VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Photo credit: travellingindonesia.com/Istimewa

Jakarta in the past had a variety of culinary delights. Along with the development of the times, many of them are increasingly rare or even starting to become extinct. Setu Babakan, one of the tourist attractions in South Jakarta which is also the center of indigenous Jakarta known as Betawi culture, has a mission to maintain all the culinary riches that Jakarta has, one of which is es goyang.

Es goyang is actually not an original Betawi culinary delight, but comes from Bandung, West Java. According to the story, around the 90s, this es goyang migrated from Bandung and then became popular in Jakarta. Indeed it is somewhat similar to the world famous popsicle. It is called es goyang (es means ice, while goyang means to shake) because it comes from the process of producing it  which is by shaking the ingredients.

The es goyang seller's cart is equipped with a cooler in the form of a room or box underneath, filled with ice cubes. This cooler is then shaken by the seller while  pushing the ice cart everywhere. So an es goyang seller must be strong because in addition to pushing his ice cart he must also shake it from time to time. This es goyang is sometimes also called es lilin, because its long shape resembles a lilin or candle.

The ingredients for making es goyang consist of coconut milk, granulated sugar, food flavorings and color and the main ingredient is hunkwe or mung bean flour. This type of flour is widely sold in traditional markets in Jakarta.

In its development, to attract buyers, es goyang was made with various flavors. To get a variety of flavors, hunkwe flour is added with other ingredients such as avocado, durian, chocolate, strawberry and pandan.

The method of making es goyang is also not complicated. The ingredients are mixed until they reach a certain thickness, then the mixture is poured into a mold. The mold is then put into a cooler containing chunks of ice. Ice goyang seller carts usually have a fairly large cooler in the middle.

Before the ice mixture freezes, the es goyang is equipped with a skewer as a handle like a popsicle. After that, the cart is shaken so that the ice mixture freezes evenly. After choosing the flavor, you are given a choice for the es goyang topping. For example, sweet melted chocolate or savory roasted peanuts. Today, to preserve es goyang, now in shopping centers you can it put in the freezer.