Nasi kucing
Encyclopedia
Nasi kucing (ˈnasi ˈkutʃɪŋ; also known as sego kucing and often translated cat rice or cat's rice) is an Indonesia
n rice dish that originated from Yogyakarta, Semarang
, and Surakarta
but has since spread. It consists of a small portion of rice with toppings, usually sambal
, dried fish, and tempeh
, wrapped in banana leaves.
, and Surakarta
. However, it has since spread to Jakarta
and even as far as Mecca
, sold by Indonesian workers during the hajj
.
, dried fish, and tempeh
. Other ingredients can include egg, chicken, and cucumber. It is served ready-made, wrapped in a banana leaf
, which is further wrapped in paper.
A variation of nasi kucing, sego macan (tiger's rice) is three times the size of a regular portion of nasi kucing. It is served with roasted rice, dried fish, and vegetables. Like nasi kucing, sego macan is served wrapped in a banana leaf and paper.
, including pedicab and taxi drivers, students, and street musicians. This has led to angkringan being considered the "lowest class of eatery".
The owners of the angkringan themselves often come from lower socio-economic classes, may have few or no marketable skills, or originate from remote villages. In order to open their stalls, they borrow money from a patron, called a juragan; that amount can be up to Rp. 900,000.00 (US$ 105.00). From the daily net profit
s of Rp. 15,000.00 – Rp. 20,000.00 (US$ 1.75 – 2.35), the seller repays the patron until the debt is repaid and the seller is able to operate independently.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n rice dish that originated from Yogyakarta, Semarang
Semarang
- Economy :The western part of the city is home to many industrial parks and factories. The port of Semarang is located on the north coast and it is the main shipping port for the province of Central Java. Many small manufacturers are located in Semarang, producing goods such as textiles,...
, and Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
but has since spread. It consists of a small portion of rice with toppings, usually sambal
Sambal
Sambal is a chili based sauce which is normally used as a condiment. Sambals are popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as in the Netherlands and in Suriname through Javanese influence. It is typically made from a variety of chili peppers and is...
, dried fish, and tempeh
Tempeh
Tempeh , or tempe , is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty...
, wrapped in banana leaves.
Etymology
The term nasi kucing, literally meaning "cat rice" or "cat's rice", is derived from the portion size. The portion of rice served is similar in size to what the Javanese would serve to a pet cat, hence the name.Origin
Nasi kucing originated in Yogyakarta, SemarangSemarang
- Economy :The western part of the city is home to many industrial parks and factories. The port of Semarang is located on the north coast and it is the main shipping port for the province of Central Java. Many small manufacturers are located in Semarang, producing goods such as textiles,...
, and Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
. However, it has since spread to Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
and even as far as Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, sold by Indonesian workers during the hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
.
Presentation
Nasi kucing consists of a small, fist-sized portion of rice along with toppings. Common toppings include sambalSambal
Sambal is a chili based sauce which is normally used as a condiment. Sambals are popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as in the Netherlands and in Suriname through Javanese influence. It is typically made from a variety of chili peppers and is...
, dried fish, and tempeh
Tempeh
Tempeh , or tempe , is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty...
. Other ingredients can include egg, chicken, and cucumber. It is served ready-made, wrapped in a banana leaf
Banana leaf
Banana leaf is the leaf of the Banana plant. It is used for various functions, such as for decorative elements, wrappings, plate mat, and employed in cooking method....
, which is further wrapped in paper.
A variation of nasi kucing, sego macan (tiger's rice) is three times the size of a regular portion of nasi kucing. It is served with roasted rice, dried fish, and vegetables. Like nasi kucing, sego macan is served wrapped in a banana leaf and paper.
Sales
Nasi kucing is often sold at a low price (sometimes as low as Rp 1000 [US$ 0.12] for nasi kucing and Rp 4000 [US$ 0.48] for sego macan) at small, road-side food stalls called angkringan, which are frequented by lower class people, or wong cilikWong cilik
Wong Cilik means 'little people' in Javanese, the language of the Javanese people, Indonesia's largest ethnic group. It is a social class in traditional Javanese society that corresponds to commoners in medieval European societies, as opposed to priyayi, the elite, aristocratic class....
, including pedicab and taxi drivers, students, and street musicians. This has led to angkringan being considered the "lowest class of eatery".
The owners of the angkringan themselves often come from lower socio-economic classes, may have few or no marketable skills, or originate from remote villages. In order to open their stalls, they borrow money from a patron, called a juragan; that amount can be up to Rp. 900,000.00 (US$ 105.00). From the daily net profit
Net profit
Net profit or net revenue is a measure of the profitability of a venture after accounting for all costs. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 91 percent responded that they found the "net profit" metric very useful...
s of Rp. 15,000.00 – Rp. 20,000.00 (US$ 1.75 – 2.35), the seller repays the patron until the debt is repaid and the seller is able to operate independently.
See also
- Nasi boganaNasi BoganaNasi Bogana or Nasi Begana, pronounced as Nah-see Boh-gâna, is an Indonesian style rice dish, originally from Tegal, Central Java. It is usually wrapped in Banana leaves and served with a variety of side dishes....
- Nasi campur
- Nasi gorengNasi gorengNasi goreng, literally meaning "fried rice" in Indonesian, can refer simply to fried pre-cooked rice, a meal including stir fried rice in small amount of cooking oil or margarine, typically spiced with kecap manis , shallot, garlic, tamarind and chilli and accompanied with other ingredients,...
- Nasi kuningNasi kuningNasi Kuning is an Indonesian rice dish cooked with coconut milk and turmeric, hence the name nasi kuning . Nasi kuning might come in the form of a cone called a tumpeng and is usually eaten during special events...
- Nasi liwetNasi liwetNasi liwet is a kind of food from Solo, Central Java. As we know, rice is usually cooked in water, but nasi liwet is rice cooked in coconut milk. This is a traditional Javanese way of cooking, from the past until now. In the past, the pan used for cooking was made of clay...
- Nasi pecelNasi pecelNasi pecel is a Javanese rice dish served with pecel . The vegetables are usually kangkung or water spinach, long beans, cassava leaves, papaya leaves, and in East Java often used kembang turi. It tastes best when eaten with fried tempeh and traditional cracker called peyek...
- Nasi uduk
- Nasi ulamNasi ulamNasi ulam is a steamed rice dish mixed with various herbs, especially the leaves of pegagan or often replaced with kemangi , vegetables, spices and accompanied with various side dishes...