Cipera: Cuisine Karo are Similar to Columbia

Mejuah-juah! That's the greeting we received when Karo was stopped by the shops. Why not "long live"? Karo Batak is a subculture of its own, distinctive, and unique. Not too surprisingly, the culinary dishes from different cuisines Karo Toba, Simalungun, and Mandailing. Of course, as well as Nusantara cuisine, there are important similarities or resemblance.

Ola Kisat - meaning: do not be lazy - to position himself firmly as Karo Store. Therefore do not take it the same as the LAPO Batak you probably know all this. In fact, sorry, for a typical roast pork, Karo people have their own icon called bepeka (CPC = pork roast Karo). Try it yourself distinctiveness cuisine in Ola Kisat Karo had just opened, to complete your culinary experience.

Because the Karo people are Muslims and Christians, of course, many non-pork dishes in their culinary repertoire. When dropped into Kabanjahe two years ago, I was fortunate to taste kidu (sago larvae) are cooked arsik (yellow curry) typical Karo. Different Kidu kidu-kidu. The latter is also typical dish Karo, but including non-kosher because it is made from pig intestines and filled with minced pork - like sausages.

In Tanah Karo, there are chicken dishes are very popular with the name cipera. Chicken pieces - including the neck, wings, legs, heart-ampla - cooked with corn flour until soft and thick berkuah. Ears of corn flour must be of an old corn field, in order to produce a thick sauce. Flour corn is what is actually called cipera. This thick sauce flavored spicy for wearing tube (andaliman = Shanghai peppercorn), and slightly acidic due to wear tikala acid (from fruit honje kecombrang). In addition to chicken, mushroom also mixed into the sauce. Chicken is cooked until very soft and absorb the seasoning.

When tasting cipera, inevitably as I remember flying into Columbia dishes called sancocho. This dish is also taking all the chicken, berkuah thick with spicy sour flavor that stands out. The difference, of Columbia sancocho thickened with pumpkin (waluh), lime juice with spices, green peppers, and cilantro are finely ground. Sancocho also exist in the Dominican Republic, but the protein from cow's tail and ribs.

In Ola Kisat, cipera package with white rice and cassava leaf vegetables valued USD 25 thousand. Sweet leaf vegetables (cassava) can be replaced with a soup (non-halal) or chopped sweet potato leaves. For me, leaves chopped sweet Ola Kisat very impressive. In contrast with similar cuisine in Toba, in Tanah Karo cooking chopped cassava leaves was not berkuah. When combined with green chili sauce and a spicy bite andaliman, be saute chopped cassava leaves this dish special.

In the original tradition, dishes such as the above package is called styptic telu aka three servings. Pieces of chicken are usually excluded from the thick sauce, then cooked again with a member (lymph, blood, chicken - optional). Thick sauce as a second dish, may be poured over the chicken. Three are chopped vegetable dish - not only the cassava leaves, but also beans, banana stem, banana, papaya leaves, and bean sprouts.

Ola Kisat also serves typical goldfish arsik Tapanuli, anchovies field (sauteed Balado), and should bepeka thumbs up. Of course, must drink juice Martabe, the passion fruit juice with fresh sour eggplant dutch. In sharp contrast to dampen andaliman spiciness that makes the tongue-tied.

Seh kel tabehna. Delicious' times!

Ola Kisat
Karo Store
Jl. Fatmawati 4E
South Jakarta
021 7659118