Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 populated islands of the total 17,508 in the world's largest archipelago, with more than 1,300 ethnic groups.
Rendang is a Minangkabau dish. It is a rich dish of meat that has been slow cooked and braised in a coconut milk seasoned with a herb and spice mixture until the liquids evaporate and the meat turns dark brown and tender, becoming caramelized and infused with rich flavours.
Nasi goreng is a Southeast Asian fried rice dish, usually cooked with pieces of meat and vegetables. One of Indonesia's national dishes, it is also eaten in Malay-speaking communities in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, and has gained popularity in Sri Lanka through migrations from the Malay Archipelago, in countries like Suriname via Indonesian immigrant communities, and in the Netherlands through its colonial ties with Indonesia. Nasi goreng is distinguished from other Asian fried rice preparations by its distinct smoky aroma, and caramelised yet savoury undertones of flavour. There is no single defined recipe for nasi goreng, and its composition and preparation varies greatly from household to household.
Sup kambing or sop kambing is a Southeast Asian mutton soup, commonly found in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore. It is prepared with goat meat, tomato, celery, spring onion, ginger, candlenut and lime leaf, its broth is yellowish in colour. Sup kambing is quite widespread as numbers of similar goat meat soup recipes can be found throughout Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
Babi panggang refers to a variety of recipes for Indonesian grilled pork dishes, 'babi' meaning pig or pork, and 'panggang' meaning grilled or roasted in the Indonesian language.
Daun ubi tumbuk is a vegetable dish commonly found in Indonesia, made from pounded cassava leaves. In Indonesian, daun means leaf, ubi refers to cassava, and tumbuk means pounded. The cassava leaves are traditionally pounded with a wooden mortar and pestle, although finely chopping or puréeing them using a blender or food processor is an alternative.
Saksang or sa-sang is a savory, spicy Indonesian dish from the Batak people. It is made from minced pork or dog meat stewed in its blood, coconut milk and spices; including kaffir lime and bay leaves, coriander, shallot, garlic, chili pepper and Thai pepper, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, turmeric and andaliman.
Mie ayam, mi ayam, or bakmi ayam is a common Indonesian dish of seasoned yellow wheat noodles topped with diced chicken meat. It is derived from culinary techniques employed in Chinese cuisine. In Indonesia, the dish is recognized as a popular Chinese Indonesian dish, served from simple travelling vendor carts frequenting residential areas, humble street-side warung to restaurants.
Dengke mas na niura is a traditional Batak dish originating from the North Sumatra province of Indonesia. The name of the dish means "pickled fish" in the Toba Batak language. The dish is made with raw carp which is soaked in Kaffir limes and seasoned with andaliman. According to local oral tradition, only Batak kings were allowed to eat the dish, but in modern times there is no such restriction.
Bumbu is the Indonesian word for a blend of spices and for pastes made from these blends, and it commonly appears in the names of spice mixtures, sauces and seasoning pastes. The official Indonesian language dictionary describes bumbu as "various types of herbs and plants that have a pleasant aroma and flavour — such as ginger, turmeric, galangal, nutmeg and pepper — used to enhance the flavour of the food."
Batak cuisine is the cuisine and cooking traditions of Batak ethnic groups, predominantly found in Northern Sumatra region, Indonesia. Batak cuisine is part of Indonesian cuisine, and compared to other Sumatran cuisine traditions, it is more indigenously preserved. One characteristic of Batak cuisine is its preference to andaliman as the main spice. That is why andaliman in Indonesia sometimes dubbed as "Batak pepper".
Woku is an Indonesian type of bumbu found in Manado cuisine of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. Sambal is an Indonesian loanword of Javanese origin. It originated from the culinary traditions of Indonesia and is also an integral part of the cuisines of Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Sri Lanka. It has also spread through overseas Indonesian populations to the Netherlands and Suriname.
Gulai is a class of spicy and rich stew commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The main ingredients of this dish are usually poultry, goat meat, beef, mutton, various kinds of offal, fish and seafood, as well as vegetables such as cassava leaves, unripe jackfruit and banana stem.
Brenebon soup or bruinebonensoep is a kidney beans soup commonly found in the Eastern Indonesia, more often specifically associated with Manado cuisine of North Sulawesi. The soup is made from kidney beans with vegetables served in broth seasoned with garlic, pepper and other spices.
Pindang refers to a cooking method in the Indonesian and Malay language of boiling ingredients in brine or acidic solutions. Usually employed to cook fish or egg, the technique is native to Sumatra especially in Palembang, but has spread to Java and Kalimantan. The term also could refer to a specific sour and spicy fish soup which employs seasonings like tamarind. Pindang has food preservation properties, which extends the shelf life of fish products.
Tinorangsak or tinoransak is an Indonesian hot and spicy meat dish that uses specific bumbu found in Manado cuisine of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The most common meat used in tinorangsak is pork. However, other kind of meat such as beef, chicken or seafood might be used as well. Spices mixture includes chili pepper, shallot or onion, ginger, lime leaves, lemongrass, lime juice, cooking oil, and salt.
Mie Gomak is a Batak thick spicy noodle soup dish served in a coconut milk and andaliman-based broth, specialty of Toba Batak region of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Other that traditional Batak lands surrounding Lake Toba, this dish is also a specialty of the Sibolga and Tapanuli area. Unlike common Indonesian noodles, the type of noodle used in this dish is a thick one called mie lidi, quite similar to spaghetti pasta, thus mie gomak is often described as Batak style spaghetti. Mie gomak is quite similar to Mie Aceh from neighbouring province.
Babi hong is a Chinese Indonesian pork belly dish possibly of Hakka origin. The samcan or pork belly is boiled or braised, fried and steamed in numbers of Chinese seasonings and sauces.
