Indonesia is indeed rich in culinary diversity, including Surabaya food. Surabaya itself is known as the city of warriors, however, this place also has its signature foods you have to try during the visit. Here are the best 10 Surabaya foods for you to get on the list!
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1. Rawon Surabaya
The best of the best Surabaya food would define Rawon. Compared to other types of Indonesian soup, Rawon has a secret ingredient named “kluwak” or pangium edule.
Kluwak brings subtly smoky and woody aromatic which also darkens the soup.
As you can see, Rawon contains a lot of condiments. It consists of beef, bean sprout, rice, and sambal.
Surabayan would eat Rawon with fried tempeh and kerupuk for the compliment. Make sure you put Rawon on your first list!
Read About: Indonesian Soups : The Best 15 That You Must Try!
2. Nasi Krawu
If you are seeking special Surabaya food for lunch or dinner, Nasi Krawu could be a great pick.
It’s basically rice with a bunch of side dishes such as beef, offals, sambal, and serundeng.
Banana leaves as a serving plate elevate the taste to be more aromatic.
3. Pecel Semanggi
If you prefer to have Surabaya food in a healthy version, Pecel Semanggi suits you the most. This dish can be called a traditional salad due to its content.
Pecel Semanggi is dominated by veggies with serundeng and stir-fried tempeh with peanut sauce pour into the mixture.
Commonly, people would eat Pecel using rice and additional toppings such as quail eggs, krupuk, and peyek. It’s a great menu for breakfast and lunch.
Read About: 7 Best Indonesian Healthy Foods!
4. Nasi Cumi
Nasi Cumi is also one menu you should try during your visit. This Surabaya food become one of the culinary signature since the city is surrounded by sea.
The star of this dish is the black tint squid with lots of things going on the plate such as serundeng, yellow noodles, sambal, peyek, and more.
What a fulfilling dish for dinner.
5. Tahu Campur Surabaya
Since Tahu is tofu, Tahu Campur has this ingredient as the star which makes it a popular Bandung food.
Tahu Campur is served with beef soup with tofu, beef, rice cake, lettuce, bean sprout, and yellow noodles.
To have a more pleasant experience while eating, you can add fried onions, fried mashed potato, and shrimp crackers.
Read About: 9 Indonesian Tofu Dishes from Snacks to Main Course
6. Rujak Cingur
For those who want to eat healthy but still crave delicate food, Rujak Cingur as one of the Surabaya food signatures could be a great option.
As you can see in the picture, this dish contains a lot of veggies with cow muzzle as the star, tofu and tempeh as the protein, and shrimp paste as the sauce.
You are probably terrified by the muzzle, however, since you are in Surabaya, why not give it a try?
7. Tahu Tek
Tahu Tek is also a Surabaya food with tofu as the main condiment here.
Compared to Tahu Campur with lots of things going on, Tahu Tek originally consisted of rice cake, tofu, and shrimp paste only.
Shrimp paste here is one of the signature seasonings from East Java which is made from spice and shrimp or fish that is cooked until it gets darkened and thick.
8. Sate Klopo
Sate or Satay Klopo is also one of the star dishes of Surabaya food.
It is available in chicken and beef versions.
What makes Sate Klopo different is the addition of shredded coconut in the seasoning before the satay starts to get roasted.
The coconut in here brings a smoky and flavorful taste you can imagine.
Like Indonesian satay in common, Sate Klopo is also served with peanut sauce with raw onion and sambal to enhance the flavor.
9. Lontong Balap
Lontong Balap is another signature Surabaya food with shrimp paste as the sauce.
The condiments are rice cake, nuts, bean sprouts, fried tofu, fried shredded coconut, and cassava.
Lontong Balap also uses clear soup with fried onions as a compliment.
You can enjoy this dish for breakfast or lunch while strolling around Surabaya City.
10. Sate Karak
If you are innards lovers, better try Sate Karak as your Surabaya food list to try.
Sate Karak is made from cow innards with black glutinous rice with shredded coconut as the topping and of course, the peanut sauce to pour on.
You can imagine how rich the flavor is in the distinctive condiment here!
Those are the 10 Surabaya foods you need to put on your list during your visit. As a result, you can see that the signature of Surabaya food contains shrimp paste and coconut. However, that’s what makes the cuisine here different than in any other place. Therefore, have a try!
Read About: 10 Best Indonesian Main Courses You Need To Try!
