Chi Cong Fan and Kue Rangi, My Two Fav Jakarta's Street Food

Sometimes, simple food is the best.

Kue rangi (rangi cake)

That is what I really think about street food. Nothing fancy, no cute packaging, all using cheapjack devices without sophisticated technology. But the street food are truly loveable.

I miss these so much. No Jakarta's street food vendors here in Sydney, so unfortunately my craving cannot be satisfied. So I thought I'll just write about them. And here you go. My favourite Jakarta street food. Some of you may be familiar with these, but I'll still describe them anyway.
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Chi Cong Fan

What is it?

Chi Cong Fan or Cheung Fun has texture like rice noodles, as they are actually rice noodle sheets. Originated from Medan (capital city of North Sumatra), they are generally served in yum cha. These slippery sheets are made of rice flour mixed with water, and then steamed.

While the original version of Chi Cong Fan is filled with BBQ meat and topped with soy sauce and sesame seeds, the Indonesian version only involves mini cuts of 'sausage' in the sheets.
[Note: Information referred to Selby's Food Corner]

Chi cong fan (wide rice noodles)

How is it served?

Chi Cong Fan has friends. Uyen (deep fried taro fritters), fried turnip cake (lobak/kotak), spring rolls, and siu mays are the usual options to accompany Chi Cong Fan. Some people may prefer eating them alone, but I love fried things too much to skip them. Uyen is always my favourite, always.

Uyen (taro fritters)

Fried turnip cakes and spring rolls

To have a beautiful serve of this street food, first, you just need to tell the vendor which ones you want to have. I usually point two sheets of Chi Cong Fan, two uyens, and one other fried thing, like fried carrot cake or spring roll. The vendor will cut all of them to bite-size using tongs and big scissors. He'll put them on a plastic container, and doused them generously with sauces. Salty soy sauce is a must, along with sweet and spicy chilli sauces.

After sprinkling a lot of fried shallots ans sesame, you'll get your filling and beautiful snack ready.

Sauces and fried shallots

How does it taste?

Hearty and fantastic. I love having the smooth rice noodle sheets with the crunchy fried things because I love the textures play.

And it's amazing how the simple soy sauce and chilli sauce can make a beautiful seasoning. Mouth-watering fragrance is provided by the fried shallots and the sesame, they will spoil your senses to the very last bite. Overall, I truly recommend this street food. Try it yourself and enjoy an unpretentious culinary delight.

Chi cong fan (with the lot)

How much does it cost?

I usually pay IDR 10,000 ($1.05) for a filling portion of Chi Cong Fan, which consisting of tow rice noodles sheets, two uyens, and one more fried thing. Price may vary.

Where can I find it?

I have never seen Chi Cong Fan served in restaurants, so you have to find the vendors. I usually find the vendors with bicycles at schools and churches, but sometimes they may go past your house. There are still quite a lot of Chi Cong Fan vendors around, I think.



Kue rangi ('Rangi' cake)

What is it?

Kue rangi is an authentic snack, first introduced by Betawi people (old colonial name of Jakarta). This snack has been served for a very long time, and I am afraid that they will vanish completely in the future. Not many people (especially teenagers) know about this old-school snack, and I think this kind of snack has to be preserved.

The simple and easy snack is made from crushed grated coconut mixed with sagu (sago powder/flour) and pinches of salt.

Kue rangi vendor

How is it served?

The vendor uses a special tin pan to make the half-circular cake. But first, he crushes the white powdery dough, and then puts it on the hot pan. He then covers the pan with the lid, and waits for about 5 minutes if you ask for chewy cakes, or about 10 mins if you want really crispy cakes. After the cakes are cooked, he puts them all on a folded brown paper, and then the drizzling begins. Palm sugar (or gula aren) is used to drizzle, which has earthy and delicious sweetness.

Clockwise from top left: cruching the dough, putting the dough on the hot mould, cooked cakes, drizzling palm sugar

How does it taste?

Another delicious yet unpretentious snack. One doesn't simply stop eating this just for a bite. The white cakes are crispy outside, and a bit chewy on the inside. They're pretty much tasteless, but the textures are delightful. The sweetness comes from the palm sugar, and they all work very well together. Very moreish and toothsome. I always feel like I have to have them everytime I see a kue rangi vendor around.

Kue rangi

How much does it cost?

A portion of kue rangi usually costs you for a mere IDR 3,000 - IDR 6,000 ($0.30 - $0.60).

Where can I find it?

First of all, good luck. It is quite hard to find a kue rangi vendor nowadays, as they are very rare. There are some in my neighborhood, so maybe there are some in yours too. But I have told that there are definitely some in Kota Tua area, in Central Jakarta.

If you are really interested to try, you can go to Puri Indah Mall, there is one stall at the food court selling kue rangi for IDR 12,000 ($1.3) per portion. Crazy price, I know.
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So that's my two most favourite street food. I'll post more about Jakarta's street food, because I actually have a lot of favourites. And I still have many Jakarta food review in stock, so I hope you guys don't mind me publishing them first whilst collecting Sydney food reviews.

BTW, how's your Valentine's? Did you eat a lot of chocolates?