Local Guide

Ultimate Guide to Krupuk: Indonesian Deep Fried Crackers

Hello FlokqJune 12, 2020

The name crackers or krupuk (kerupuk in Bahasa) are a description of the crunchy sound you hear when you eat this snack. Not only in Indonesia, but there is also krupuk in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and the Philippines.

One interesting fact about krupuk is that most krupuk must be dried in the sun before being fried. There are many Indonesian crackers that you can try, such as emping, rengginang, and rempeyek.

Generally, some of the krupuk-producing centers come from coastal areas. And Indonesia is one country that has many types of krupuk. Let’s read further to find out about Indonesian crackers!

What is Krupuk?

Crackers or krupuk are a type of snack made from a mixture of tapioca or flour mixed with flavoring ingredients such as shrimp or fish. Apart from tapioca flour or flour dough, there are also several types of krupuk that don’t use flour at all.

The krupuk that uses flour dough is processed by steaming the dough until cooked in a banana leaf package, then cut into thin strips, dried in the sun, and then fried in lots of cooking oil.

In addition to frying using cooking oil, some types of krupuk can also be fried using sand! The krupuk that is fried without oil makes the krupuk have minimal cholesterol. The taste is as delicious and crunchy as the crackers or krupuk fried in cooking oil, Flokqers!

People eat krupuk anytime and anywhere. Their various sizes and savory taste make them suitable to be served as a complement to main meals in Indonesia. If you eat at a restaurant that serves Indonesian food, krupuk or crackers usually always be available to accompany your meal.

In addition to accompanying the main course, you can also eat krupuk as snacks with other foods and a cup of coffee in the afternoon. Krupuk is also popular for holidays such as the celebration of Indonesia’s Independence Day with a krupuk eating competition.

How to Make Krupuk

1. Mackerel Fish Crackers

Ingredients:

• 300 grams of atom crackers (krupuk atom)
• 100 grams of minced mackerel fish
• 155 grams of sago
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of mushroom broth
• 10 grams of sugar
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• cooking oil

Step:

1. Beat the eggs with a fork. Puree the fish if it is not smooth.
2. Add salt, sugar, baking soda, mushroom broth to the egg beaten. Shake well.
3. After the eggs are well beaten, add the minced fish.
4. Add the sago to the mixture. Stir well until the dough is solid.
5. Take a small portion of the dough. Twist lengthwise then cut into small pieces. Repeat until the dough runs out.
6. Prepare a frying pan filled with cooking oil. Add the dough pieces.
7. Turn on the low heat, stir the crackers until cooked.

2. Inside Out Tofu Crackers

Ingredients:

• 20 pieces of fried tofu
• 3 red onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• Salt and pepper
• Flavoring (this recipe uses Royco flavoring)

Step:

1. Cut the brown tofu diagonally into a triangle.
2. Turn the tofu inside out, so the brown skin becomes the inside. Do it slowly so that the tofu does not tear.
3. Puree the onion and garlic. Add salt, pepper, coriander, and flavorings.
4. Marinate the tofu with ground spices for about 5 minutes.
5. Fry the tofu in hot oil until the tofu is completely dry and crunchy like a cracker. Then remove, drain, and serve!

3. Balado Dumpling Crackers

Ingredients:

• 300 gr dumpling skin
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Salt
  • Ground spices:
• 50 gr red chilies
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 spring onions
• 8 pieces of lime leaves
• Cooking oil

Step:

1. Cut the dumpling skin into 8 small triangles. Then fry until browned. Drain.
2. Prepare the ground spices. You can blend or crush the spices.
3. Heat cooking oil, saute ground spices until fragrant.
4. Add sugar and salt, stir until the sugar is melted and bubbly. Turn off the fire.
5. Add the dumpling chips. Stir until well combined with the spices.

7 Ways to Fry Krupuk

1. Dry the crackers while they are still raw. So that the crackers are not moist and can bloom completely, they must be dried in the sun first in a place exposed to the sun. If the sun is very hot, it can be dried in the sun for one day. However, if it is a little cloudy, the crackers should be dried in the sun for 2-3 days.
2. Choose the right frying pan. You can fry the crackers in a deep pan so that they can accommodate the oil and the crackers properly.
3. Use the right amount of heat and oil. Apart from choosing the right skillet, the heat of the fire and the amount of oil also need to be considered. Make sure the heat of the fire is around medium heat, not still cold or too hot. The oil used should also be fresh and plenty of oil so that the crackers can be splashed.
4. Fry according to the size of the crackers. Large crackers can be fried one by one while being pressed so they don’t bubble. While the small ones can be fried several at once, but there should be enough room for the crackers to bloom.
5. Do the frying twice. For thick crackers, you need to fry them twice so that they bloom and are easy to chew. First, fry the crackers over low heat until fluffy, then drain. Secondly, fry the crackers again in hot oil and drain them after they are fully blooming.
6. Stir and go back and forth to cook evenly. With a sunken skillet, heat on the right heat and volume of oil, the next step is to turn the crackers so that they cook evenly. The crackers don’t take long to cook, make sure they don’t burn, Flokqers!
7. Immediately remove and drain when cooked. When the crackers look ripe and bloom, immediately remove them from the pan and drain. Wait until the crackers are no longer greasy to eat or store in a jar.

14 Different Types of Indonesian Krupuk

1. Krupuk Udang

Krupuk Udang or Prawn/Shrimp Crackers, one of the most famous types of crackers. The main ingredients of these crackers are shrimp, tapioca flour, and water. Usually, people fry the Shrimp Crackers with cooking oil, but you can also use the oven. The benefit of using the oven is that the crackers will not be too oily and the shrimp will smell stronger.

