I have always wanted to explore Jakarta street food as Indonesian cuisine have a strong influence in nearby Johor and Singapore. Nasi padang, soto ayam, satay and ayam penyet ubiquitous in Singapore and Malaysia are all originally Indonesian, just to name a few.
Recently, I had the opportunity to try out Indonesian street food thanks
to Jakarta Tourism Office and Winsemius Consulting. I've been to Jakarta many times in the past on business before my blogging days but never
had the chance to experience the Jakarta streets. (Always cloistered in hotels
and fed hotel or conference food, and then flown out without much ado after work 😓 )
Jakarta street hawkers have the same buzz, energy and rhythm as the colossal capital city of Indonesia. The amazing self contained push cart kitchen stalls are small and narrow so that they can weave in and out of the ebb and flow of the city's infamous traffic.
Most are one-man operations in these all-in-one mobile kitchens.
Yet the tiny stalls whip up delicious hot meals and provide homely comfort for countless Jakartans everyday. This reflects the ingenuity, resourcefulness and hardy determination of the street food hawkers.
The variety of food served by street vendors reflect the cosmopolitan metropolis of Jakarta. Street food from every corner of the archipelago find their way to the Capital and financial centre of the vast country.
Read more in Johor Kaki Indonesian food travel blog.
(Acknowledgement: I had the privilege to experience Jakarta street food for three days, sponsored by Jakarta Tourism Office and arranged by Russell Cheong of Winsemius Consulting. Thank you so much.)
Jakarta street hawkers have the same buzz, energy and rhythm as the colossal capital city of Indonesia. The amazing self contained push cart kitchen stalls are small and narrow so that they can weave in and out of the ebb and flow of the city's infamous traffic.
Most are one-man operations in these all-in-one mobile kitchens.
Yet the tiny stalls whip up delicious hot meals and provide homely comfort for countless Jakartans everyday. This reflects the ingenuity, resourcefulness and hardy determination of the street food hawkers.
The texture, aroma, flavour and colour of every dish is a window to the hawker, his customers, the city they live in and their hometown.
Take this Mie Bakso, one of the most common and popular of Jakarta street food - it's a simple yet delicious, complete meal in a bowl.
The tender-springy noodles provide the carbs for energy. Little pieces of stir fried chicken meat, boiled beef balls, and wanton add texture and flavour while feeding the muscles. Some blanched greens complete the well balanced meal held together with savoury soy sauce and aromatic shallot oil.
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| Image courtesy of Wikipedia |
(Bakso probably came from the Hokkien Chinese 肉酥. The bakso beef ball is very similar to Hakka beef balls from Guangdong / Fujian. Chinese traders and travellers have been to Indonesia since the first century.)
The variety of food served by street vendors reflect the cosmopolitan metropolis of Jakarta. Street food from every corner of the archipelago find their way to the Capital and financial centre of the vast country.
Read more in Johor Kaki Indonesian food travel blog.
Give mie bakso a try when you are in Indonesia
(Acknowledgement: I had the privilege to experience Jakarta street food for three days, sponsored by Jakarta Tourism Office and arranged by Russell Cheong of Winsemius Consulting. Thank you so much.)
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