Sugar Burger

 

We'd heard that folks in the vicinity of Jogjakarta like their food sweet. But our wildest imaginations could never have conjured the Sugar Burger.

This is jada, a fat tofu or tempeh 'patty' simmered in sweet soy sauce mixed with loads of palm sugar and sandwiched between two soft rice cakes. When you take a bite the bean curd oozes sticky, salty sweetness. It's a snack sold all around the area (but made most deliciously at a small shop on the road to the Ullen Sentalu Museum). Some call it the Java Burger but - for obvious reasons - we think Sugar Burger's the more accurately descriptive title.

 

Diners assemble their own burgers from a tray of rice cakes, tofu, and tempeh. Chilies are an optional but, we think, necessary burger condiment, offering as they do a welcome, shocking hit of spice that perks up the whole package. One Sugar Burger's our limit, but not because the three-bite treat isn't tasty. The tofu and tempeh are actually unexpectedly addictive, combining as they do an assertive beany-savoriness with the subtle bitter-sour-sweet notes characteristic of high-quality palm sugar (think of the way plum sauce 'works' with Peking roast duck). It's those rolly-polly rice cakes that prevent us from eating more; they're way filling.

Sugar Burgers, aka jada, shop uphill from Jogjakarta on the way to Ullen Sentalu Museum; it's on you're left heading uphill, about 5 minutes from the museum. Look for the sign ('Jada', not 'Sugar Burgers').

Comments

[a]

Whoa. Was a bit unsure when I read the title, but this really does sound quite excellent. I think.

[Bea]

Oh my god, that sounds and looks absolutely delicious.

I have some Japanese mochi things that you grill in the refrigerator. I might try something like this today.

[Vincent]

Hmmm it looks like a tempe or tofu bacem. I wonder if it's the same one or not. I never ate them with the rice cake buns.

Love your site... give me memories of home and cravings for South East Asian food. You should check out the city of Semarang (2 hr north of Jogja) next time you're back in Central Java. Lots of good food to try there.

[Tuty]

The way you described the taste and appearance of the tempe & tofu, I'd call them bacem (just like Vincent said). The rice cake sounds/looks like gemblong. If you take Vincent's suggestion to check out the food scenes in Semarang, be sure to get in touch with Rita (mochachocolata rita) to get some suggestions. I'd recommend that you check out SIMPANG LIMA at night... I heard that there are lots of good food.
Cheers..

[The Wind Attack]

That looks divine. I love rice cakes, and sweet and salty caramelized tofu or tempeh in the middle sounds like a great filling to this sandwich. I wonder if I could figure out how to make these at home....

[online Philippine shopping site]

at the first glance,I wonder about the tittle until I learned that it was a rice cakes.that is so unique and they seems so appetizing!

seth

[Midlife Crisis]

It sounds delicious but definitively is not a healthy food.