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. Many regional cuisines exist, often based upon indigenous culture with some foreign influences. Indonesia has around 5,350 traditional recipes, with 30 of them considered the most important. Indonesia's cuisine may include rice, noodle and soup dishes in modest local eateries to street-side snacks and top-dollar plates.
Otak-otak is a Southeast Asian fish cake made of ground fish mixed with spices and wrapped in leaf parcels. Otak-otak is traditionally served steamed or grilled, encased within the leaf parcel it is cooked in, and can be eaten solely as a snack or with steamed rice as part of a meal.
Oxtail soup is a soup made with beef tails. The use of the word "ox" in this context is a legacy of nomenclature; no specialized stock of beef animals are used and tails may come from bovines other than oxen. It is believed by some that oxtail soup was invented in Spitalfields in London in the seventeenth century by French Huguenot and Flemish immigrants, from the tails of animals. Different versions of oxtail soup exist: Korean; Chinese; a fried/barbecued oxtail combined with soup variation which is a popular dish in Indonesia where it is called as sop buntut; an ethnic dish of the American South which traces its lineage back to the pre-revolutionary war era; and a thick, rich, gravy-like soup popular in the United Kingdom since the 18th century. Creole oxtail soup is made from a tomato base with oxtails, potatoes, green beans, corn, mirepoix, garlic, and herbs and spices.
Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.
Padang food or Minang food is the cuisine of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is among the most popular food in Maritime Southeast Asia. It is known across Indonesia as Masakan Padang after Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra province. It is served in restaurants mostly owned by perantauan (migrating) Minangkabau people in Indonesian cities. Padang food is ubiquitous in Indonesian cities and is popular in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.
Sundanese cuisine is the cuisine of the Sundanese people of Western Java, and Banten, Indonesia. It is one of the most popular foods in Indonesia. Sundanese food is characterised by its freshness; the famous lalab eaten with sambal and also karedok demonstrate the Sundanese fondness for fresh raw vegetables. Unlike the rich and spicy taste, infused with coconut milk and curry of Minangkabau cuisine, the Sundanese cuisine displays the simple and clear taste; ranged from savoury salty, fresh sourness, mild sweetness, to hot and spicy.
Coto Makassar or Coto Mangkasara (Makassarese), is an Indonesian traditional soup originating from Makassar, South Sulawesi. It is a variant of soto traditional beef and offal stew with seasoned broth made from ground peanuts and spices. The main ingredient of this soup is beef and it can be mixed with innards such as intestine, liver, lungs, heart, tripe, or cow brain.
Konro is an Indonesian rib soup originating with the Makassarese people of South Sulawesi. Usually this soup was made with ribs, such as spareribs or beef as main ingredient. The soup is brown-black in color and eaten either with burasa or ketupat cut into bite-size pieces or rice. The spicy and strong-tasting soup is made from a mixture of rich spices, which includes coriander, keluwak ; a fruit that gives it its blackish color, also small amount of nutmeg, turmeric, galangal, cinnamon, tamarind, lemongrass, clove, and salam.
Pallubasa is a traditional dish from Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Like Coto Makassar, it is made from offal of cattle or buffalo. The cooking process is similar to Coto Makassar; the offal is boiled for long time. After it is boiled, the offal is added to meat, then sliced and served in a bowl.
Burasa is an Indonesian rice dumpling, cooked with coconut milk packed inside a banana leaf pouch. It is similar to lontong, but with a richer flavour acquired from the coconut milk. It is a delicacy of the Bugis and Makassar people of South Sulawesi. It is also a dish associated with the Bugis diaspora, notably in the Malaysian states of Johor, Selangor, Sabah, and Sarawak where there are large established communities. It is often consumed as a staple to replace steamed rice or ketupat, and a popular accompaniment to a rich dish of chicken braised with galangal.
Soto is a traditional Indonesian soup mainly composed of broth, meat, and vegetables. Many traditional soups are called soto, whereas foreign and Western influenced soups are called sop.
Sambal is a 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 loan-word of Javanese and Sundanese origin. It originated from the culinary traditions of Indonesia, and is also an integral part of the cuisines of Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Brunei and Singapore. It has also spread through overseas Indonesian populations to the Netherlands and Suriname.
Palembangese cuisine is the cuisine of the Palembangese people of the city of Palembang in the South Sumatra province of Indonesia. It is the second most well-known cuisine from Sumatra after Padang.
Makassarese cuisine is the cuisine of Makassarese people of Makassar in the South Sulawesi province of Indonesia.
Indian Indonesian cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Indian cuisine with local Indonesian-style. This cuisine consists of adaptations of authentic dishes from India, as well as original creations inspired by the diverse food culture of Indonesia. Indian influence can be observed in Indonesia as early as the 4th century. Following the spread of Islam to Indonesia and trading, Muslim Indian as well as Arab influences made their way into Indonesian cuisine. Examples include Indian biryani, murtabak, curry and paratha that influenced Acehnese, Minangkabau, Malay, Palembangese, Betawi and Javanese cuisine.
Indonesian noodles are a significant aspect of Indonesian cuisine which is itself very diverse. Indonesian cuisine recognizes many types of noodles, with each region of the country often developing its own distinct recipes.
Nasi gandul or in Javanese sega gandhul is a rice dish served in rich, sweet, savoury and spicy beef soup, specialty of Pati Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Nasi gandul consists of steamed rice topped with slices of beef served in spicy soup with savoury flavour in golden-brownish colour. Nasi gandul is somewhat quite similar to other Indonesian dishes; beef semur, tongseng and Javanese gulai.