2. Amplang

Amplang is a fish cracker snack, also goes by the name Tiger Claw Cracker. Generally, the types of fish used are mackerel and mackerel. Amplang originates in Kalimantan and is one of the souvenirs from Kalimantan. Amplang has many variants, such as salmon, seaweed, crab, and many more.

3. Krupuk Mie

Krupuk Mie is one of everyone’s favorite crackers, this yellowish cracker is originate from noodles. You can eat these crackers alone, but people usually eat them as an accompaniment to some foods, such as pickles. Krupuk Mie also goes great with peanut sauce.

4. Krupuk Gendar

Gendar Crackers are made from a mixture of rice with herbs and spices and tapioca flour to add the chewiness of the crackers. Generally, after 2-3 days of drying and drying in the sun, you can fry the raw Gendar Crackers and eat them as afternoon snacks.

5. Krupuk Ikan

Krupuk Ikan or Fish Crackers are also one of the most popular types of krupuk in Indonesia. This krupuk uses fish, spices, and tapioca flour as basic ingredients. The type of fish cracker that is most favored by Indonesians is the mackerel and skipjack ones. You can enjoy the fish crackers as a companion for some meals or as afternoon snack.

6. Krupuk Kulit

In Javanese, Krupuk Kulit is what they call Rambak, while in Minangkabau is Karupuak Jangek. Krupuk Kulit or Skin Crackers’ main ingredients are the soft inner skin of cow or buffalo. To keep them crispy, ready-to-sell skin crackers are put in a vacuum plastic bag. Some areas such as Bali and other areas with a majority non-Muslim population also sell Pork Skin Crackers.

7. Krupuk Kemplang

The main ingredients of Kemplang are tapioca flour and mackerel fish. Usually people eat Kemplang with sour and spicy chili sauce. Kemplang is famous in Palembang, people there usually eat it with Pempek. Kemplang is mostly originate in Palembang, Bandar Lampung, Bangka Island, in home industries.

8. Krupuk Pasir

Krupuk Pasir in English is Sand Crackers. Yup, as the name suggests, these crackers are cooked using sand, a.k.a. without cooking oil. In some places, people also call them Krupuk Mlarat. People usually eat Krupuk Pasir with a typical East Java chili paste.

9. Krupuk Putih

This cracker is one of the most popular because of its delicious and salty taste. If in a food stall, it is usually stored in a tin box or plastic bag that you can buy in units or in large quantities.

10. Emping

Emping is made from melinjo seeds which are crushed until smooth and dried in the sun. The taste of chips is bitter and slightly sweet, making Emping suitable as a companion for heavy meals.

11. Krupuk Bawang

Although colorful, this cracker contains garlic as the main flavor. The taste is slightly saltier than the other crackers, making onion crackers a great afternoon snack.

12. Rengginang

Rengginang is made from glutinous rice or dried rice. Before drying, they give spices to the rice dough for the salty one and brown sugar for the sweet one.

13. Krupuk Puli

Similar to Rengginang, Krupuk Puli are made from pounded rice until smooth. In several regions in Indonesia, people usually eat these cracker with peanut sauce and boiled vegetables.

14. Rempeyek

For those of you who like a strong taste of food, peanut brittle will be suitable for your tongue! Unlike other crackers that have a finely ground flavor, you can enjoy peanut brittle with fish, shrimp, or peanuts as the toppings. You can taste the shrimp, fish or nuts even stronger and more delicious!

Indonesian Food with Krupuk

1. Seblak from West Java

If you are a fan of spicy food, Seblak will suit your tongue! Seblak is a mixture of crackers, you can also add eggs, noodles, claws, meatballs, or whatever additions you want. The cracker mixture for Seblak is raw crackers soaked in water until it’s mushy.

After the crackers are soft, cook them with red chili sauce, galangal, garlic, a little cooking oil, and water. If you cook Seblak yourself, you can adjust the amount of red chili sauce for the spiciness. So, Seblak is also enjoyable for those of you who don’t like spicy.

2. Aci Meatballs from Garut

Different from the typical meatballs, Aci Meatballs originate from sago flour. You can also enjoy Aci Meatballs with Aci Crackers and other crackers that have a salty taste to compensate for the spicy sauce. For a better taste, eat your Aci Meatballs with additional pilus and lime juice, Flokqers!

Even though the sauce looks red, it’s usually because of the seasoning for the broth and it’s not too spicy. You can use additional chili sauce if you want your Aci Meatball to be spicy.

3. Krecek Fried Sambal from Jogja

You can enjoy this Indonesian food in a portion of Gudeg or as a separate side dish. Made from soaked skin crackers, this Krecek Fried Sambal is suitable for those who are fans of spicy food.

4. Asinan Betawi from Jakarta

If you want to eat vegetable with a crunchy sensation, this food is for you! Vegetables and tofu drizzled with peanut sauce and noodle crackers plus sand crackers are delicious to eat during the afternoon or evening.

You can enjoy Indonesian crackers as a complement to some meals or as a snack when hungry. You can find various types of Indonesian crackers everywhere and you can even cook them yourself at home and enjoy them with friends and family.

Hopefully, this complete guide to Indonesian crackers can help you get to know more about crackers. Don’t forget to check out more complete recommended guides on our blog!

Also read An Ultimate Guide to Rujak and The Ultimate Guide to Jamu