With 18,000 islands spread across 3.8 million square miles, Indonesia is a vast, diverse country. Located between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean in Southeast Asia, its strategic location along major sea routes has established the archipelago as a transit and trade hub for centuries. Even before European explorers set out on voyages of discovery during the 16th and 17th centuries, traders and merchants from China, India, the Middle East, and neighboring Siam (now Thailand) and Malacca (now part of Malaysia) flocked to the archipelago for aromatic goods. Were. Spices such as cloves and nutmeg from the spice islands of the Moluccas (now Maluku).
This long history of trade has greatly influenced Indonesian culture, and each region has a distinctive cuisine shaped by many influences: Rendang Influenced by Indian curries from Sumatra; Lumpiya Semarang is greatly influenced by the Chinese language egg rollsAnd bread and baked goods show strong Dutch influence due to the Dutch ports on the coasts of Java, Sumatra and Manado. Despite differences between regional cuisines, there are many similarities due to the diversity of foods and ingredients throughout the archipelago.
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Indonesian food is primarily a common people’s dish, not a formal meal. Most meals are served communally, which can be eaten and enjoyed with family and friends. A typical Indonesian meal consists mainly of rice, and side dishes that are shared. Common sides include meat, seafood or vegetables and proteins such as tempeh. These sides can also vary according to the cooking method – they can be deep-fried, boiled, curried, grilled or stewed. Thus, Indonesian food generally includes a mix of flavors and textures. Sambal (chili paste), kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and krupuk (savory crackers) often complement the meal.
Although there are approximately 1,300 ethnic groups and cuisines in Indonesia, the cuisines of Java and Sumatra appear to be more familiar to foreigners. When I ask people what Indonesian dishes they’ve tried, they tend to mention food from Java and Sumatra, like satay (also spelled satay), gado gado, nasi goreng, and/or rendang. However, Mr Owen, an Indonesian culinary expert and author, says Indonesians may have themselves to blame for foreigners not being better informed about their regional foods. Indonesian Regional Cuisine.“It is difficult for Indonesians, especially in the provinces, to introduce their local food to visitors, partly because they know that no matter how good it tastes, it does not always look very appetizing.” Additionally, traditional cooking methods, such as grilling bamboo stems or cooking over charcoal, can be intimidating and not practical for many Western cooks.
For this introductory guide to Indonesian cuisine, I’ve highlighted recipes and cooking techniques that support a basic understanding of the country’s flavors and techniques. As part of my research, I consulted Dr. Murdijati Gardjito, a retired professor who once taught at Universitas Gajah Mada in Jogjakarta, who is a leading proponent of traditional Indonesian food. I also spoke to Indonesian chef and cookbook author William Wongso.
My list may not include every region or every nenek (grandmother’s) specialty, but it will get you started with some of the more popular and accessible Indonesian dishes. Make your way through the recipes below and you’ll have a good base of knowledge about Indonesian cuisine, from which you can go on and explore in more depth if you wish.
Serious Eats / Melati Citravirja
If you live in the United States, this may be hard to locate Indonesian content At your local grocery store. Thankfully, most metropolitan cities have Asian markets that carry essential pantry ingredients for Indonesian dishes, including palm sugar, kecap manis, sambal oelek, and jarred fried shallots. Herbs and spices included in Indonesian cooking such as chilli, lemongrass, turmeric, coriander and cumin are also quite common in Asian markets. Ingredients like candlenuts, salam leaves, makrut lime leaves and galangal may be hard to find, but can be substituted or omitted without sacrificing too much flavor. If not, many of these ingredients can also be purchased relatively easily online.
Start with spice paste
The spice paste called bambu bambu (repetition indicates plural) is essential for seasoning many Indonesian dishes. Traditional cooks use a mortar and pestle crafted from volcanic rock to grind ingredients into a paste, but modern cooks, including me, often use a food processor or blender to speed things up.
One of the most basic bambu bambu is called Bambu Putih (White Spice Paste) It starts with garlic, onion and/or candlenuts and can be easily adapted to make other dishes. The spice paste often flavors nasi goreng (fried rice) and simple stir-fries. Add chili and fresh herbs like ginger and lemongrass, and you have a basic bambu rendang. Mix turmeric and coriander, and you will be able to whip it up soto ayamA fragrant chicken noodle soup. Made from peanuts (kakang), bambu kakang is the base for the people’s favorite gado gado.
Packed with complex flavors, each paste has a distinct profile and forms the foundation of a wide range of dishes. By playing a game of mix and match—bamboo, ingredients, and cooking methods—you’ll be on your way to preparing some Indonesian favorites.
