Lotek (Sundanese vegetable salad)

Ibu Rose (Mrs. Rose) has been selling Lotek since year 1970. She has a stall in front of her house. It opens daily from 9 AM - 2 PM and only for a take-out because ibu Rose doesn't provide a place to eat.

What is Lotek? Lotek is the traditional Sundanese (West Java) vegetable salad with peanut sauce. It's similiar to Gado-gado (the famous Indonesian traditional dish) but in lotek, there's an additional ingredient which is galangal (kencur), dried shrimp paste (terasi) and garlic (bawang putih).The steamed/boiled vegetables:

Usually, Lotek is eaten with lontong (steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves)

Chips from sago.

The bamboo's root is to grind the peanut and other ingredients to make the peanut sauce. A bamboo's root will only last for less than 1 year. It will become smaller and smaller after being used.

How to make Lotek?

First grind the salt, dried shrimp paste (also can add the chili padi for those who like hot flavor) and garlic.

Then add the mixed water of kaffir lime and tamarind.

Grind it.

Grind the young steamed jackfruit to add the tickness of the peanut sauce.
Cut the fried potato, fried tofu and fried soybean cake.
Add the vegetable.
Mix it all together with the peanut sauce.Put and wrap the lotek in a brown paper.
And the final touch, sprinkle fried shallot and kerupuk aci on the top of lotek.

It costs Rp. 7.000

(currency: 1 USD = Rp. 12.000)

Selamat makan! :)

Lotek Kalipah Apo

Since we had a "rush" lunch at Soto Roxy (my previous post) and still got 40 minutes left of lunch hour, thus my colleagues decided to go for a dessert at this place called Lotek Kalipah Apo which is still in the Roxy area.
The Lotek Kalipah Apo in Jakarta (address: Jl Batanghari No. 21 - Jakarta Pusat) is a branch from the famous one in Bandung - West Java. The speciality of this restaurant is "Lotek" (similiar to gado-gado or the Indonesian salad with peanut sauce, but Lotek's peanut sauce has an additional ingredient which is galingale/galangal).
Then beside the lotek, it's also known for the sweet porridge desserts, i.e: Bubur Sum- sum, Bubur Cha-cha, Bubur Candil, Bubur Pacar Cina, Bubur Pisang, Bubur Ketan Item, Bubur Sagurangin.

A bowl of this sweet porridge is Rp. 9.000
(Currency rate: 1 USD = Rp. 12.000)

Related post:
- Bubur Biji Salak and Sum - Sum
- Gado -gado

Soto Roxy H. Darwasa

My colleagues made a plan for lunch and asked me to join. They were craving for Soto Betawi in Roxy area. I was excited because I've heard about this place but never gotten a chance to go there.

I wasn't aware when we already arrived at the place. The place doesn't look like a restaurant at all which I had in my mind. It's a very old house and only got a banner in front of it. Looking at the banner, I believe this Soto Roxy is owned by Haji Darwasa and located at Jl. Tidore no. 2, Jakarta Pusat. Hey..., so many nice cars were parked there and it's even hard for us to find a space to park.


Oh my... who will expect that this place is so crowded inside? People have to wait and stand to get a sit. Luckily, my colleagues and I got seats as soon as we entered but in a few minutes later, people started to queue and stand beside us; waiting us to finish our meal faster. Hmmm... next time, must make sure to come earlier because it's really crowded after 12 pm.

Yes, the soto absolutely is delicious but you can not really enjoy your time eating there because everything is in a hurry and it's not nice and so uncomfortable being stare by those hungry people who stand beside you; ready to grab your seat as soon as you finished your meal. Believe it or not, starting with the ordering, food coming onto the table, eating the Soto and paying the bill, all took my colleagues and me in less than 20 minutes!!!


Let's see what happened after we made our order:
First the chili sauce came to the table. There's no taste at all in the chili padi/bird's eye chilies sauce... only hot hot hot! But it's so perfect when you mix it into the Soto :)
Then followed by the rice with fried shallots on the top and kaffir lime (jeruk limo/limau) on the side of rice.
Finally the Soto served on the table and we could start to enjoy our Soto :)

I looked what's all inside the Soto, uhmmm.... if this is Soto Betawi then how come there's no tomatoes in it?

The jeruk limau/limo (kaffir lime) is a must to put in the Soto because it really enriched the flavour.
They provide sweet soysauce (kecap manis), white vinegar (cuka) and white pepper (lada).

Soto (Betawi) Roxy H. Darwasa:
The main ingredients of this Soto are the beef broth and tick coconut milk (coconut cream) with a lot of seasonings such as clove, bay leaves, nutmeg, cinnamon, spring onions, garlic, shallot, ginger, galangale, coriander, peppercorns, black cumin and candlenuts.
The meat is beef but commonly there are other parts like innard (lung, heart, tripe, liver, intestine), ears, or legs.

And the toppings are Emping (malinjo nut chips), fried shallots, and chopped spring onions.

Mie Ayam (Chicken Noodle)

Here in Jakarta, there are so many kind of noodles carts on the streets.

This time, I'm posting the simple Mie Ayam (Chicken noodles).

It's so easy to make this chicken noodles that you can actually make it by your own ;)First, pour veggie oil, salty soybean sauce plus MSG (Yup... Food on the streets commonly contains MSG - Monosodium Glutamate, as a flavour enhancer) in a bowl then put the noodle and the vegetable called "Cai Sim/choy sum" (similiar to "Chinese cabbage - bok choy") into the boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the noodles and vegetable. Mix it altogether in the prepared bowl. On the top of the noodles, pour the minced chicken cooked with shallot, garlic and sweet soybean sauce (plus don't forget the MSG!)

Voila.... and you can start to enjoy the chicken noodles :)

A bowl of this simple chicken noodle costs Rp. 6.000
currency rate:
1 USD = Rp. 12.100; 1 RM = Rp. 3.300; 1 SGD = Rp. 7.900)

Tukang Roti (bread man)

"Rootttiiiiiii....... Rooottiiiiii....... Roooottttiiiiiiii......"

The typical shouting that you can hear from those men selling bread on their bicycle/motorbike-carts around almost all Jakarta's residential neighborhoods every early morning starting from 5 am to 8 am.

I usually see this Tukang roti (trans: bread man) with his bicycle-cart on my way to the office when I pass this small street.


And most of the times, I see him feeding a stray cat with his fresh bread. Isn't that so sweet and kind of this bread man?

Yes, Nic (khkl)! Cats also eat bread sometimes ;)

There are breads with several filling like chocolate, grated peanut with sugar, grated coconut, and also cheese. Each bread costs Rp. 2.000 (less than 20 cents US).

A loaf of bread costs Rp. 5.000.

Btw.. out of topic, I saw a guy selling toys on his bicycle :)