Let’s Talk Food: Foods of Indonesia

The foods of Indonesia are very interesting and rich in history.

The Arabs first arrived in the Nusantara archipelago to trade and spread Islam. Then in the 4th century, the Muslim Indians came after the spread of the Islam religion.

The Chinese brought their food and cuisine in the 7th century and the Dutch in the 16th century.

The Dutch came in search of spices and when the Dutch East India Company went bankrupt in 1800, Indonesia became a treasured colony of the Netherlands.

So you can imagine the cuisine of Indonesia is full of spices and ingredients from all these cultures.

In 2023/24 TasteAtlas, Indonesia was listed as the 6th best cuisine in the world, followed only by Italy, Japan, Greece, Portugal and China.

I remember the wonderful foods we enjoyed when we went to Bali: complex, earthy, with spices for a strong flavor.

CNN lists the most popular Indonesian dishes as follows:

1. Sambal — chili-based sauce of chilies, shrimp paste and lime juice ground with a mortar and pestle.

2. Satay — skewers over hot coals, brought by the Arab traders and served with rice cakes (ketupat), cucumbers and onions.

3. Bakso — meatball noodle soup, made popular by Barack Obama loving to eat this soup when in Indonesia.

4. Soto — a clear soup.

5. Masi goreng — fried rice.

6. Gado-gado — translates to “mix-mix” a vegetable salad served with peanut sauce. Par-boiled or steamed beans, spinach, potatoes, corn, hard-cooked eggs and bean sprouts as well as sliced cucumbers, tofu and tempe are arranged beautifully on a platter.

7. Nasi uduk — rice cooked in coconut milk.

8. Nasi padang — meal with steamed rice accompanied with a dozen dishes such as curries, fish head and cow’s feet.

9. Ayam goreng — fried chicken.

10. Bakini Goreng — noodle dish fried with egg, meat and vegetables.

My friend Lisa Kwee’s husband is from Indonesia and whenever there was a family gathering, you can be sure that Indonesian foods were served.

She learned from her mother-in-law how to cook Indonesian cuisine and cooked the following dishes on my cooking show on Na Leo TV.

Satay (Sate) Ayam

2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into pieces

Marinate chicken overnight in:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 stalks lemongrass (white parts only)

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons honey

Skewer chicken, grill for 2-3 minutes, or until nicely charred on both sides and the chicken is cooked through.

Brush with oil while cooking. Serve with peanut sauce, sliced cucumber slices and onion.

Peanut Sauce

1 cup peanut butter, plain or chunky

1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk

1 cup water (start with 1/2 cup till thick, smooth consistency)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili paste (sambal oelek) or sriracha

Can add fish sauce or sweet soy sauce

Use peanut sauce over gado-gado salad and satay.

Gado-gado (Indonesian Vegetable Salad)

Steam green beans, cabbage cut in 1 inch cubes, potatoes cut in 1/2 inch cubes, bean sprouts.

Boil 6 eggs till hard-cooked, then slice, Fry tofu till golden brown. Serve with Indonesian shrimp crackers (krupuk udang).

Nasi Kuning (Indonesian Yellow Rice)

Serves 4-5

In a rice cooker pot, place the following ingredients:

2 kaffir lime leaves

1 stalk lemongrass stalk, white part only

2 cups coconut milk

3 cups basmati or jasmine rice

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

1 tablespoon turmeric

1 bay leaf

Cook in a rice cooker.

Ayam Goreng (Indonesian Fried Chicken)

One whole chicken, cut into eight pieces

Grind in food processor:

6 shallots

3 cloves garlic

1-inch piece galangal

1-inch piece turmeric

1-inch piece ginger

In a large pot, combine:

1-1/2 tablespoons salt

1 cup water

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

One white stalk lemongrass, crushed

3 pieces kaffir lime leaves

Place chicken in pot, boil, reduce to low, simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn chicken to completely season all sides. Cover and simmer till water evaporates, 10 minutes. Turn heat off, set aside.

Fry chicken in vegetable oil till golden brown.

Serve with nasi kuning (Indonesian yellow rice), sambal oelek or peanut sauce.

Soto Ayam (Indonesian chicken soup)

Serves 6

One whole chicken, cut into six pieces

In a large pot, add chicken pieces with 8 cups water and boil for 45 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Place in bowl of food processor:

6 cloves garlic

1/4 pound shallots

1-1/2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds or 1-1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

6 candlenuts (Indonesian ingredient to thicken soup and give a slight almond flavor. But if unable to get it, just used cornstarch to thicken as needed.)

2-inch piece fresh ginger

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Process until a paste is formed.

In a frying pan, place:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Spice paste

3 stalks lemongrass, white parts, bruised

7 kaffir leaves, fresh or frozen

Cook until fragrant, 4-5 minutes.

Add to stockpot with the chicken:

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon chicken base

1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk

Boil for 10 minutes.

Adjust seasoning with salt, sugar and more chicken base.

Serve with cooked rice vermicelli, hard-boiled and boiled cabbage, fried onions, bean sprouts.

Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.