Treat Yourself with Healthy Food at Pasar Gedhe

The dry season that hit several cities in Indonesia, including Solo, made the morning air cold and dry. brrr. I glanced at the clock on the table. Seven o’clock in the morning, the perfect time for breakfast. Hmm, what’s good for this day’s breakfast?

A cold morning is perfect for a warm and soupy breakfast. I started my motorbike and start hunting for breakfast. Along the road, there were many stalls offering soto. Nice, but that’s a too mainstream menu. This morning I wanted breakfast with a special menu. Slowly my motorbike entered the Pasar Gede area. Among the passing vehicles, as well as market activity in the morning, my eyes were fixed on a stall, a tahok stall.

I know tahok is one of the typical Solo foods that is getting rare. Since college, tahok has been a list of foods that I want to taste but haven’t gotten to. It’s probably the time to try Tahok. Moreover, this kembang tahu (beancurd) in wedang jahe (ginger tea) which is perfect breakfast in this chilly morning like today.

Tahok

Initially, tahok was a typical Chinese dish. At first glance it may look like bubur sumsum (a rice flour porridge with palm sugar juice), but it is made from kembang tahu/bean curd topped with wedang jahe. From its ingredients, tahok is the right choice to be enjoyed during cold weather. Tahok is also the food of choice when you catch a cold.

After having light breakfast with tahok, I was tempted to hunt for other culinary delights at Pasar Gede. What you should do better after payday than hunting down some yummiest delights? And That’s it. I entered the door of Pasar Gede, hunting dishes and enjoying the many enchanting cultural and historical sights of the market. The market is not so busy this morning. Both sellers and buyers were seen wearing masks, some of them even wore face shields and followed the Covid-19 prevention protocol set by the government.

Entering the alley not far from the market entrance, saw some food vendors. Wow, this is interesting, traditional food always has an interesting charm. Alright, I intend to buy some kind of healthy food.

Pecel nDeso

Pecel ndeso consists of boiled vegetables tossed with chili sauce. Unlike ordinary pecel whose sauce is made from peanuts, pecel ndeso sauce is made from black sesame. The dish, which is generally served with pincuk (banana leaves), is complemented by brown rice. Brown rice, which is a low-calorie, high-fiber, gluten-free, and non-trans fat source of carbohydrates is combined with different types of vegetables. Of course, if you’re on diet, this will boe your choice of healthy menu.

Brambang Asem

Brambang asem is a typical Solo food. You could not categorize it as a heavy meal nor a side dish. Brambang Asem is a menu of lung (sweet potato leaves) which is boiled and then served with a spicy-sour sauce. Sweet potato leaves are high in protein and carbohydrates and low in fat. The cholesterol content is also very low. Some of the nutrients in sweet potato leaves are high content dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and potassium.

Grontol

Grontol may sound foreign to some people. This food, which now has become difficult to find, is made from corn that is soaked and then boiled until it is slightly cracked. Grontol served with grated coconut and salt. This side dish has a distinctive savory taste. As we know, corn is the basic ingredient for making grontol, including a food substitute for rice which is rich in nutrition. Corn is rich in fiber and minerals. Corn also contains antioxidants, B vitamins and folic acid, vitamin C, carotenoids, and bioflavinoids.

Ingredients of jamu and jamu racikan

Inside the pasar Gede on the north side, I saw a stall of jamu ingredients. Not only fresh ingredients, these stalls also provide jamu ingredients in the form of simplicia and ready-to-brew jamu racikan (herbal mixs). There are also various types of soaps, body scrubs, as well as traditional beauty masks.

I don’t feel like that I’ve carried enough snacks already. It’s time to go home before I get mad and buy all the yummy stuff -and ruin my pocket. If you live in Solo City or want to visit Solo, don’t forget to stop by Pasar Gede to enjoy delicious healthy snacks and the friendliness of the sellers.

Not only that, it turns out. There are various snacks of polo kependhem, kolang-kaling or palm fruit, lenjongan, and so on. Wow, I have a lot of snacks and side-dishes today. Want to know more details about each of the foods above? Check out the full article!

Perpaduan Sari Kedelai dan Kuah Jahe dalam Semangkok Tahok

Mengintip Komposisi dalam Satu Pincuk Pecel nDeso

Brambang Asem, Olahan Daun Ubi Jalar yang Memiliki Rasa unik 

Sebungkus Grontol yang Gurih dan Mengenyangkan 

Bahan Jamu Paling Lengkap dan Jamu Racikan di Blok Jamu Pasar Gede

Tak Hanya Menyegarkan, Kolang Kaling Juga Menyehatkan