Cuisine of Indonesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
| This article is part of the Cuisine series |
| Foods |
|---|
|
Bread - Pasta - Cheese - Rice |
| Regional cuisines |
| Asia - Europe - Caribbean South Asia - Latin America Middle East - North America - Africa Other cuisines... |
| Preparation techniques and cooking items |
| Techniques - Utensils Weights and measures |
| See also: |
| Famous chefs - Kitchens - Meals Wikibooks: Cookbook |
Indonesian cuisine reflects the vast variety of people that live on the 6,000 populated islands that make up Indonesia. Indonesian cuisine is as diverse as Indonesian culture, and has taken on culinary influence from many sources. Throughout its history, Indonesia has been involved in trade due to its location and natural resources. Indonesia's indigenous techniques and ingredients, at least in the Malay World parts, are influenced by India, the Middle East, China and finally Europe. The Spanish and Portuguese traders brought New World produce even before the Dutch came to colonize most of Indonesia.
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 where all members are expected to attend. For this reason, most of the dishes are made such that they can last and remain edible even if left on the table in 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 the more commonly sauteed vegetables with garlic), and another main dish. Whatever the meal, it is accompanied by at least one, and often several relishes that are called sambals.
In eastern Indonesia where the natives are more influenced by Pacific islander cultures such as on the island of Papua and Timor, the meals can be centered around other sources of carbohydrates such as sago and/or grain.
The most popular dishes that originated in Indonesia are common across most of Asia, with beef and sambals favored in Malaysia and Singapore. Soy-based dishes such as variations of tofu (tahu) and tempeh are also very popular. In fact, tempeh is an adaptation of tofu to the tropical climates of Indonesia.
In most cities it is common to see Chinese dishes such as buns and noodles sold by street vendors and restaurants alike, often adapted to become Indonesian Chinese cuisine. One common adaptation is that pork is no longer used since the majority of Indonesians are Muslims. Street and street-side vendors are common, in addition to hawkers peddling their goods on bicycles or carts. These carts are known as kaki lima (named after the 5-foot wide footpaths in Indonesia, however some people say they are named 'five feet' after the three feet of the cart and two feet of the vendor!), and many of these have their own distinctive call to announce their wares. For example, the bakso seller will hit the side of a soup bowl, whereas mie ayam is announced by hitting a wood block.
So-called 'Padang' restaurants (Rumah Makan Padang) are found in many parts of Indonesia. These restaurants serve the cuisine of the Minangkabau people. In such a restaurant, many small dishes are brought to the table. The diners eat only what they want from this selection of dishes, and they are charged accordingly. Padang food is typically spicy, a favorite being Beef Rendang.
Indonesian meals are commonly eaten with combination of spoon in the right hand & fork in the left hand, although in many parts such as West Java it is also common to eat with your hands.
Contents |
[edit] List of some common Indonesian ingredients
Spices:
- Candlenuts (Kemiri)
- Chilli (Cabai)
- Fingerroots (Temu Kunci)
- Galangal (Lengkuas)
- Ginger (Jahe)
- Lesser Galangal (Kencur)
- Turmeric (Kunyit)
Herbs:
- Kaffir Lime Leaves (Daun Jeruk Purut)
- Lemon Basil (Kemangi)
- Lime Leaves (Daun Jeruk)
- Lemongrass (Sereh)
- Pandan (Daun Pandan) (P. amaryllifolius, a variety of Pandanus, used to add a distinct aroma to some dishes and desserts)
- Bay Leaves (Daun Salam)
[edit] List of some popular Indonesian dishes
- Ayam Taliwang originated from Nusa Tenggara (east of Bali), chicken cooked in various spicy herbs and seasoning.
- Bakmi Goreng (Fried Noodles) served with eggs, sometimes chicken, beef or seafood, with assorted vegetables such as thinly sliced carrots, (bok choi) or chinese cabbage.
- Bakwan Malang (meatball noodle soup with fried wontons from city of Malang)
- Buntut (Ox-tail) served in clear soup or roasted alone then served with barbeque sauce.
- Gado-gado (a mixture of vegetables and crackers with peanut paste. The taste is sweet in Eastern Java and salty in Western Java. It's described in an indonesian hotel menu as Indonesian salad with peanut sauce)
- Gudeg (raw jackfruit that cooked in a javanese traditional way that originated from Yogyakarta)
- Gulai (Indonesian curry) characterised with yellow colour from turmeric and coconut milk.
- Karedok(raw vegetables served with peanut sauce (It's closed to East Java Pecel, but Karedok uses raw vegetables))
- Ketoprak (almost the same with Eastern Java's gado-gado but with saltier taste. A popular dish from Western Java The main difference from Gado gado is that this food using bihun, a thin rice noodle)
- Nasi Campur or Nasi Rames (Mixed Rice) rice with assorted vegetables and meat of choice.
- Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) steamed rice stir-fried with eggs, meatballs, chicken/beef/shrimp, assorted vegetables. The rice is made brown with thick and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis).
- Nasi Kuning (usually eaten during special event. The rice is cooked with coconut milk and turmeric, hence the name nasi kuning (yellow rice). It is usually served with more variety of side dishes than nasi campur)
- Nasi Padang (originated from Padang where most of the food involved coconut milk and heavy taste of chili. very wide selection of side dish)
- Nasi Pecel Rice served with cooked vegetables and peanut sauce. The vegetables are usually kangkung or water spinach, long beans, cassava leaves, papaya leaves, and in East Java often used kembang turi. Taste best when eaten with fried tempeh and traditional cracker. Popular in East and Central Java.
