Indonesian ‘Goreng Pisang’ With Cheese Draws Queues At Changi Rd Stall Opened By Batam Hawker
Pisang keju is the Indonesian version of local goreng pisang — but pimped up with toppings like cheese and chocolate.
Goreng pisang (banana fritters) is a popular teatime snack in Singapore and pisang keju is its flamboyant cousin from Indonesia. As its name, which literally means “banana cheese” in Bahasa Indonesia, suggests, fritters are loaded with shredded cheese and other toppings — it’s like banana fritters on steroids. Over the years, the snack has spawned other variations featuring pretty much any topping imaginable.
Mostly sold at pasar malams, pisang keju isn’t commonly found in Singapore. So it’s no wonder those in the know have been flocking to the newly-opened Pisang Keju Batam SG at Changi Road for the snack.
The family-run halal business is headed by an Indonesia-born 49-year-old homecook (left in pic), who only wants to be known as Nurleli, along with her stepdaughter and son-in-law, Farhanah Jamalluddin (right), 25, and Muhammad Ismail, 29. Nurleli’s Singaporean husband, Jamalluddin Yusof, 54, helps out at the stall during his free time. Though the biz has only been operating at halal kopitiam Bikerz Corner for three weeks, the wait for their coveted Batam-style pisang keju can go up to an hour on weekends.
“We get a dinner and late-night crowd, which starts around 4pm. We can sell around 200 boxes of pisang keju on weekends. The wait is shorter on weekdays, around 15 minutes,” Muhammad tells 8days.sg..
According to Farhanah, the snack is synonymous with Batam. “Whenever Singaporeans go there, they will buy pisang keju, this is why we named our business Pisang Keju Batam. But they have it in other parts of Indonesia too,” she says.
All photos cannot be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg