The Guide to The Famous Indonesian Cuisine!

Indonesian food is one of the most vibrant and colourful cuisines in the world, full of intense flavour. Over the centuries many different races have visited and left their stamp on the cuisine -  Indian,  Chinese, Arab, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Dutch. 

 

With over 17,000 islands, there are many regional specialities, but wherever you are in indonesia, most meals, are based around rice. Nasi Goreng or Fried Rice is considered the national dish of indonesia and can be found everywhere from street hawker carts to dinner parties or restaurants. It is a meal of stir-fried rice spiced with sweet soy sauce, shallot, garlid, tamarind, and chilli and accompanied by other ingredients, mainly egg, chicken, prawns or salted dried fish.

Sambals are also a cornerstone of the cuisine and these chilli-based condiments may be either freshly made or store-bought. There are many types of sambals, all of which combine a variety of chilli peppers with different combinations of spices, fruits or vegetables.

Indonesians believe in giving a "kick start" to their palate with the heat of chilii and the sour crunch of pickles, so meals generally comprise rice, sambal and pickles with small amounts of meats, seafood or vegetables, often in curry form. 

Two foods adored by Indonesians  are Tempe - fermented soybeans usually found in block form that are high in protein and fibre - and krupuk or deep fried crackers. Because of the humid climate and volcanic soil, tropical fruits, vegetables and spices are found in abundance. Dried spices such as coriander seeds,cardamom pods, cinnamon quills, cumin seeds, cloves and nutmeg are used everyday in many dishes and each curry has a number of dried spices as well as fresh herbs.

 

Desserts are some of the most exuberant in South East Asia, especially the favourite "Ice Cendol" which features shaved ice, tropical fruit, coconut milk and pandan flavoured "worms" made from mung bean flour.