- Nasi Rawon Rice served with dark beef soup, originally from East Java. The dark color comes from the meaty seeds of kluwak nuts. Usually served with uncooked mung bean sprouts and salty duck eggs.
- Nasi Uduk Indonesian version of Nasi Lemak.
- Opor Ayam chicken cooked in coconut milk. Traditionally consumed with Ketupat during the Iedul Fitri celebration in most region of Indonesia.
- Pecel (a mixture of vegetables and traditional cracker with spicy peanut paste. Madiun and Blitar in East Java is popular for their pecel)
- Rawon (a soup of beef. The colour is usually black due to "kluwek" used as the spice)
- Rendang chunks of beef stewed in coconut milk and chilli gravy.
- Sate or Satay (skewered barbequed meat that usually had peanut sauce, or sweet soy sauce)
- Sayur Asem (Sour Dish/Tamarind Dish) clear soup with assorted vegetables such as: (melinjo) or gnetum gnemon, melinjo leaves, sweet corn (still on the cobs), young papaya, peanuts, and tamarind.
- Sayur Lodeh (Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Milk Stew)
- Soto or Sroto or Coto (a soup of chicken or beef. The colour is yellow because turmeric is added as one of the ingredients. Soto in Jakarta uses coconut milk while in East Java doesn't)
- Krengsengan (mutton sautee with sweet soy sauce aka kecap manis and petis udang, the Indonesian traslation for Black Shrimp Paste)
- Tongseng (It's a kind like Krengsengan but the different is without Petis Udang added)
- Babi Guling (Balinese-style roast pig; comparable to Hawaiian luau-style pig.
- Ayam/Bebek Betutu (Roast duck) Traditional Balinese food, the chicken is usually spicy.
- Lawar
[edit] List of some popular Indonesian snacks
- Asinan Betawi
- Bakpia Pathok
- Emping Crackers made from flattened Gnemon seeds
- Geplak
- Gethuk
- Kerak Telor
- Kerupuk (Prawn crackers - often served with or on top of Nasi Goreng)
- Klepon
- Kue Bandung
- Lemper
- Lontong Cap Gomeh
- Lumpia Semarang
- Martabak
- Nagasari
- Otak-otak (fish meat mixed with flour and then covered with banana leaf before being grilled)
- Rujak (there are two kinds of rujak. Rujak petis is a popular dish from Surabaya, a mixture of vegetables, tofu, tempeh with black fish paste sauce. Rujak manis, is a mixture of fruit covered with sweet and spicy peanut sauce)
- Pempek (a signature dish of Palembang. Fish meat mixed with flour and then deep fried. Served with cucumber, noodles, and thin black sauce (soy sauce))
- Somay/Siomay (a light meal which has a similar form to Chinese Dim Sum, shaped like ice cream cone except the bottom is flat and made traditionally from mackerel fish meat served with peanut sauce. Sometimes the main ingredient can be made from prawn or other fish.)
- Srabi
- Tempeh Bacem
- Brem (Brem is made from fermented tape. Brem is a special beverage from Madiun and Bali. Usually brem is present not in beverages but in snacks.)
- Arem-arem
- Cimol (Cimol is a small snack made from flour. Cimol food comes from Banten, West Java.)
[edit] List of some popular Indonesian drinks
- Bajigur
- Cendol
- Es teler (a mixed of avocado, red beans, jack fruit, shreded iced with sweet thick milk)
- Es dawet
- Jahe Telor ( a drink that made of ginger and raw egg)
- Serbat
- Teh Talua
- Wedhang rondhe
- Teh botol (Bottled Tea}
[edit] List of some popular Indonesian desserts
- Bubur Ketan Hitam
- Klepon
- Kolak
- Lapis Legit
- Lupis
- Pisang Goreng (Fried Banana)
- Tape Uli
- Bubur Candil
- Lupis
- Cenil
- Latok
- Paklempung
[edit] Fruit in Indonesia
Indonesian markets abound with many types of tropical fruit. These are an important part of the Indonesian diet, either eaten on their own, made into desserts, or even savoury dishes (ie, rujak).
Many of these fruits are indigenous to Indonesia (Mangosteen) or the Malay archipelago in general (Rambutan), others have been imported from other tropical countries, although the origin of many of these fruits is disputed.
Banana and Coconut are particularly important, not only to Indonesian cuisine, but also in other uses, such as timber, bedding, roofing, oil, plates and packaging , etc.
- Banana - Pisang
- Coconut - Kelapa
- Carambola
- Duku
- Durian
- Jackfruit - Nangka / Gudeg
- Kaffir lime -Jeruk Obat / Jeruk Limau
- Lime - Jeruk Nipis
- Longan - Kelengkeng
- Lychee
- Mango - Mangga
- Mangosteen - Manggis
- Orange - Jeruk Manis
- Pineapple - Nanas
- Pomelo - Jeruk Bali
- Rambutan
- Snake Fruit - Salak
- Star Fruit - Belimbing
- Soursop - Sirsak
- Otaheite apple - Kedongdong
- Guava
- Water apple - Jambu air
- Watermelon - Semangka
- Papaya - Pepaya
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
