 Emping melinjo | |
| Course | Snack |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Indonesia[1] |
| Region or state | Limpung, Batang |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Deep fried driedGnetum gnemon nut |
| Variations | Plain, salty, sweet and spicy hot |
Emping (Indonesian pronunciation:[əmˈpiŋ]) is a type ofIndonesianchip, a bite-sizesnackkripik cracker, made ofmelinjo orbelinjo (Gnetum gnemon) nuts (which are seeds). Emping crackers have a slightly bitter taste.[1] Emping snacks are available in markets either plain (original), salty, spicy, or sweet, depending on whether salt or caramelizedsugar is added.
Emping production is a home industry, with emping traditionally handmade in a labor-intensive process. Themelinjo seeds aresauteed in a medium fire without oil, or sometimes using sand as a media. Some people boil themelinjo seeds to ease the peeling process. Both the softer outer skin and the harder inner skin of the seeds are peeled off by hand. Each of the gnetum seeds is whacked with a wooden hammer-like instrument or pressed with a stone cylinder to create flat and round emping, and later arranged in a tray made of weaved bamboo and sun-dried for a whole day. Each emping chip is commonly created from a single gnetum nut, although there are variants that combine several seeds to create larger emping with sizes similar tokrupuk. These large emping, however, are often mixed with other types of starch, such ascorn or tuber starch. There are two types of emping thickness available in markets, thin and thick. Thin emping are usually plain or salty, while thick emping are usually sweet, coated with caramelized sugar, or spiced with chili pepper.
The dried emping chips are collected, packed, and sold at the market. Raw emping, as bought from traditional markets, are better when sun-dried first to reduce their humidity, then later fried with ample hotvegetable oil until they expand, becoming crispy and turning golden yellow. Emping is produced in many parts of Indonesia, fromLimpung inCentral Java,Pidie inAceh toSulawesi. However, the main production areas are inJava, with Karangtawang village inKuningan RegencyWest Java;[2]Bantul Regency inYogyakarta;Klaten Regency andBatang Regency, in Central Java; andMagetan Regency inEast Java.
Raw (unfried) emping is usually available in Indonesian traditional markets, while in snack stores, supermarkets, and restaurants mostly pre-packed, ready-to-eat emping is available. Most emping are flavoured (original), and served with a pinch of salt. Emping has been exported to the Netherlands, the United States and the Middle East.In the Netherlands, due to historic ties with Indonesia, packaged dried (raw) emping is also available for home frying. These are to be found in Indonesian specialty stores referred to by Indonesian names such as "Toko" or "Warung" (both meaning shop or store).
Emping is frequently served solely as a snack or accompaniment to Indonesian traditional dishes. They are often added as a crispy addition toIndonesian dishes such assoto,nasi uduk,sop buntut,gado-gado, lontong sayur,nasi goreng,nasi kuning,laksa,Mie aceh andbubur ayam.
