In the country, most people are coming specifically in order to visit the astonishing locations. And most of them are the natural attractions that can always attract new visitors each day. The perfect example of them is the great Toba Lake in the Sumatra island. Even though the distance from Jakarta is considered really far, but many people still want to go there while they can.
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Of course, exploring the exotic locations of Indonesia wouldn’t be complete without trying the traditional foods that exist in the area. The areas around Toba Lake also have several traditional foods that you should try. We tried to gather them all and finally put them inside our article of the must try local street foods near Toba Lake that you’re gonna see right on the section below :
1 – Sambal Tuktuk
As the first meal on the list, we want to introduce the thing called Sambal Tuktuk. We’ve told you on some previous articles that people in Indonesia really love to add sambal as a completement to their meals. So do the people who live around North Sumatra, they even have their own special Sambal.
The Sambal Tuktuk uses the basic ingredients from fishes and vegetables. People around Tapanuli use the Aso-Aso fishes in order to make a good portion of Sambal Tuktuk. Then, they add some stuff in like onions, chilis, lime, garlic, and some pepper. The taste is so fresh and tasteful also a little bit salty.
2 – Dali ni Horbo
The next one in the must try local street foods near Toba Lake is Dali ni Horbo. This clean looking traditional food of North Sumatra is made of milk. But not the cow’s milk, the buffalos’ milk. They processed it for some time. And the final result is the thick white food that tastes similar to cheese.
However, if the cheese is made with the additional chemical ingredient, Dali ni Horbo doesn’t use them at all. So you can say that this is the most natural cheese you can have in this world. Usually, a plate of Dali ni Horbo will be sold for about ten or twenty thousan rupiahs. It’s the most affordable price you can get.
3 – Gomak Noodle
If in some places in Indonesia have their own unique noodles like Mie Ayam, Mi Bakso, and the others, the area of North Sumatra also has one special noodle called Gomak. The look is really similar to Aceh Noodle, even though there’s a big difference between those two. However, Gomak Noodle was named after the way to process it, which is by hands or Gomak.
The form of the noodle is really similar o spaghetti. That’s why many people are calling this Gomak Noodle as the spaghetti of Batak. Usually, the noodle will be served in two different forms, wet and dry. You can choose one of them that is most suitable for you. You can find this noodle easily in some schools or stalls by the main roads.
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4 – Sate Kerang
In Indonesia, there are some types of satay that you can find. Usually, the name is always based on the basic ingredient that used for satay, like Satay Ayam or Satay Kambing. In North Sumatra, you can also find another type of Satay called Sate Kerang or Shell Satay. This satay uses the meat of shells for its base ingredient.
Sate Kerang is usually sold inside plastic bags, which is very easy to carry. But, you can buy the better one in Sate Kerang Rahmat in North Sumatra. They have three different variants of Sate Kerang, starting from the sweet, original, and spicy. Per pack, you can buy with eleven thousand rupiahs to twenty two thousand rupiahs.
5 – Kolak Durian
Kolak is the traditional meal in Indonesia that can be found mostly during Ramadhan. Usually to make a portion of Kolak, you’ll use banana and cassava. But, Kolak During is surely different. Instead of cassava and Banana, they use flesh of Durian. Because Durian is really common in Medan, it’s not that hard to find it.
In a portion of Kolak Durian, you’ll not find just water and durian. They will add with some stuff like white Ketan, sugar palm, banana, some sweet corns, and of course the coconut milk. The taste is very rich because you can find like many flavors combined into one bowl. Surely it’s a must-taste one.
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6 – Daun Sinkong Tumbuk
If the mashed potato is something that really mainstream, how about the mashed cassava? In the area of Medan, they have this veggies called Daun Singkong Tumbuk that uses the basic ingredient that can be found in basically everywhere, cassava leaves. They call it with different names, like Parcak, Bulung Gadung, and also Silalat.
However, to make a plate of Daun Singkong Tumbuk, it’s actually very easy. You just need to prepare some stuff first aside from the leaves, like onion, chili, and garlic. The leaves however are not any cassava leaves. You should pick the young leaves, because it tastes less bitter and easy to process.
7 – Saksang
The other must try local street foods near Toba Lake is Saksang. This one is pretty unique because they use the combination between the animal’s meat and their blood. Trust us, it’s not that gross. It’s even one wonderful traditional food that you should taste when having a visit to North Sumatra, especially Medan.
Usually, they use the meat of cow instead of chicken. And sometimes, they switch the usual blood sauce with the nut sauce to make the soup sweeter. Also in Saksang, they add some coconut milk to bring the taste better. For Moslems, they can eat Saksang that uses buffalo meat and no blood. Both of the versions are still delicious anyway.
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8 – Natinombur
Next one on the list is Natinombur. Medan is known as an area that highly produce food-related foods. The perfect example other than the meals above is this one. Natinombur also uses fish meat as basic ingredient. But, it’s really different from Naniura, because the meat will be cooked first before processing.
If you want to make a good Natinombur, you need some time to boil the meat first, just like its name Naitnombur, which means boiling. It’s actually folklore of a fishermen group who always cook the fish meat with boiling method. They then add some stuff on it like the sauce that put on the meat. Then, the end process is grilling the meat until it’s done.
9 – Manuk Napinadar
Eating chicken in fast foods can be a bit boring if you do it constantly. The existence of traditional meals that use chicken meat is surely be a great news. Like this one for example, a traditional meal in Medan called Manuk Napinadar. The name is indeed not as popular as Chicken Betutu, bur surely it’s a good one.
The meal is not a common thing that you can find on some stalls around Medan. You need to come to special ceremonies or events in Medan in order to get a nice portion of it. However, Manuk Napinadar looks like an ordinary chicken. But the taste is way better. It uses one secret ingredient that can only be found on Medan.
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10 – Naniura
If the meat in Natinombur will be cooked first before proceeding to the next step, Naniura doesn’t require you to do it. To cook Naniura, you can just prepare a raw fish meat. Basically it’s a Shasimi of Batak. But the difference is, the sauce that will be put on it is way richer and colorful.
To make a good Naniura, you can prepare the meat of goldfish first. Then, you can spend some time to cook the sour sauce. Originally, this food is a special dish that preserved for the King Sisingamangaraja. Now, as a peasent, everyone can enjoy it as a usual meal for the day. Make sure you give it a taste.
Of course the ten foods above are not the only things that you can find there. That’s why, we want to tell you the other five must try local street foods near Toba Lake that have their own unique flavors you can’t find anywhere else.
1. Arsik
2. Lemang
3. Anyang Pakis
4. Kari
5. Putu Bambu
The article about must try local street foods near Toba Lake finally ends. So what do you think about them? Which one of them that you want to try first? Make sure to share your opinion in the comment section right below. You can also share with us the experience of exploring Toba Lake and the areas around.
