Incredible Indonesian cuisine. National cuisine of Indonesia Indonesian cuisine

My story about Indonesia ends with a story about Indonesian cuisine. Indonesian cuisine is very interesting and varied. I was scared by its spiciness, but after Thai cuisine it seemed to me quite moderate - but rich in different shades of taste, and at the same time it has several main dishes that you can never go wrong with. Of these, number 1 is without a doubt nasi goreng.

Nasi goreng is the most important Indonesian dish. I ate it in expensive local restaurants and just on the street for one dollar. It was always well prepared and very tasty. Nasi goreng simply means "fried rice", but it is usually served with all sorts of fried ingredients. In this case, it involves chicken, egg and shrimp. If you want to get your fill in Indonesia without much experimentation, then nasi goreng is an obvious solution.

But the so-called “special cap cay” is the very first Indonesian dish that I tried in Jogja. His choice was explained by the fact that at that moment I only had 29,000 rupees in cash - less than two euros - and chapchai was the most expensive thing I could afford. Chapchai was delicious! It combines garlic sauce, seasonings and all kinds of vegetables. I licked my lips like a cat.

This is oper ayem - chicken breast with coconut sauce, peanut sauce and pineapples. Quite simple and, to be honest, not the most interesting dish. Although it seems to be considered a specialty of Jogya.

This is ayam goreng - fried chicken, but the interesting drink here is a liquidized avocado. There's also a beaten egg in there, which I didn't know, otherwise I wouldn't have risked ordering it. Fortunately, this did not lead to any unpleasant consequences. The drink is very popular in Indonesia and is offered in many restaurants and I have often seen Indonesians savoring it. I love avocado, so I liked it too.

This is seafood laksa.

Jogja's main specialty is gudeg. I went to try it at a local place called Gudeg Yu Djum. They looked at me there, of course, like I was an alien and at first they didn’t even believe that I wanted to order gudeg and actually eat it on the spot.

Gudeg is actually chicken meat with rice, which comes with a special sauce. The sauce consists of unripe jackfruit, which is simmered for several hours with jaggery, and coconut milk. The taste is interesting - nuanced - but the dish is very dense.

The waiters quickly realized that I like to try unusual dishes, and they also offered me a special sweet local drink made from milk, sugar and beans - which I drank with pleasure.

In general, there are plenty of Western restaurants and supermarkets in Jogja, so many tourists never try local food (a crime!) In one supermarket - where I visited for chocolate - I discovered the most delicate red dragonfruit. This is a rare option. In Malaysia, I had only tried white before.

The package costs 30 euro cents.

Very spicy and incredibly tasty soup in the hotel restaurant.

This beef rendang is another super common dish in Indonesia. It is often made very spicy, although this version was more or less touristy.

Kopi Luwak, which I already talked about earlier in this post, is a famous Indonesian export, a well-promoted brand of coffee prepared in a unique way. In general, it is now made in a number of countries, for example in Thailand and the Philippines, but it was invented here. I tried this coffee for the first time in a cafe in Yogyakarta.

The coffee is delivered with the original packaging open, so you have no doubt that this is what they made for you.

This is the selection of coffee you can find in Jogja. Of course, I didn’t fail to try different varieties; I especially liked the Kalimantan variety.

From Yogyakarta we move chronologically to Jakarta. One advantage of Jakarta that needs to be emphasized is the opportunity to try a variety of interesting dishes from different layers of experience and geographically from different parts of Indonesia. The most vivid impression for me was this fish soup, which is a specialty of Sulawesi. It was something delicious, I have never had such a delicious soup - with spice and sourness. The pieces of fish floating there were so gigantic that I couldn’t even handle them all.

This is duck in spicy sauce.

What it is? This dish is called gulai kambir, which is goat meat curry. I tasted it in a restaurant serving Nyonya Chinese cuisine (that is, the cuisine of Chinese settlers who settled in different parts of the Malacca Straits).

To go with the goat curry, I ordered a cocktail called merdeka - Francophones, close your ears - which means "independence". The reason for its name is its coloring, which exactly matches the Indonesian flag. These are two juices - guava and sursop.

We are moving to Bali. Combined dish gado-gado.

Mie goreng - or fried noodles - is another ubiquitous dish. They add whatever they want, here it seems with chicken.

Ho Mok Pla is a Thai style fish curry dish.

Bebek goreng - Indonesian roast duck. You already understand that goreng means fried. Very tasty, crispy.

Ayam betutu - smoked chicken - is a local Balinese specialty. Against the backdrop of a rice field!

It also seems like crap.

Ayem rica rica - a special way of cooking chicken in a spicy curry sauce - at a restaurant I loved in Ubud.

Es campur is the most common Indonesian dessert. Pay attention to the word es - this is of course a modified version of ice, ice, ice - borrowed from Dutch, like thousands of other Indonesian words. This is syrup, condensed milk and shaved ice - chopped ice. Sometimes they just add pieces of different fruits.

And finally, the most exotic dish I have ever tried in Indonesia. This is cobra meat. I noticed a sign with a very unusual selection on my first day in Yogyakarta, on a small street in the tourist area that led to my hotel. The first item offered, in particular, was the “devil’s drink” - as I later found out, snake blood. Next came various methods of preparing cobra and python. I promised myself that I would definitely try at least one dish and a couple of evenings later, plucking up the courage, I went there. It must be said that cobra meat has a unique taste and texture, and the piece of snake itself on your plate cannot be confused with anything else. Primarily due to the characteristically curved ring-shaped bones to which the meat is attached.

All posts are about Indonesia.

Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is distinguished by its diversity due to its territorial characteristics. The country is spread over more than 15 thousand islands, and each region has its own regional culinary specialities. Neighboring countries, distinguished by their distinctive cuisine, also influenced the preparation of traditional Indonesian dishes. Many modern Indonesian dishes are similar to European ones. They appeared under the influence of the culinary traditions of Europeans, mostly the Portuguese, under whose rule the islands were for a long time.

Features of Indonesian cuisine

The main set of products used in Indonesian cuisine is meat, fish and seafood, rice, vegetables and a large number of hot spices for making sauces.

Considering that in Indonesia the majority of the population professes Islam, pork dishes are practically not prepared on the islands. Beef, lamb, buffalo, and goat are in high esteem. For example, sop bontut, a soup made from buffalo tails, is very popular on the islands. The preferred poultry in Indonesian cuisine is chicken.

The main recipes of Indonesian cuisine are most often fried or grilled meat or chicken (sometimes fish and seafood), served with rice, noodles or vegetables. There are interesting options for preparing stewed meats, such as beef rendang. The dish is prepared in a special way. There is practically no broth in it, but the meat becomes very soft and tender.

Another feature of Indonesian cuisine is a large amount of spices. Not a single recipe is complete without nutmeg, cardamom, ginger root, coriander, and turmeric. However, chili pepper, despite the spiciness of local dishes, is used very rarely.

Regionality of Indonesian cuisine

The unusual location of the country (on the islands) determined the presence of differences in the cuisine of Indonesia. There are Javanese, Peranakan, and Padang dishes.

For example, on the island of Java they eat little beef, preferring chicken, eggs and fish. Chicken is prepared mainly in the central regions of the island, where they breed it. The most popular and well-known outside the island are satay and eggs boiled in soy sauce. Fish and seafood are popular along the coast.

Padang cuisine is the exact opposite of Javanese. Here the main product is meat and offal. They are stewed or deep-fried and served with rice.

Peranakan cuisine is close to Chinese. To prepare meat and seafood dishes, seasonings and technologies characteristic of the Celestial Empire are used. Bakso, special meatballs made from meat, fish and other seafood, are very popular among tourists and local residents.

Indonesian cuisine at home

Despite their exotic nature, Indonesian cuisine is easy to prepare at home. Today you can easily purchase the necessary products and spices in stores. We will help you do the rest.

For anyone interested in Indonesian cuisine, the recipes with photos presented on our website will be a real find. Detailed descriptions and cooking recommendations will help diversify the family menu and surprise guests at home with unexpected dishes.

