Gorengan, The Indonesian Tempura

Lastly, I've been watching Japanology videos on YouTube. It's a program originally broadcasted on NHK channel that tell about japanese culture. And there is an episode about tempura. Same with Japan, the process of deep fried was brought here and suddenly being loved by all Indonesian people until now.

Last night I bought these from a food stall near my house. Deep fried mushroom and chili stuffed with tofu. All just 7k IDR! So great to be eaten with white rice. All vegan plus very cheap.

In Indonesia, this type of dish is called gorengan. It's some ingredients that coated with flour mix and deep fried in palm oil. It can be tempeh, tofu, eggplant, mushroom, broccoli, beans, etc. The most popular gorengan is mendoan, a very thin tempeh that fried half-cooked, so it's crispy outside, soft and little bit chewy inside. The texture combination is so great. It's originated from my hometown and enjoyed by almost all Indonesian.

Usually gorengan is sold in the streets by street vendor. It's a commoner's food, enjoyed by lower class people. The oil quality usually is so bad, and sometimes they even add plastics to the oil to keep it crunchy all the time. I and my family only buy it in some spots where we sure they have good quality foods. Or we just make it at home. Gorengan in Indonesia is vegan, to keep it as cheap as possible. So making it at home is a good saving of money!