Hey Everyone... Today is Tuesday so It's TACO TUESDAYS time !!!!
As usual, Taco Tuesday is our tuesday themed post in Free Compliment Community which here... we are talking about FOOD!!! Yes today everyone becomes foodie, and what we have is not have to be TACO, but all delicious foods are eligible for this one.
At this opportunity I will share another local food from Indonesia. Actually it is not so local, because it is a Chinese Hokkien Food which has been modified by locals. It's called Bakwan Malang or Bakso Malang.
BAKWAN MALANG
The original name is Bakwan Malang but most people call it Bakso Malang. Bakwan came from Bak (Meat) and Wan (Rounded), a Hokkien language, while bakso came from Bak (Meat) and So (ball). One way another, those two words have the same meaning, MEATBALL. The difference is that Bakwan can be a fried meatball, while Bakso is deeply associated with some broth soup.
The name Malang, is a name of a famous city on eastern java island. On several places, this dish can be called as Bakwan Kawi. All the same meaning. Actually Bakwan Malang is a Bakso dish served with Malang style, which later some people refer it to Eastern Javanese. What's make Bakwan Malang different than national wide Bakso, in Bakwan Malang we will meet fried meatball, fried wontoon and many spring onions and leeks. Common Bakso consist only braised stuff.
Another reason why I need to say about bakwan is it is double definition.. if you say Bakwan to some Indonesian, they might think that you are talking about fried vegetable, or kakiage-Agemono in Japanese. It can be confusing, even for Indonesian like me. Most Javanese take bakwan as fried vegetable, even they know the word meaning is meatball.
Local Adapted Food
When I talk about local food in Indonesia, mostly it means it is halal. No Pork No Lard stuff, because majority of Indonesian population hold Islam Religion. But this doesn't mean all local food are halal, some are not, specifically in region which Christian, Buddhist and Hinduism are the majority there.
So if you see some Indonesian local Adapted Food, especially from Chinese food, don't expect they will give similar taste. It can be differ alot, some might hate it because they can't get the groovy taste of Lard, however some might love it more too. It's all are depended on everyone preference.
Street Comfort Food
Bakwan malang is a comfort food and mostly only street hawkers serve this dish. I have seen some hotels and fancy restaurants serve this dish too but it will never be a menu on fine dining. They just want to get extra margin from rich people who missed this food.
Although this is a soup / broth base food, it never be a healthy one. The broth is made as grovy and tasty as possible, so we are talking about MSG here (Mono Sodium Glutamate).. I can only say please stay away from this food if you are not feeling well.
My Bakwan Malang
This is how the stall looked like. Not something fancy, but I like this place because despite all the limitation they have, they maintain the stall clean. The price is not so expensive either, so I guess it's on budget.
All bakwan malang has same rule. You can order per set or you just custom pick your items. There are fried stuffs and braised stuffs. Some even go further for uniqueness, for example having a GIANT MEATBALL or skewers.
if you want a simple stuff, just do like I do, order a set menu one. you don't have to be confused about what to pick.
I bet the first time you eat this food, you feel awkward. Most bakwan malang served in default seasoning, so they won't make it salty, spicy, groovy or anything. A bit plain of everything. It's up to you how to add these seasoning into your bowl.
Some Tip On Getting Bakwan Malang
Ok I might give you a few tips here because I believe some of you haven't even tried this one and maybe oneday when you have some opportunity, you can recall some of what I say here.
First This is a comfort food. I always say this over and over... Bakwan Malang is one of the great food for mood boosting. When you have bad mood, or you just want to have something that boost you up... This is the one you must try. However this is a dish that you should avoid if your body is not healthy.
Second From stalls to stalls, the different is huge. let me share you my another post here, actually it is a Bakwan Malang post too: https://peakd.com/hive-107801/@dewabrata/tidak-semua-makanan-itu-bisa-jadi-makan-siang
because its in Indonesian, I will try to make it quick by sharing this pic here:
See, this is Bakwan Malang too with different presentation and of course the price and the taste. That one price was less than half than I had in this post above. I am talking about 0,7 USD vs 2 USD.
For foreigners, I suggest you pick the $2+ USD bakwan malang, because how they give seasonings and MSG are still reasonable. Yes, that means some stalls are not reasonable. Some even have gossips that they use some Mambo Jambo stuffs to get massive customers everyday.
Third and The Last... Don't feel awkward if you come to some Bakwan Malang stall, you do not know how many salt, peppers, soy sauce, etc you need to add, and somehow everyone else look like a Master chef knowing exactly how much they should add into their bowl. That's how it works, everyone once a noob too, but after having this dish countless time, they become expert on this.
Ok all, that's my Taco Tuesdays post. It's not fancy food but I bet you must have this one oneday, if you haven't tried before.
You have something else in your mind, you are welcome to leave any comment below. Thank you very much for your time reading my post here.
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