'Rica-rica' from Banyumas boosts sexual vigor

'Rica-rica' from Banyumas boosts sexual vigor

Agus Maryono ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Purwokerto   |  Fri, 09/12/2008 10:52 AM  |  Java Brew In Banyumas regency, Central Java, rica-rica, a hot dish made of the meat of the basur, has become quite popular. This dish, which is believed to boost sexual vigor, is made from basur, the local name for male manila duck, that has been cooked dry in curry spices with a considerable amount of hot chili. Food stalls selling rica-rica basur are now easily found along roadsides in Purwokerto, including the Baturraden tourist resort, where the air is cooler. The hot rica-rica dish warms the body in such cool places, especially if it is eaten with steaming hot rice. "In this cold weather my sales volume has increased. Usually we cook two male manila ducks a day but for a month now, we've been needing four or five ducks a day," said Edy Prayoga, 44, a rica-rica basur vendor who operates on Jl. Jenderal Sudirman in Purwokerto. Edy told The Jakarta Post he had been selling this dish for two years and added that he could sell more in the dry season, when it is usually very cold at night. "Rica-rica basur vendors usually do their business from 4 p.m. until late at night -- perhaps because this dish is nice to eat at night." He added he could make a profit of between Rp 100,000 (US$10.65) and Rp 150,000 a day from selling his rica-rica. From one male manila duck -- at a cost of Rp 50,000 each -- Edy prepares 20 servings of rica-rica basur. "I sell each serving with rice for Rp 5,000. Other vendors may sell it between Rp 6,000 and Rp 7,000. I can make a profit of about Rp 40,000 from one manila male duck. Not bad ... it pays my children's school fees." Tarmin, 40, a rica-rica vendor in Kemutug Lor, at Baturraden tourist resort, claimed he could sell more. "At the very least I slaughter four male manila ducks a day. When the weather is very cold, I will need up to seven ducks a day," Tarmin said, who sells his rica-rica basur at Rp 5,000 per serving. Tarmin said he received the ducks from a traveling chicken vendor. "Every day he comes to my house with ducks. The prices, which depend on the size, vary between Rp 30,000 and Rp 50,000." In Baturraden, rica-rica basur sells well not only because it warms the body in cold weather, but also because many salesmen spend the night in the area. "The hotel guests are very fond of rica-rica basur," Tarmin said, adding that the hot, male manila duck meat was a good aphrodisiac. According to Edy, it takes at least four hours to cook rica-rica basur from the time the duck is slaughtered until the dish is served. "It takes a long time to boil the meat, which takes at least three hours. Duck meat is tougher than chicken meat, so it takes longer to cook," Edy said. Although the meat is cooked for a long time, Edy said, it does not shrink in size but ends up with a rubbery texture. "If you cook chicken meat in boiling water for three hours, it will shrink. So if you use chicken to make rica-rica, you can hardly make a profit." While the meat of the male manila duck is being cooked in boiling water, Edy prepares the ingredients. "After the duck meat has been cooked in boiling water, it will be put into the wok and mixed with the stir-fried ingredients. "There are about 15 kinds of spices for rica-rica, the most important being pepper, galangal root, bay leaves and cinnamon. We don't use food additives such as MSG. All ingredients are natural," Edy said. Roby, 33, a customer from Cilacap, said he liked the dish, particularly because of its very hot taste. "I like it very much. It is very hot and it is nice to eat with steaming hot rice. I can guarantee you will be sweating," Roby told the Post at Edy's food stall. "If you eat this, your sexual desire will be boosted. I don't know why. Perhaps because of its hot taste or because of the duck meat," he added. Meanwhile Yuni, 26, of Jakarta also said she liked it very much. "The dish tastes really hot and the meat is rubbery and tasty," she said. "Unfortunately, it is not sold in Jakarta. If it was, I would but it regularly." Edy himself does not really know whether or not the rica-rica basur has an aphrodisiac quality, although many of his customers have said so. "I don't know exactly, but many people have told me so. If you eat this dish and drink beer -- well -- they say it's really stimulating." http://banyumas.web44.net/cuisine/ricarica.html