DAWET, Sweet Simple and Sensational Beverage
Category : Local Culinary

We are sugar country. We always combine every food and drinks with sugar. Mostly it's too sweet for westerners. My first impression when I was drinking with an American on Maliboro Traditional Market, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. We had sat down near the big tree then drink a traditional beverage called dawet in a very hot day. The American put it half then said nothing. ''Is that too sweet man?'', I asked. ''Mmmm...'' . Then I knew the answer is yes.

Dawet is one of the most popular Javanese traditional beverages. Javanese people know dawet for hundreds years. Every place in Java has its own dawet, similar one into another. But its story behind is always different.
Dawet also used the traditional and natural essences to keep it delicious such as pandan leaf to get the green color, merang (the rice straw of paddy) to get the black color. Dawet also used in Javanese traditional wedding as a symbol of brotherhood and justice to human beings. Them who come to the party will be buy Dawet with the kreweng (a piece of roof tile make by clay as a money imitation) for transaction.

If you the one of dawet lover, you can bought or make it individual. It's not too difficult to cook. Firs, you must make the batter; stir up or beat the 125 gram rice flour with 450 milliliters water. Then, you must boil the water mixed of pandan leaf filter, salts. Stir up continuously until get a strong batter. Don't stop stir up the batter in order to get the kalis batter (not adhering in hand). If the batter has been cooked, you will be move the batter in sieve.

Secondly, take the hot batter on the sieve, press the batter until become a long granule. The long granule is patch in washbasin which filled with fresh water or ice water. You must leak through drain the batter to reduce the water.

Thirdly, you must make the syrup. Boil the 100 ml water with 200 gram red sugar until fused which is brown color. And the last step is dished of dawet in a glass or bowl; put much red sugar syrup in a glass, add the dawet granule and a little pieces of jackfruits, and then put much milk squeezed from coconut then add the ice.

Dawet will break up thirsty, make you surfeited. Let us found the sweet sensation in a bowl of dawet. The sugar taste is the special character of dawet. You can chose many kind of dawet, such as dawet ayu, dawet ireng (the black dawet), and etc. Dawet also has become the characteristic food in Banjarnegara. At there, dawet is familiar with name Dawet Ayu Banjarnegara. So, don't forget to get the dawet ayu as gift brought back from a trip. In Jogjakarta, you can find dawet in Pakualaman Square, Gajah Mada Boulevard, Alun-alun Utara and Malioboro. 

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