The Complete Indonesian Cookbook

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Main article: Makassarese cuisine Sop saudara and ikan bolu bakar (grilled milkfish). Specialty of Makassar. Some game meat such as venison might be sold and consumed in some areas of Indonesia. In Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, and Papua, deer meat can be found, usually wildly acquired by hunting. Other unusual and often controversial exotic meats include frog legs and softshell turtle consumed in Chinese Indonesian and Javanese cuisine, horse meat consumed in Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara, and South Sulawesi, turtle meat consumed in Bali and Eastern Indonesia, snake, biawak ( monitor lizard), paniki ( fruit bats), dog meat, cat meat, and field rats consumed in Minahasan cuisine of North Sulawesi. Batak cuisine of North Sumatra is also familiar with cooking dog meat, while its consumption is diminishing in Central Java. Exotic and rare game meat such as crocodile, squirrel, civet, and monkey might also be sold and consumed in wilder parts of Indonesia. There are many regional cuisines, often based upon indigenous culture with some foreign influences. [2] Tradition and characteristics [ edit ]

The fire used in cooking can be either a strong fire or a small fire for slow cooking. Cooking nasi goreng usually employs strong fire, while authentic rendang for example requires a small fire for slow cooking of beef, spices, and coconut milk until the meat is caramelised and all the coconut milk's liquid has evaporated. Traditional Indonesian dapur ( kitchen) usually employs firewood-fuelled kitchen stove, while the contemporary household today uses liquefied petroleum gas-fuelled stove or an electric stove. The ingredients could be cut into pieces, sliced thinly, or ground into a paste. Cooking utensils are wajan ( wok), penggorengan ( frying pan), panci ( cauldron), knives, several types of spoon and fork, parutan (shredder), cobek and ulekan (stone mortar and pestle). Traditionally Indonesians use a stone mortar and a pestle to grind the spices and ingredients into coarse or fine pastes. Today most households use blender or food processor for the task. Traditional Indonesian cooking wares are usually made from stone, earthenware pottery, wood, and woven bamboo or a rattan container or filter, while contemporary cooking wares, plates and containers use metals – iron, tin, stainless steel, aluminium, ceramics, plastics, and also glass. One of my favourite flavours, lemongrass is a tall tropical grass that contains citral, the same essential oil found in lemon peel, giving it an intensely fragrant lemony flavour. Chen, Evelyn. "Rojak: The evolution of Singapore's favorite salad". cnn.com . Retrieved 26 April 2023.Many traditional kitchens have a wok, gas stove and rice cooker. As in many parts of tropical Southeast Asia, an oven is the least widely used cooking appliance, meaning baked or roasted ingredients are not commonplace. Banana leaves are often used to steam ingredients. Coconuts are abundant in tropical Indonesia, and since ancient times Indonesians developed many and various uses for this plant. The broad use of coconut milk in dishes throughout the archipelago is another common characteristic of Indonesian cuisine. It is used in recipes ranging from savoury dishes– such as rendang, soto, gulai, mie koclok, sayur lodeh, gudeg, and opor ayam– to desserts– such as es cendol and es doger. Soto is ubiquitous in Indonesia and considered one of Indonesia's national dishes. [13] Some Like It Hot! Bali Safari and Marine Park Holds Its 3rd Chili Festival". Bali Discovery Tours. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012 . Retrieved 23 February 2018.

