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'Sate klatak', a unique flavor of Bantul
JUICY MEAT ON STICKS A unique dish called sate klatak from Pleret, Bantul (Yogyakarta), is unlike other roasted skewered meats
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JUICY MEAT ON STICKS
A unique dish called sate klatak from Pleret, Bantul (Yogyakarta), is unlike other roasted skewered meats. This satay is first marinated in a mixture of salt and dash of pepper.
The dish consists of small pieces of skewered goat meat which is roasted in an open fire, an act called klatak in Javanese.
The skewers are not made of bamboo, as is generally the case with other satay. Instead, the spokes from bicycle wheels are used.
"If bamboo was used, the meat would not be cooked properly when roasted. It would be still tender," said Mustam, a sate klatak seller in front of Kangotan field in Pleret.
The dish is simply goat meat, salt and a little pepper, but it is delicious.
During the roasting process, the spokes become so hot that the goat meat is cooked through, but remains tender. The salt, the spicy dash of pepper and the piquant flavor of goat meat blend into one.
The goat meat is simply roasted on an open fire without many other ingredients, and does not produce the typical goat meat smell.
"Sate klatak is piquant and the pepper mixed with it will warm your body. It is delicious and good for you if you're not feeling well. When I'm not feeling well, I eat sate klatak instead of flu medicine," said Kurniawan, a 34-year-old customer from Yogyakarta.
Kurniawan who has one child said the satay is delicious when it is still hot, but that one must be careful as the skewers can burn your lips.
"If you take it home, it is not as delicious," he said.
The satay is even more tasty when eaten accompanied with the gravy from a curry dish and tea from a teapot or a hot orange juice made with lump sugar.
A helping of sate klatak and a plate of plain rice costs only Rp 8,000. A glass of tea or a glass of hot orange juice costs between Rp 1,000 and 2,000.
Sate klatak, which was first introduced many years ago, can also be found in many other food stalls in Pleret, including on Jl. Imogiri Timur where the stalls line both sides of the road.
These stalls are usually busy in the afternoons. Tourists also enjoy eating sate klatak at stalls.
The stalls also have different kinds of satay on offer. If you do not know which stall to visit, try Mustam klatak stall, around 1 km east of Wonokromo market. While it is further away than other similar vendors, it is always packed. Every day the stall opens between 5:30 and 9 p.m.
"Every day we need an average of two or three goats. Often, we have to close before 8 p.m. because we are sold out," Mustam said.
Mustam, who has sold this particular dish for 20 years, said he could earn enough to feed his family from the business.
"I have never calculated my exact profits, but I can send my children to school and I have also been on the hajj."
Assisted by three others, Mustam said he did not use a special recipe, but just made sure the meat came from young goats and that a special technique was used to slaughter the goats to make sure it did not produce the typical goat meat smell.
"There is no special recipe. I just thank God many of my customers say my sate klatak is delicious," he said.
