A freshly viral video on TikTok has become the perfect illustration of how some Indonesian food can be so good yet so bad.
A video by @tiktok_kulineran has 9.7 million views as of this article’s publication, showing a foodie’s visit to a kaki lima (street food vendor) in Surabaya, East Java.
This particular vendor has come to be known as a nasi minyak (oily rice) specialist in the East Java capital. And yes, everything is as greasy as it sounds.
@tiktok_kulineran Nasi Minyak 🥲 #kuliner #fyp #kulinertiktok ♬ suara asli – tiktok_kulineran
At first glance, what this vendor sells is akin to the standard fried chicken/duck, sambal, and vegetables on rice dish that’s staple throughout Indonesia.
But a closer look at the prep reveals such liberal use of cooking oil — and not just ordinary cooking oil, but jelantah (reused oil), which some say makes everything so much more savory.
Even cabbage was dunked in the murky cooking oil.
“Cholesterol is smiling watching this,” one user joked in the comments.
Internist Dr Andi Khomeini Takdir, who has a huge following on Twitter, tweeted this in response to the video.
“I worry that this would raise cases of dyslipidemia and related conditions,” he wrote, referring to the abnormal elevation of cholesterol or fats in the blood.
“Can’t they cook without oil?”
If you want to try nasi minyak, do so at your own risk. Can’t say we didn’t warn you.
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