The Dutch arrived in Indonesia in the 16th century in search of spices. When the Dutch East India Company (VOC) went bankrupt in 1800, Indonesia became a treasured colony of the Netherlands. [49] Through colonialism, Europeans introduced bread, cheese, barbecued steak and pancake. Bread, butter and margarine, chocolate sprinkles, sandwiches filled with ham, cheese or fruit jam, poffertjes, pannekoek and Dutch cheeses are commonly consumed by colonial Dutch and Indos during the colonial era. Some of native upperclass ningrat (nobles) and educated native were exposed to European cuisine; This cuisine was held in high esteem as the cuisine of the upper class of Dutch East Indies society. You will see local warungs (food places) selling braised meat, stews, curries, soups and boiled mixed vegetables. Almost every style of cooking is used to bring out the different flavours and textures. a b Sitompul, Martin (28 July 2017). "Pesona Nasi Goreng". Historia – Obrolan Perempuan Urban (in Indonesian) . Retrieved 19 September 2018.If bruising lemongrass, I like to bash it with the blunt side of the knife and then tie it into a knot to prevent it from disintegrating during cooking. The best way to store terasi is wrapped in parchment paper and covered in two layers of foil, then kept inside an airtight container. Turmeric Terasi or belacan should be crumbled and then mixed thoroughly with other ingredients as it cooks. To roast the terasi, slice it in 1cm wide pieces and wrap them in a large sheet of foil. Place on a tray and roast in the oven for 6 minutes at 160°C fan. It is the fragrance of Indonesia that hits first; the citrus perfume of lime leaf, the peppery heat of ginger and galangal, and the caramelised sweetness of shallots that weaves through the air as spice pastes, known as bumbu, are sautéed in woks.

Seafood is commonly consumed across Indonesia, but it is especially popular in Maluku islands, Gorontalo Peninsula and Minahasa ( North Sulawesi) cuisine. Seafood is usually grilled, boiled or fried. Ikan bakar is a popular grilled fish dish that can be found throughout Indonesia. The method of cooking like stir fried in spices or in soup is also possible. Salted fish is preserved seafood through cured in salt, it also can be found in Indonesian market. In western and central Indonesia, the main meal is usually cooked in the late morning, and consumed around midday. In many families there is no set meal time when all members are expected to attend. For this reason, most of the dishes are made so that they can remain edible even if left on the table at room temperature for many hours. The same dishes are then re-heated for the final meal in the evening. Most meals are built around a cone-shaped pile of long-grain, highly polished rice. A meal may include a soup, salad (or more commonly vegetables sautéed with garlic), and another main dish. Whatever the meal, it is accompanied by at least one, and often several, relishes called sambals. Especially for Javanese family, on the table, it is also common to always have chips, that can be kerupuk, rempeyek, or any other chips to accompany the meal. Some popular Indonesian dishes such as nasi goreng, [9] gado-gado, [10] [11] satay, [12] and soto [13] are ubiquitous in the country and are considered national dishes. The official national dish of Indonesia is tumpeng, chosen in 2014 by Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy as the dish that binds the diversity of Indonesia's various culinary traditions. [4] Later in 2018, the same ministry has chosen 5 national dish of Indonesia; they are soto, rendang, satay, nasi goreng, and gado-gado. [14] Indonesia is the home of sate; one of the country's national dishes, there are many variants across Indonesia.Grilled tempeh burgers". Rachael Ray. 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Meat [ edit ] Rendang daging, a beef, mutton or goat meat dish, that has been marinated with various different spices for several hours, and slow-cooked with coconut milk. Dutch-Indonesian fusion dishes also exist, of which the most well-known is the rijsttafel ("rice table"), which is an elaborate meal consisting of many (up to several dozens) small dishes (hence filling "an entire table"). [51] While popular in the Netherlands, Rijsttafel is now rare in Indonesia itself. Today, there are many Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands, especially in large cities like Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Rotterdam. [49] Culinary diplomacy [ edit ] Indonesian restaurant in Hong Kong As a Muslim-majority country, Indonesian Muslims share Islamic dietary laws that prohibit alcoholic beverages. Since ancient times, local alcoholic beverages were developed in the archipelago. According to a Chinese source, people of ancient Java drank wine made from palm sap called tuak ( palm wine). Today tuak continues to be popular in the Batak region, North Sumatra. A traditional Batak bar serving tuak is called lapo tuak. In Solo, Central Java, ciu (a local adaptation of Chinese wine) is known. Bottled brem bali (Balinese rice wine) is popular in Bali. In Nusa Tenggara and Maluku Islands the people also drink palm wine, locally known as sopi. [68] In the Minahasa region of North Sulawesi, the people drink a highly alcoholic drink called Cap Tikus. Indonesians developed local brands of beer, such as Bintang Beer and Anker Beer. Rambutan: Java island is the central location for Rambutan, where you will find this hairy looking fruit in abundance. Rambutan has a sweet fruit inside which is similar to a lychee.