of Soto in Tegal is Sauto (Soto Tauco). Basically, the ingredients of this chicken soup (some of them sell the beef soto too) is similar with the other's soto. It contains of rice, shredded chicken, bean sprouts, fried onions, and leeks. The different is the flavor of the sauce. The sauce is made from tauco, then added with chilli paste and chicken broth soup. Tauco is a paste made from preserved fermented yellow soy beans. The taste is savory and a little bit spicy. The best companion for Sauto Tegal is prawn crackers and sweet ice tea!

3. Sate Margasari



Grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce and soy sauce. You can also eat it with yellow soup made of spices, seasoned with lemon juice and chilli sauce.

4. Sate Baliboel



Baliboel is an abbreviation of Baru Lima Boelan, which means just 5 months old. Another grilled satay menu, but made of young lamb (the most delicious is the 5 months old lambs). Served with soy sauce and lemon juice, red and green tomatoes, raw onions, and chilli.

5. Bubur Blohok



Bubur (porridge) made of rice flour and coconut milk with brown sugar sauce. The taste of the porridge is savory, combine with the sweet taste of the sauce. Best served when it still warm. Usually this afternoon snack is served on a bowl made of banana leaf. The scent of the leaf may strengthen the taste of the porridge.

6. Carabikang



the main ingredients of this beautiful-looking cake are rice flour, coconut, and coconut milk. Some natural based-color usually added to make this snack look pretty and attractive. Some of them called carabikang a rose cake because it looks like a flower from the top. There are also flavored carabikang such as chocolate carabikang, red bean, and durian.

*to be continue*

*photos from google images.