Es campur is an Indonesian cold dessert that is uniquely Indonesian. There are also similar cold desserts in neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, but they are different from Indonesian Es campur. As the name suggests, campur means "mixed" in Indonesian. Hence, es campur means mixed ice. Additionally, there are no fixed ways to make this cold dessert.
Es campur can be found in a humble food cart or even a restaurant. It's an affordable fresh drink, especially during summer. So, like today, it was scorching hot outside. We decided to have lunch in a nearby family restaurant that serves seafood and meat. I glanced at the menu and spotted Es campur. It has been years since I had Es campur. So, I thought to refresh my palate and remember the taste of it.
The Es Campur in this place looks like a typical Es campur. It has diced bread, jelly, avocado, nata de coco, coconut, milk, syrup, shaved ice, basil seeds, Chinese Mesona Jelly. The taste of this cold dessert is very refreshing and filling.
Like I mentioned before, Es campur can be found in many places. In an Indonesian family restaurant, you definitely will discover this cold dessert. It's because this cold dessert is the perfect pairing for a typical family restaurant menu that's often spicy.
Indonesian family restaurants usually serve various Indonesian meals and sambal (generally refers to the spicy sauce). Often, there are many ways to spice up the sambal, from adding anchovies to vegetables. If you look up sambal in Wikipedia, you can find more than five variants. The main menu that accompanies sambal is often various seafood, fisheries, and meat. Aside from those options, they also serve generic Indonesian meals such as fried rice. Some places serve others, such as meatball, meat soup, or satay. But the most common menu that people look for in this typical Indonesian family restaurant is chicken. I kid you not, the menu in this type of restaurant is either long & wide or has several pages.
When it comes to the price, it varies. Generally, Indonesian Family Restaurant falls in the middle price range, but some chains offer higher-end prices. The same with the taste, do not expect to get a unique or incredibly delicious or authentic Indonesian taste. Often, these places have generic tastes.
But don't worry about the portion, since it's a family restaurant, they serve food in a more considerable amount.
I think the essence of this type of restaurant is the sense of togetherness. There are two seating types: the modern chair and table or the table only with seating on the floor. It is more fun to eat on the floor and sit next to each other closely. And Indonesian family restaurant isn't the type of place you'd go with less than two people. Today was the first time I went with my mom only. Usually, if I have friends visiting, I would invite them to eat at this restaurant type. I think this is a great establishment to get the taste of the locals. At least you will exercise your palate before tasting other authentic menus and dishes from Indonesia.
During our lunch today, we ordered Fyling Mozambique tilapia.
Yep, you heard me, it flies!
This fish is called "mujaer," and the menu is called " Mujaer Terbang" in the local language. Why does it name that way? So, Mujaer Terbang is cooked by deep-frying the fish that has been cut on the sides. So, during the frying process, the meat expands and looks like it's flapping its wing. It is often served with spicy sambal and cucumber + cabbage or Indonesian; it's called " lalapan."
I think this is the best meal that you can find in an Indonesian family restaurant. This fish is crunchy on the outside but tender on the inside. I do not doubt that you can see this menu almost everywhere in this type of place.
We also ordered sour and sweet single crab. My mom said the sauces didn't blend well with the crab, and she had tried better crabs. Consuming the crab is hit and miss. I once get a terrible allergic reaction from it, and today, I took the risk. It was worth it, as always. But yes, the crab in this place wasn't like the crabs I found in a specialized seafood place.
Since we were only two persons, we decided to take the leftovers home. There were no charges too, which was great! Overall, our experience in that place was the same as any Indonesian family restaurant we've visited. There's almost nothing too special other than I get to spend time with my mom.
I will be writing more about Indonesian food and possibly find its history. I believe Indonesian foods have a rich multicultural history that's worth exploring.
