Central Java Cuisine

Gudeg Yogya

The food in Central Java is influenced by the two ancient kingdoms of Yogyakarta and Surakarta(also commonly known as Solo). Many of Central Java-specific dishes contain the names of the area where the food first became popular.

For example:

• Gudeg Yogya: Young jackfruit, chicken and hardboiled egg stew, this dish has a unique sweet and savoury taste. This is usually accompanied by a side dish of spicy beef inner skin & tofu stew.
• Bakso Solo: Bakso literally means meatballs, made of beef, and served in boiling hot soup with mung bean-thread noodles, green vegetables, shredded cabbage, and various sauces (chili, tomato). This version from Solo has super-sized meatballs, the size of tennis balls. Also known as Bakso Tenis. Bakso is a Chinese-influenced dish, but has become a popular snack throughout Indonesia.
• Ayam goreng Kalasan/Klaten: Chicken, stewed in spices (coriander, garlic, candlenut, and coconut water feature strongly) then deep-fried until crispy. Served with sambal and raw vegetable salad.
• Timlo Solo: A beef and vegetable soup.
• Soto Kudus: Soto is a common Indonesian soup infused with turmeric, and can be made with chicken, beef, or mutton. The version from Kudus, a Central Javanese town, is made of chicken.
• Jenang Kudus: A sweetmeat made from rice flour, palm sugar and coconut milk.
• Lumpia Semarang: Fried or steamed spring rolls. The filling varies, but consists mainly of meat and bamboo shoots. It is served with sweet fermented soybean sauce (tauco) or sweet garlic sauce. Another accompaniment is acar/Indonesian style sweet and sour cucumber pickle and chili
• Sate Blora: Chicken satay
• Swikee Purwodadi: Frogs' legs cooked in fermented soybean (tauco) soup.
• Srabi Solo: A pancake made of coconut milk, mixed with a little rice flour as thickener. Srabi can be served plain, or with toppings such as sliced banana, chopped jackfruit, chocolate sprinkle (muisjes), or cheese.
• Nasi Bogana Tegal: A steamed rice dish wrapped in Banana leaves and served with a variety of side dishes.
• Teh poci Tegal: Tea brewed in a clay teapot, served with rock sugar. Tegal, a Central Java town, is a major producer of high-quality tea.

Other dishes that may have originated from Central Java are:

• Wingko babat: A cake made largely of glutinous rice and desiccated coconut, toasted and sold warm.
• Madu mongso: A sweetmeat made from fermented black glutinous rice, cooked in coconut milk and sugar. It is sticky and very sweet, and comes wrapped in corn husk.
• Bakpia: A sweet pastry filled with sugared mung bean paste.
• Tongseng: A strongly-spiced curry of bone-in mutton, which is quickly stir-fried at the point of sale with vegetables added.
• Bakmoy: small cubes of fried tofu, chicken and boiled egg served with chicken broth & relish made from sweet soy sauce