Kerak Telor is a traditional Indonesian omelette made with sticky rice and duck eggs, topped with shredded coconut and dried shrimp. It is cooked without oil over charcoal and is a Betawi snack sold by street vendors in Jakarta.
Famous in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, Kerak Telor is a traditional type of Indonesian omelette. Similar in appearance to scrambled eggs, this dish was reserved for the privileged class in colonial times but is now sold by street vendors. It is usually made with rice and duck eggs and usually topped with shredded coconut and dried shrimp.
Glutinous or sticky rice is always used to make this dish. Usually the rice is soaked in water or even a full day before being cooked. When the kerak telor is ready to prepare, the rice is partially cooked before other ingredients are added. Next, the eggs are added. Although chicken eggs can be used, normally kerak telor is made from duck eggs. Salt and pepper, sugar and chili peppers are the usual condiments used for this dish.
No oil is used during the cooking process as cooks want the omelet to stick to the sides of the pan as it cooks. When done, the edges should be crispy and the center should still be soft. Kerak telor is usually cooked over charcoal, which provides additional flavoring to the dish. The shredded coconut is first toasted, then placed on top of the finished omelet. Dried prawns or prawn powder are also sprinkled on top, along with fried onions.
Kerak telor is a traditional dish of the Betawi, the indigenous people of villages in the Jakarta area of Indonesia. Once a well-kept secret, the recipe for the dish was passed down through generations in families. This tradition started because years ago professions were passed down from parent to child. With the profession of chef, children also acquire knowledge of their parents’ recipes. Even the most modern Kerak Telor cooks learned the recipe from a family member.
Although authentic kerak telor can be difficult to find at certain times of the year, street vendors sell the dish throughout the city, from morning until late evening. However, there are fewer vendors than there used to be, as the native Betawis are disappearing from the crowded city. While vendors can be found year-round, they are only reliably found in large numbers during the June and July festivals.
Kerak telor is considered a great snack. Therefore, it is not served as a main course or as part of a full meal. It is said to go well with black coffee, however.
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