Hunt For Pak Tjarlam's Tasty Soto Tauto At Pekalongan Senggol Market
Except for batik, Pekalongan City is also famous for its cuisine. One of them is Soto Tauto a.k.a soto tauco (Preserved soybeans soup). Pekalongan people generally call it Tauto. For travelers who want to eat this dish, Tauto is quite easy to find since is available everywhere in Pekalongan starting from stalls to hotels or restaurants.
One that is quite legendary is Soto Tauto Pak Tjarlam in Senggol Market, Pekalongan. This tauto is located in the North of Pekalongan Square, A. Yani Sugihwaras Street Pekalongan. From the look of the stall, it is quite simple. The parking lot is quite small, especially if there are lots of visitors. Even so, the Tauto taste is quite tasty and unique.
The stall is so simple and the equipment here is still traditional. The broth is cooked using a large pot. And there is also a kind of mini basket cart for preparing various Tauto ingredients. The price is still pocket-friendly. One portion of tauto with rice cake costs IDR 20,000 per portion.
Tauto here is served in a small bowl or china bowl. Usually, the first ingredient served is carbo. There are two options here, namely rice or rice cake. Even for carbo, buyers are given a choice, whether the serving will be mixed or separated with the soto sauce. First, put the carbo, then the meat or offal. If you use rice cake, both the rice cake and the meat will be doused first with the sauce. It is to give the gravy a soft texture. Then after that, it is given thick tauco seasoning and also various toppings such as spring onions and noodles. After that, add the gravy and fried onions.
One of the characteristics of Tauto Pak Tjarlam is the seasoning or tauco paste which is not mixed directly. There are typically fermented acids that are more appetizing. Don't forget to mix all the contents of the gravy so that the Tauto taste is balanced. Here also provided a variety of condiments, such as tempeh with flour batter or crackers to eat with tauto.
If you are a fan of the tauco seasoning at Tauto Pak Tjarlam, you don't need to worry. This is because the seller also provides spices or tauco paste for resale only for IDR 200.000. Buyers are also allowed to buy in retail, starting from IDR 50,000 per 250 grams. This seasoning can be used to make beef or chicken soup. Apart from soup, spices can also be used as a seasoning for other dishes such as preserved large fish, or as a side dish for fried tempeh. (Novia/ Contributor)
