IndonesiaWhat to eat in Indonesia: top 10 dishes
Traveling to Indonesia? These are the ten dishes it is best known for, from everyday staples to festive classics, with a short background and a tip on where and when to eat each one. Ranked by how widely they are known around the world.
01Tempeh
Tempeh or tempe is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form.
Travel tip Sold at markets and served in home meals, usually fried or cooked in dishes with sambal. Look for it as a side dish at warung.
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02Nasi goreng
Nasi goreng (English pronunciation: ), (Indonesian and Malay for 'fried rice') is a Southeast Asian rice dish typically prepared with pre-cooked rice stir-fried in a small amount of oil or margarine and seasoned with ingredients such as sweet soy sauce,…
Travel tip Found everywhere, from street carts and night markets to hotels, often as a breakfast, late-night or lunch dish. It usually comes with a fried egg and crackers.
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03Satay
Satay or sate is a Southeast Asian dish consisting of small pieces of seasoned meat, seafood or vegetables skewered on sticks and grilled over charcoal.
Travel tip Grilled over charcoal at street stalls, especially in the evening. Order by the stick or portion, and eat with rice cakes or rice.
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04Rendang
Rendang is a stir-fried meat dish or dry curry made of meat stewed in coconut milk and spices, widely popular across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and the southern parts of the Philippines, where each version is considered local cuisine.
Travel tip A slow-cooked dish that is common at Padang restaurants and special occasions. Order it with rice, and expect it to be rich and spicy.
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05Gado-gado
Gado-gado (Indonesian or Betawi) is an Indonesian salad of raw, slightly boiled, blanched or steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato, fried tofu and tempeh, and sliced lontong (compressed cylinder rice cake wrapped in a banana leaf), served…
Travel tip A vegetable dish sold at street stalls and warung, often as a light meal. The peanut sauce is usually mixed in just before serving.
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07Cendol
Cendol, also known as lot chong (Thai: ลอดช่อง), mont let saung (Burmese: မုန့်လက်ဆောင်း), nom lut (Khmer: បង្អែមលត), lod song (Lao: ລອດຊ່ອງ) and bánh lọt, is a traditional Southeast Asian dessert characterised by soft, green, worm-like jelly strands made…
Travel tip A cold dessert enjoyed in hot weather, sold at street stalls and markets as a refreshing drink. It is poured over ice with coconut milk and palm sugar syrup.
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08Rawon
Rawon (Javanese: ꦫꦮꦺꦴꦤ꧀) is an Indonesian beef soup. Originating from the Javanese cuisine of East Java, rawon utilizes the black keluak nut as the main seasoning, which gives a dark color and nutty flavor to the soup; thus rawon is often described as "black…
Travel tip An East Javanese beef soup eaten with rice, typically with sambal, salted egg and bean sprouts on the side. Look for it at warung in East Java.
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09Bakso
Bakso or baso is an Indonesian meatball, or a meat paste made from beef surimi. Its texture is similar to the Chinese beef ball, fish ball, or pork ball. The word bakso may refer to a single meatball or the complete dish of meatball soup.
Travel tip Sold by mobile vendors and in warung, usually as a hot soup with noodles. Add sambal and sweet soy sauce at the table to taste.
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