tahu campur — East Java, Indonesia

Tahu campur, meaning mixed tofu, is an East Javanese dish built around fried tofu combined with rice cakes and fried patties, all served in a savoury beef broth. Its name reflects the mix of textures brought together in a single bowl, from soft tofu to crunchy krupuk. This dish is reported from the Surabaya metropolitan area of East Java, including Surabaya, Lamongan, Gresik and Sidoarjo, and is commonly sold by street vendors and small tented stalls across major Indonesian cities. Beef is simmered into a stew and seasoned with petis, a shrimp paste typical of East Javanese cooking, along with garlic, shallot and other spices. Fried tofu is sliced and arranged with pieces of lontong, lentho or perkedel, fresh bean sprouts and lettuce, then covered with the hot beef broth and topped with fried onions, krupuk crackers and sambal chili sauce. Within the wider family of Indonesian mixed tofu dishes, this version is distinguished by its petis-seasoned beef broth and the specific combination of lentho or perkedel alongside the tofu, a pairing closely associated with stalls operating under the Tahu Campur Lamongan name.