snacking in makassar, sulawesi selatan

There are various unmissable jajanan to be had in Makassar, some of which we bought from Toko Cahaya at Jalan Sulawesi -- located near the Confucian temple Klenteng Kwan Kong Satya Dharma.

Gogos is similar to lemper, in that it consists of mostly sticky rice with minced meat filling. To make gogos, sticky rice is steamed with pandan leaves before being simmered with coconut milk. The cooked sticky rice are then filled with minced meat and rolled like one would rolling a sushi. After the cylindrical shape is attained, they are wrapped in banana leaf and -- this is where it differs from lemper -- the gogos are then grilled over charcoal.

Kroket -- like its western brother the croquette -- is simply mashed potato that has been filled with minced meat and deep fried to render the outside crispy and the inside soft. I have to say this was my favourite out of the lot, the potatoes has this sweetness and bounciness to it that is quite addictive.

Jalangkote, similar to kue pastel, are deep fried pastries with fillings such as vermicelli, diced potatoes, carrots, yam, and boiled eggs.

Heci, also called ote-ote, are not strictly Makassarese. Then again, I realised many of the jajanan I've listed thusfar can also be had in other parts of Indonesia under different aliases. Heci is simply fried pancake mix laced with various spices and topped off with young unshelled prawns.

What I missed out on sampling while in Makassar was es pisang ijo, a dessert of bananas wrapped in psychedelic green dough served with smooth rice pudding and crushed ice. Unlike the other snacks above, this dessert is strictly Makassarese. One source said its existence dates back to 1535 during the Gowa Kingdom -- although it probably wasn't served with crushed ice then.

Toko Cahaya

Jalan Sulawesi 181

Makassar SULAWESI SELATAN

location on google maps