Batagor

is deep-frying batagor in a cart during car-free day in Jakarta. Batagor is ubiquitous in Indonesian cities and can be found in street-side food stalls, travelling carts, bicycle vendors, and restaurants. However, it is most strongly associated with the West Java city of Bandung. The dish is influenced by Chinese Indonesian cuisine, According to legend, batagor was created as a way to salvage unsold bakso meatballs. It is said that one day the bakso did not sell well, and a seller was stuck with too many leftovers. To cut his losses, he then came up with the idea to grind the meatballs, stuff them into tofu, deep-fry them, and serve them with peanut sauce in a fashion similar to siomay or ngo hiang. This created a new dish of bakso tahu goreng ("fried bakso [and] tofu"), abbreviated as "batagor". ==Varieties==

'' Batagor is traditionally served with peanut sauce, although in Bandung, most batagor sellers also offer a variation served in clear broth known as batagor kuah ("batagor soup"). The soup consists of a clear chicken broth with the addition of various ingredients such as pepper, sugar, salt, leek, and celery. Chili sauce, tomato sauce, and lime can also be added to add more flavor to the soup. Batagor is popular for its savory flavor, crispy texture of its deep-fried wonton skin and tofu, and sweet and savoury peanut sauce. As of 2018, batagor is often sold at around 10,000 Indonesian rupiahs per portion at modest street-side vendors. ==See also==