FOOD IN INDONESIA

Food prices in Indonesia are quite low. From street vendors you can get a full meal for just 10,000 Indonesian rupiah (33 rubles). True, the level of hygiene when preparing food on the street often leaves much to be desired.

The fastest way to get a bite to eat is to visit kaki lima(“Five Legs”), mobile kiosks or trays that can be found on roadsides in any Indonesian city, town or village. They usually offer rice, noodles and porridge at cheap prices.

Slightly more prestigious are warung, mobile eateries offering the same menu as kaki lima, but providing their customers with plastic chairs and a canvas canopy.

Even more comfortable are rumah makan– cafes located on the premises. In many of them, to place an order you just need to sit down at the table - and they will bring you countless different dishes. You can eat any of them and pay for what you eat. A normal lunch in such establishments costs an average of 25-30 thousand rupees (85-100 rubles).

In cities, many good cafes are located in shopping centers. Among the local fast food restaurant chains, it is worth noting EsTeler 77(known for its meatballs, fried rice and fruit desserts), Hoka Hoka Bento(offering Japanese cuisine) and Bakmi Gajah Mada (GM), where Chinese food (primarily noodles) is served.

There are also establishments of large international chains in Indonesia. So, a combined lunch at an Indonesian McDonald's will cost about 40-45 thousand rupees (130-146 rubles).

The average bill in a more or less decent restaurant in a large Indonesian city is about 200 thousand rupees (650 rubles).

Information on the cost of food in Indonesian stores can be found in the article Prices in Indonesia.

Indonesian cuisine and traditional Indonesian dishes

Throughout the archipelago, rice is the staple food.

Noodles are the second most popular dish in the country. A package of noodles costs only 1000 rupees (3.3 rubles) in the store; In some places you can buy ready-made noodle dishes for 2000 rupees.

Indonesians also eat soups:

bakso/baso– noodles with meatballs cooked in chicken broth;

rawon– beef soup with spices;

sayur asam- vegetable soup;

sayur lodeh– soup made from coconut milk, fish and vegetables;

soto ayam– chicken soup with noodles.

Among the dishes of Indonesian cuisine, one can also note ayam bakar(grilled chicken), ayam goreng(deep-fried chicken pieces), gado-gado(vegetables with nut sauce), ikan bakar(grilled fish), perkedel(deep-fried pies with potatoes and meat or vegetables), sated(grilled chicken or lamb).

The basis of all seasonings is chili pepper, from which a huge number of different sauces are made.

Indonesia is a very large country, and many of the peoples inhabiting it have their own culinary traditions. For example, the diet of most Javanese residents consists of relatively simple rice dishes flavored with peanuts, pepper or sugar. In West Java they eat a lot of raw vegetables and greens. Many Indonesian Christians and Hindus are big fans of pork; on some islands they eat bats and dogs.

Drinks in Indonesia

Even though the religion of most Indonesians is Islam, alcohol is easily available here. True, appearing drunk in public is not approved (while drunk, you can be robbed and arrested). Drinking alcohol in Indonesia is legal at the age of 18.

Beer is very popular in Indonesia, in particular local varieties Bintang, Bali Hai And Anker. Wine is quite expensive and is only available in expensive restaurants and bars in large hotels. Traditional alcoholic drinks are Tuak(palm wine about 15% ABV), Arak(moonshine from tuak, up to 40%) and Brem(sweet wine made from glutinous rice).

Drinking homemade alcoholic beverages can be hazardous to health. So, in 2009, on the island of Bali, 4 tourists were poisoned to death by arak.

Tap water in Indonesia is generally undrinkable. Bottled water is inexpensive and available everywhere. Most hotels in Indonesia provide drinking water for free (since tap water is very often not suitable for drinking or brushing your teeth with).

Among non-alcoholic drinks in Indonesia, in addition to the generally accepted tea, coffee and juices, various infusions and cocktails made from local products (coconut, ginger, cinnamon, peanuts, glutinous rice, etc.) are popular.

