Colo-colo is an acidic

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

commonly found in Maluku archipelago,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. It is believed to have originated in Ambon city, and accordingly is often described as Ambon's sambal. Colo-colo is similar to Manado's dabu-dabu, as they both use many chopped red

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

bird's eye chili Bird's eye chili or Thai chili ( owing to its shape) is a chili pepper variety (botany), variety from the species ''Capsicum annuum'' that is native to Mexico. Cultivated across Southeast Asia, it is used extensively in many Asian cuisines. It m ...

, shallots, red and green

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

es, and a pinch of salt and sugar, mixed with fresh calamansi juice or locally known as ''lemon cui'' or ''jeruk kesturi'' (sometimes replaced by kaffir lime or

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

juice). The main difference is that colo-colo recipe often includes additional ingredients, such as chopped

lemon basil Lemon basil, hoary basil, Thai lemon basil, or Lao basil,Dorothy Culloty (''Ocimum'' × ''africanum'') is a hybrid between basil (''Ocimum basilicum'') and American basil ('' Ocimum americanum''). The herb is grown primarily in northeastern ...

, '' kenari'' nut, and ''tahi minyak'' or ''ampas minyak'' (black-colored cooking coconut oil residue), or caramelized ''rarobang'' (watery residue of coconut oil-making process). As a result, colo-colo is darker and more oily than dabu-dabu. However, today, because of the rarity and difficulty to acquire traditional cooking oil residue and caramelized ''rarobang'', this oily agent is often replaced by widely available and practical '' kecap manis'' (sweet

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

) mixed with margarine, coconut oil or

cooking oil Cooking oil (also known as edible oil) is a plant or animal liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. Oil allows higher cooking temperatures than water, making cooking faster and more flavorful, while likewise distributing h ...

. As a result, today colo-colo is often mistaken for another Indonesian common condiment, sambal kecap. Maluku archipelago is famous for its rich collection of seafoods, and colo-colo is usually served as condiment for seafood, especially various recipes of '' ikan bakar'' (grilled fish) and '' ikan goreng'' (fried fish). Fish commonly served with colo-colo as a dipping sauce or coating include ''bubara'' (

giant trevally The giant trevally (''Caranx ignobilis''), also known as the lowly trevally, barrier trevally, ronin jack, giant kingfish, or ''ulua'', is a species of large ocean, marine fish classified in the jack Family (biology), family, Carangidae. The gian ...

), ''kakap merah'' ( red snapper), ''baronang'' (

rabbitfish Rabbitfishes or spinefoots, genus ''Siganus'', are perciform fishes in the family (biology), family Siganidae. It is the only Extant taxon, extant genus in its family and has 29 species. In some now obsolete classifications, the species having ...

), ''cakalang'' (

skipjack tuna The skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'') is a perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae, and is the only member of the genus ''Katsuwonus''. It is also known as katsuo, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna or victor fish. ...

), and the endangered ''ikan kakatua'' ( bullethead parrotfish).

References

External links

Colo-colo recipe
{{Condiments Chili sauce and paste Dips (food) Indonesian condiments Vegetarian dishes of Indonesia

See also

References

External links