If in some other regions across Indonesia, the rice crust is immediately thrown away. But, it is different in Manado, North Sulawesi. The local people actually turn the rice crust into delicious food by making ‘Nasi Tus-Tus’ or Tus-Tus Rice. In Manado language, Nasi Tus-Tus itself means rice crust. It is the main ingredient of rice baked in a bowl. Before baking, the white rice is covered with shredded skipjack tuna and of course, it’s Manado’s style spicy chili sauce.

Before tasting Nasi Tus-Tus, stir the rice first. The mixture of fish and chili sauce makes the red-brown rice dish, similar to fried rice. This dish will taste more delicious if eaten with Tamarind Fish whose sour taste is obtained from sliced green tomatoes. In addition to Tamarind Fish, you can also eat Nasi Tus-Tus with squid Woku Ink. Woku is a Manadonese style of cooking that consists of many spices, including scallions, shallots, garlic, basil leaves, ginger, and lime leaves.

For those of you who are interested in enjoying this culinary, please visit Manado, if the condition is conducive. There are many restaurants that sell this special culinary. The price of Nasi Tus-Tus is relatively cheap; it’s only from Rp 30,000 to Rp 40,000/portion. But if you taste this culinary with other side dishes, of course you have to pay more.