Tipping in Indonesia

In restaurants it is customary to leave a tip of 5-10% of the order value. In some restaurants and hotels in Indonesia, a service charge is automatically included in the bill; however, the doormen and conductors can be given a couple of hundred rupees each. It is customary for porters at the airport to pay 2,000 rupees for small luggage and 5,000 rupees for a large suitcase. Taxis usually round up fares to multiples of 500 rupees.

Indonesia has a lot to offer from its varied cuisine across its 17,000 islands. Each part of Indonesia has its own culinary traditions and characteristics. They differ in cooking methods, ingredients, and food traditions.

Java Island Cuisine most adapted to European tastes (i.e. least exotic) - dishes are mainly prepared from vegetables, legumes, beef and chicken.

West Sumatra is famous for its national cuisine restaurants, which, in turn, are famous not only for their spicy, unusual cuisine, but also for their unique interior and service. In Bali, the tourist island paradise, you will find every kind of world cuisine that the most spoiled tourist could desire.

Indonesian Cuisine Recipes. Dishes for the holidays. National New Year recipes

First meal:

There are also quite exotic types of dishes. Thus, in the village of Tuban in the Indonesian province of East Java, pies made from earth are prepared. Locals scoop up muddy soil from rice fields and make cakes out of it. These pies are believed to be very healthy.

Cooking among Indonesians has given rise to many beliefs. For example, a young girl is not recommended to sing while cooking - otherwise she will get an old man as her husband. It is also believed that you can get rid of a strong burning sensation in the mouth after spicy food by repeatedly spinning the plate, and to avoid tears when peeling onions, it is enough to pierce one of the onions with a knife.

As is common in Asia, the main ingredient in most Indonesian dishes is rice ("nasi"). Residents of Indonesia consider rice to be the food of the gods and tell various legends about its appearance on earth - for example, according to one of them, a young man who went to heaven brought grains of rice from there in the cracks of his heels. Among the Batak tribe in Sumatra, the soul of a sick baby is retained with boiled rice - the rice is so tasty that, having tasted it, the soul will no longer want to leave the child, and he will definitely survive

Many travelers, without delving deeply into the “cuisine culture” of Indonesia, believe that besides “nasi goreng” - fried rice with various ingredients - there are no other traditional dishes. Of course, Nasi Goreng is the most traditional dish, and all the locals will praise and recommend it. But there are other traditional dishes that you should definitely try: "sate" - seasoned grilled meat, "gado-gado" - vegetable salad with peanut sauce, "bakmi goreng" ( "bakmi goreng") - fried pasta. And the Indonesian dish “rendang”, prepared from beef stewed for several hours in coconut milk, was generally recognized in September 2011 as the most delicious dish in the world according to the website cnngo.com. And the classic “Nasi Goreng” with chicken and egg took second place in the same ranking. These two dishes, according to the voting results, surpassed in taste such dishes as: Japanese sushi and noodles, Thai rice, Hong Kong dim sum, Chinese duck, Italian lasagna, American ice cream, French croissant, and other world delicacies.

Indonesians love various seasonings and sauces, which can be very spicy. Indonesian cuisine generally has a very spicy feel, with many specific flavors not known in Europe, or spices are used in a special way. An amazing infusion of aromas and spices creates the character of this cuisine.

All main national dishes are derived from seafood, traditional rice, spices, corn, sweet potatoes, and breadfruit. Salads are widespread. It should be noted that rice wine is one of the national drinks and, of course, real black coffee. The islands of the Indonesian archipelago are rightly called the spice islands. Black and white pepper, tamarind, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, hot red or green capsicum, peanuts, ginger, soybeans, garlic are essential components of hot seasonings that locals use in their cuisine.

Throughout the year, Indonesia amazes with an abundance of tropical and subtropical fruits and vegetables. Some fruits, such as mangoes or watermelons, are seasonal, but bananas, apples, papayas, pineapples, oranges and others can be eaten all year round. In general, Indonesians are very fond of products of natural origin - for example, coconuts, heart of palm, mango and breadfruit fruits.

Traditionally, food is served on a banana leaf and directly with the hand, but only with the right hand (the left hand is considered "unclean"). Before and after eating, wash your hand in a special vessel with water and a slice of lemon. For Europeans, they usually serve a spoon and fork, but not a knife.