Cap Go Meh marks the fifteenth and final night of the Lunar New Year, a celebration that has long evolved within Indonesia’s cultural landscape. In Batavia, the tradition grew beyond its Chinese origins, shaped by centuries of interaction between Chinese settlers and the communities of the Nusantara. From this meeting emerged the Peranakan identity, along with a culinary legacy that remains distinctive to Indonesia.
In March 2026, House of Tugu Jakarta presents the Cap Go Meh Gala Feast at Babah Koffie by Kawisari, taking place from 3 to 31 March 2026. Conceived as a tribute to Peranakan culinary heritage, the program reflects the layered history of Old Town Jakarta, where culture has always been defined by dialogue and adaptation.
Cap Go Meh, derived from the Hokkien phrase meaning “the fifteenth night,” represents a moment of culmination and reflection. Over time, the blending of ingredients, techniques, and symbolism gave rise to dishes that could only exist within this shared cultural framework. Among the most iconic is Lontong Cap Go Meh, a dish not found in its present form within traditional Chinese cuisine nor classical Javanese fare, but born from the process of acculturation that shaped the Peranakan community.
Babah Koffie by Kawisari was established not as a thematic restaurant, but as a considered extension of Peranakan heritage within Old Town Jakarta. The space integrates original interiors, inherited artefacts, and a culinary philosophy shaped by the historical exchange between Chinese settlers and the Nusantara.
Three Courses Reflecting Cultural Convergence
The menu, developed jointly by the teams of Jajaghu and Babah Koffie, approaches Cap Go Meh through dishes that balance cultural meaning with culinary precision.
Imperial Prawn Money Bag
A crisp tofu skin parcel filled with fresh prawns and water chestnuts, shaped to resemble a traditional money pouch. The form references prosperity and good fortune, themes historically associated with the fifteenth night of the Lunar New Year.
Tugu Lontong Cap Go Meh
Presented as part of the feast, Lontong Cap Go Meh reflects the depth of Indonesia’s Peranakan culinary heritage. Bamboo leaf rice cakes are paired with heirloom opor ayam based on a recipe preserved orally across generations. The composition includes chayote in coconut stew with fresh prawns, century egg, chicken satay, finely sliced balado potatoes, white soybean koya, and peanut crisps.
Ronde Tiga Warna
Three glutinous rice spheres in red, white, and green are served in warm ginger infusion with palm sugar filling and crushed peanuts. The three colours remain separate within a single bowl, reflecting coexistence within diversity, a principle long embedded in Cap Go Meh observance in Indonesia.
This year’s observance takes place during a period when several cultural traditions coincide within the same calendar. Within that context, Cap Go Meh remains distinct, marked here through a curated dining experience rooted in history rather than interpretation.
