Indonesia 8 best dishes

So that you don't have to translate the entire menu during your next Indonesian stay, we've put together Indonesia's 8 best dishes.

Even if everything revolves around Rice turns, the variety of Indonesian cuisine is endless. This is due to the number of islands in Indonesia, which all enjoy their own typical dishes.

If you have ever been to Indonesia, you know that there are two types of people: 

Some are Team Nasi Goreng, others Team Mie Goreng. 

What this means and which dishes are also indispensable in Indonesian cuisine, we want to present to you today.

Bon appétit! 

Nasi Campur

A very special dish is the Nasi Campur. Here you can expect white rice as the main ingredient, which is surrounded by many different side dishes. Exotic vegetables, tofu, tempeh, meat, egg, peanuts, various sambal (chili sauce) and as usual the crab chips. The dish is best when you can't decide what you would like to eat. At Nasi Campur you get a wide selection of many different ingredients and flavors.

You can get this dish mainly at the warungs. These are small local restaurants where you can choose from a buffet and then pay by weight. There you get by far the best food and at an unbeatable low price. Red, yellow and white rice, colorful vegetables in various sauces, fried side dishes, marinated tofu and tempeh as well as meat and fish. Here, everyone can put together their favorite menu.  Best dishes

Nasi Goreng or Mie Goreng

As mentioned in the introduction, these two dishes are by far the most popular, especially among tourists. Translated, Nasi Goreng= fried rice, Mie Goreng= fried noodles. So it is a dish prepared on a base of rice or noodles, depending on your choice. To this is added vegetables, egg, a spicy sauce or, depending on preference, tofu, tempeh (fermented soybeans) or meat. Typical crab chips are served as a side dish. This dish has a sweet spice and is traditionally eaten with lots of chili. If you prefer your meal mild, feel free to note that.

By the way, both dishes are eaten at all times of the day and are very popular breakfast dishes.   Best dishes

Are you more Team Nasi or Mie?

Gado gado

Even without rice at all, this simple dish has established itself in Indonesia!

Simple, but anything but boring is the Gado Gado. As a kind of salad, bean sprouts, green beans, cabbage, eggs, tofu and potatoes form the basis. 

The highlight here is the spicy peanut sauce with which Gado Gado is served. As is typical for almost all dishes in Indonesia, crab chips are served with it.  Best dishes

The Gado Gado is best served as a lunch or a light dinner, because it is a well digestible meal.

Kary

If you like curries, you should try the Indonesian version called Kary. This version is a bit more watery than conventional curries. However, it also consists of colorful vegetables, a spicy curry paste and coconut milk.

Depending on your diet, you can order kary ayam (chicken curry), kary ikan (fish curry) or kary tofu/tempeh (vegan curry). White rice is served as a side dish, but it is also often supplemented with additional halved potatoes and chili pepper pieces.  Best dishes

TIP: Traditionally, the curries can be prepared quite spicy. Besten you remember following expression: "tidak pedas", which translates as "not sharp".

Satay

The dish "Satay", which originates from Java, is very popular and praised by meat lovers. 

It consists of grilled chicken skewers, which have been marinated in peanut sauce. The spicy peanut sauce is definitely the star of this dish and provides a flavor explosion. You can also expect white rice as a side dish, which is served with fresh cucumber and additional peanut sauce. Kecap manis is also a popular accompaniment. This is a sweet, viscous soy sauce that goes very well with the roasted flavors.   Best dishes

Klepon

Are you a fan of desserts? Then you should order Klepon. But be careful, because in Indonesia not only spicy food is more extreme than usual, but also sweets are eaten much more intensively here.

At Klepon, you can expect small, green balls rolled in coconut flakes and filled with liquid coconut sugar. 

The balls are made of glutinous rice flour, which is dyed green with pandan paste. Pandan is a tropical evergreen plant that is used to color many desserts.

By the way, the balls are called Onde-onde in Sumatra and Sulawesi.  Best dishes

Lapis Legit

Behind this dessert is a popular Indonesian cake.

It consists of 10-20 thin layers of dough, which tastes very moist and buttery, so it is also known as thousand-layer cake.

Traditionally, the filling consists of dried plums and cheese. In modern variations, however, the pastry is filled with cinnamon or chocolate. The cake is eaten mainly in Java and Bali and is usually sold whole. 

The production requires a lot of time because of the many layers, but is worth testing! 

Padang Goreng

The sweet conclusion is made by fried bananas.

As a tropical country, Indonesia has many varieties of banana, which is why it sneaks into so many dishes. 

Banana fritter is a simple dessert that consists of deep-fried banana slices wrapped in batter. It is particularly tasty and easy to find due to its popularity. Padang Goreng are offered in most local restaurants and also often sold as street food. Absolutely recommended!

Appetite for more?

This article has probably whetted your appetite, and rightly so. Indonesian cuisine is very diverse and truly incomparable. As if that wasn't reason enough to plan an adventure to Indonesia, you will also be able to find incredibly beautiful national parks and paradise islands offered.

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