Hot, sunny, midday heat in Yogyakarta weighs you down with beads of sweat forming on your forehead. Water does not suffice this urge to cool down as your body craves greater substance as it slowly dehydrates. Enter rujak es krim toted around by a kaki lima or street cart, most likely found in the morning and early afternoon. Rujak es krim is made of rujak, the assortment of fruits including sour mango, papaya, apple, cucumber, and pineapple that is combined with es puter, traditional Indonesian ice cream. Es puter means "stirred ice cream" and is made of coconut milk and sugar. The sauce is made of palm sugar, lime juice, salt, and chilies, though I could have sworn there was a hint of tamarind in there. Mixed together, the combination of ingredients creates a cornucopia of flavor inviting sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty to this party. The vendor makes it fresh in front of you chopping up the fruits and grinding the spicy paste using a wooden mortar. The onslaught of flavors satisfies hunger (and dehydration to a point) while thrilling your tongue.
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