The Best Indonesian Food You Should Try

Indonesia has so many kinds of dishes because the people have different cultures. Each area and tribe in Indonesia has its own specialty which makes Indonesian food rich. Usually, the way they cook them is still traditional by following the guides from their ancestors.

When you visit the cities in Indonesia, you had better try some dishes that will be hard to find anywhere else. Since the country itself has many cities, you can start with the best food that is available in many cities in Indonesia. Here is the ultimate guide before trying one.

Favorite Indonesian Food You Shouldn’t Miss

1. Nasi Goreng

Nasi goreng or fried rice from Indonesia is the most popular dish since you can find it easily everywhere. The main ingredient is rice, which is fried with many additional ingredients such as soybean sauce, seafood, meatball slices, and vegetables.

Visiting Indonesia without trying this dish is such a waste. Some other areas may add a slice of beef to make it tastier. It is normally available in street food and fancy restaurants as well. It is a must-try food that will make you full since the serving is quite plenty.

2. Ketoprak

Ketoprak is Indonesian food that is very authentic since it is only available in Indonesia. The origin of ketoprak is from Cirebon, one of the big cities in West Java. The dish consists of sliced rice cake, boiled sprouts, corn noodles, and nut sauce as the main spice.

You can choose to serve it in different flavors, from sweet to spicy. The sweetness is from soybean sauce, while the spicy one is from the ground chili. Ketoprak also has kerupuk as a topping. It is the crisp that can be eaten as a topping for many dishes.

3. Mie Ayam

Mie ayam or chicken noodles is a serving of traditional noodles with soybean-sauce chicken as the topping. This Indonesian food is sold everywhere in Indonesia with special spices. With the flavor of bay leaves, ginger, and savory oil, chicken noodles are perfect as the main dish.

You can find this dish in many areas of Indonesia. It does not specifically come from one city only. The price of a bowl of mie ayam is very affordable. Sometimes, the topping is not only soybean-sauce chicken but also chili sauce, sliced leek, and fried crisp.

4. Bakso

Even though you can find bakso or meatballs in other countries, bakso in Indonesia is on another level because of the spices. The broth has mixed flavors, from spiced and bouillon. The meatball is made from beef and starch. After that, it is served with noodles, sprouts, and mustard greens.

This dish can be found in almost every city in Indonesia. Yet, the difference is from flavor and topping on the bowl itself. The more meat content in the meatball, the more expensive it is. You have to try this dish whenever you are in Indonesia. The most famous one is from Malang, East Java.

5. Rendang

Rendang is a dish from West Sumatra where the beef is cooked slowly with coconut milk until the beef dries. There are many kinds of spices in it, so the taste is amazing. It has become one of the most authentic Indonesian food in the world that everyone should try at least once in their life.

Beef, as the main ingredient, is irreplaceable. Other types of meat will not be as tasty as beef. Even though the authentic recipe can be found in Padang, you can try rendang in many Padang restaurants. It is all over Indonesia cities. However, the price might be quite expensive.

6. Pempek

Pempek is more than just a fish cake. This is a side dish from Palembang, South Sumatra. The main ingredients are fish and tapioca. After that, the fishcake is boiled before fried. The serving of a bowl of fishcake will have a sour and sweet sauce called cuko.

The topping of pempek is sliced cucumber. It is mainly found in Palembang, but it has become one of the most popular side dishes in Indonesia. So, this Indonesian food is easy to find in other cities too. If you dislike the spicy flavor, you can reduce the amount of chili that is added to the sauce.

7. Sate

Sate or satay is another food that you must try. It looks like BBQ, but the meat is from chicken. Sometimes, they use lamb as well. The authentic recipe of satay is from Madura, an area in the Eastern Java island. Thus, it has become popular all over Indonesia and even other countries.

Eating satay is unique because you can add the nut sauce. The topping of satay is fried shallots. If you like the spicy flavor, you can add more chili paste to the nut sauce before eating satay.

Indonesian food is always worth trying. The specialties above are the best dishes you can find in the popular areas in Indonesia. Original recipes and traditional cooking methods are the reason why the dishes are delicious. Plus, it is very affordable to taste the rich Indonesian spices in them.