We might be familiar with this dish. Satay, often pronounced as “sate” is one of the popular dishes which you can easily find in every corner of the street, from a hawker seller, street vendor, to an upper-class restaurant. Believed to have originated in Java, sate has become a national dish and part of the culture in Indonesia. Although it usually consists of grilled meats, skewered with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) or bumbu kacang (peanut sauce) as its condiments, satay is often served in variant kinds and may represent the speciality of each district in Indonesia. Even more in Surabaya.
With the diversity and characteristics of Surabaya city, choices to pick your favorite satay may vary. These are satay you only can find in Surabaya!
- Sate Karak
Sate karak is a traditional dish that originated from Ampel district in the northern part of Surabaya. People are often mistaken by its name, which is similar to ‘karak’ — musty scorched rice. In fact, sate karak is different from regular satay you often see and quite rare to find as it is only a handful of people who serve this legendary food.
This traditional dish is made from diced beef and cow offal with a special sauce for the seasoning then skewered and grilled over a charcoal fire. While regular satays is served with rice or lontong, sate karak is usually accompanied by black sticky rice, with sauteed grated coconut on top.
- Sate Klopo
Another variant of satay you need to try is Sate Klopo. Invented in the 1940s, Sate Klopo has proven its existence to all the satay lovers since a long time ago. It
At first glance, the dish looks like another regular satay people often eat. What makes sate klopo unique is that sate klopo uses grated coconut as its signature ingredient. After being sliced and skewered, the beef is grilled with grated coconut sprinkle, then served with peanut sauce on top. You can enjoy sate klopo accompanied with hot white rice.
- Sate Kerang
While most satay commonly uses beef or chicken meat, sate kerang specializes in this main ingredient, kerang darah — a species of ark clam. Unlike other common satays, the blood clam needs to be marinated and boiled. With its savory, rich spicy taste, sate kerang gives you comfort and an addictive feeling to eat more and more.
Sate kerang is usually served as a side dish for many Surabaya’s signature dishes, namely lontong balap or lontong kupang. You can also enjoy sate kerang for snacks.
These are satays you probably would crave more and more. We hope you can enjoy your visit in Surabaya and create good memories here in this heroic city.