Lotek (food)
Lotek (alt. spelling: "lothek", Javanese: ꦭꦺꦴꦛꦼꦏ꧀) is a Javanese (Indonesian) vegetable-based salad with peanut sauce. While the sauce ingredients are the same with that of "pecel", "lotek" sauce is typically much sweeter to taste, a nod to a classic "Matraman" (adj. belong to the Mataram Sultanate) cuisine. "Lotek" is popular in the southern parts of Central Java, and Yogyakarta, where sweet taste is traditionally preferred. It may also be called "lontong pecel" since it's basically "lontong" and "pecel" served with "krupuk" and "gorengan". Etymology. The word ""lothek"" derived from a Javanese word which means "a wooden  or bamboo spatula", used to scoop out sambal, sauce, or any paste, from the grinding bowl. In modern Indonesia, the "th-" sound is replaced with "t-", which non-Javanese speakers find easier to pronounce. As Javanese traditional villages turn urban (and welcomed people from other ethnic groups), the "t-" sound version is used more often. Variants. In Surakarta, lotek includes the use of mixed vegetables (raw and steamed vegetables), served with "krupuk", "tempeh", "bakwan" (fried batter) and "fried tofu." In Yogyakarta, people used steamed or boiled vegetables only. "Lotek" is also popular in other regions in Indonesia, thanks to Javanese  (urban) migrants. In Bandung, "lotek" is known as "a cross between gado-gado and pecel" since locals are more familiar with these references. The final dish looks similar to that of Surakarta's version. Some people may confuse "lotek" with "karedok", but as in most vegetable dishes in Sundanese cuisine, the latter is made of raw vegetables.