Tahu goreng

Tahu goreng (Indonesian spelling) or Tauhu goreng (Malaysian and Singaporean spelling) is an Indonesian dish of fried tofu commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Tahu goreng
Indonesian Tahu goreng and omelette arranged on a plate garnished with bean sprouts, cucumber and carrot
Alternative namesTauhu goreng (Malaysian and Singaporean spelling)
Coursemain course
Place of originIndonesia[1]
Region or stateMaritime Southeast Asia
Serving temperatureroom temperature
Main ingredientsdeep fried tofu garnished with bean sprouts, cucumber and scallion. Topped with a thick sauce is prepared with shallots, garlic, chili peppers, shrimp paste, soy sauce and tamarind juice.
Tahu isi (filled tofu) served with bird's eye chili

Preparation
Tofu being fried in Indonesia

When preparing the dish, cakes of hard tofu are deep fried until golden brown. The bean curds are then cut diagonally in half and arranged on a plate garnished with bean sprouts, cucumber and scallion. A thick sauce is prepared with shallots, garlic, chili peppers, shrimp paste, soy sauce and tamarind juice.

Cultural origins

In Indonesian and Malay language; tahu or tauhu refers to 'tofu' and goreng indicates 'fried'. Tofu was originated from China and brought to Indonesian archipelago by Chinese immigrants to the region.

Although tofu is consumed extensively in Asian cultures, the way each country serves it is different.

Tahu isi (filled tofu) is from Indonesia, which later brought to its neighboring countries by Indonesian diaspora. Tahu isi and tahu goreng are two different dishes in their country of origin but deemed the same to others because of unfamiliarity with the concept.

Tahu isi (filled tofu) has several names in Indonesia, such as tahu susur (Jav: tofu with "susur", i.e. a ball of tobacco to clean one's teeth before toothbrushes were created) and tahu bunting (Betawi: pregnant tofu).


Both types of tofu based dishes (tahu goreng and tahu isi) usually are eaten with a whole cabe rawit, sambal, or a mixture of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and chopped chillies.


Variations

Indonesia
Plain 'tahu goreng' on white rice, without side dishes and embellishments.

Tahu goreng is a generic name for any type of fried tofu in Indonesia, it can be mildly fried or deep fried, plain or battered. In Indonesia, tahu goreng is usually eaten with sambal kecap a kind of sambal hot condiment made from kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and chopped chili peppers and shallots. Some variant might uses peanut sauce with chili instead. Some variants are:

  • Tahu isi: (lit: filled tofu), probably the most popular variant of tahu goreng in Indonesia, tofu filled with bean sprouts, carrots and sometimes minced meat is battered and deep fried.[2] It is commonly found in gorengan (Indonesian fritters) vendors. Commonly eaten with cabai rawit (bird's eye chili).
  • Tahu sumedang: the name derived from Sumedang city, West Java. Pioneered by Tahu Bunkeng tofu store in Sumedang established by Chinese immigrants in 1917.[3]
  • Tahu gejrot: fried tofu in hot sweet and sour thin sauce with shallots and chilies, originated from Cirebon city, West Java.[4]
  • Tahu taoge: stir fried diced tofu with beansprouts.
  • Tahu campur: (lit: mixed tofu), with beef slices, vegetables, beansprouts, and noodles or rice vermicelli, served in thin broth. The dish is common in East Javan cities, such as Malang, Surabaya, and Lamongan.
  • Tahu gunting: (lit: tofu cut with scissor), fried tofu in thick sweet and spicy peanut sauce, originated from Surabaya city, East Java.
  • Tahu telur: (lit: tofu with egg), with omelette, beansprout, peanuts, and lontong rice cake, served in thin sweet and sour soy sauce. Also originated from Surabaya city, East Java.
  • Tahu bulat (round tofu) or tahu bola also called bola-bola tahu (tofu balls): is a relatively new variant of fried tofu from Tasikmalaya. The tofu is mixed with seasoning and shaped in balls or rounded form, and later deep-fried in cooking oil.[5]
  • Kupat tahu: (lit: ketupat with tofu), ketupat rice cake, beansprout, served in thick sweet and spicy peanut sauce, common throughout Java, however the most popular variant came from Kuningan, Magelang, Solo and Surabaya.

See also

References
  1. "Sejarah tahu goreng". (Indonesian)
  2. Indah Morgan. "Indonesian stuffed tofu (tahu isi)". SBS Australia. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  3. Tahu Bunkeng the pioneer of Tahu Sumedang
  4. Resep Tahu, Tahu Gejrot
  5. http://tahubulat-misihu.blogspot.com/
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