Indonesia – Rujak Cingur

by Fauzan Anandika

As healthy food in many countries for years, salad dish contains various vegetables and dressed with special sauce makes salad super delicious healthy food. But do you ever imagine eating salad topped with cow’s mouth? In Indonesia, there is a dish similar to salad called Rujak Cingur. Besides containing cow’s mouth, Rujak Cingur also consists of several vegetables such as kale, beans sprout, and cucumber dressed with peanut sauce.

As a local cuisine, Rujak Cingur had a long history before it spread here in Surabaya city, East Java. Well known as local food from Indonesia, this cuisine comes from Egypt. Local citizen belief Rujak Cingur already appears when Pharaoh Hanyokrowati rules Egypt. At that time, the Pharaoh makes a contest to serve him the best dish of all time for his birthday party. Unfortunately, there not any single foods that satisfied him.

After being disappointed, a retainer comes and informs the Pharaoh that they still have one last dish to taste. A male cook named Abdul Rozak. He comes into the room and greets the Pharaoh before presenting his meal. Abdul Rozak brings a dish wrap in banana leaf. The guard examined his food before allowing Pharaoh to start to eat it. He feels so happy to receive such a delicious dish for his birthday. He even eats edaciously.

The Pharaoh give Abdul Rozak so many gifts he gives him a ship, land, and even a head chef position. Abdul Rozak refuses all the gifts, but he still keeps the ship. He uses that ship to travel to the east and landed on Tanjung Perak harbor, a place where Surabaya city establishes now. After arrives, Abdul Rozak shares his recipe with the citizen, and they loved it. Even though most of the ingredients easy to buy, but camel’s mouth hard to find in Indonesia. He substitutes it with cow’s mouth.

Rujak Cingur has a spicy taste and using peanut sauce to bring up the savory. Most of the ingredient boiled or steamed makes Rujak Cingur healthy food. To satisfy your curiosity, jump to the kitchen and make some Rujak Cingur.

Ingredients

• 300-gram kale cut the root and clean it up
• 100-gram beans sprout
• 4 pieces cucumber thin-slice
• 250-gram cow’s mouth
• 1 fried tofu and cut into a square shape
• 500-gram tempeh small cut and fried
• 200-gram rice cake or rice

Boiled spice ingredient

• 2 cloves garlic
• Half teaspoon coriander powder
• Salt

Pasta ingredient

• 10 pieces red chili
• 1 piece of terrace
• ½ banana and slice into tiny
• 8 tablespoon fried peanut
• 200-gram palm sugar.
• 1 teaspoon tamarind
• 8 tablespoon shrimp pasta
• Salt
• Water

How to make

1. Wash clean all vegetables, drain well.
2. Wash clean cow’s mouth, boiled in hot water, add ingredients.
3. Pick and dry cow’s mouth, then fry in hot oil. Fry until cooked, then cut into small pieces.
4. Steam kale and beans sprout until withered, then drain well
5. Grind red chili, terrace, banana, peanut, tamarind, and salt.
6. Add shrimp paste and grind again until it becomes a smooth paste.
7. Add cow’s mouth, kale, beans sprout, cucumber, tofu, tempeh, and rice. Stir slowly.
8. Arrange it on the serving plate. Rujak Cingur ready to serve.