What is more interesting about Indonesian cuisine is that the more you explore different region in the country , the more you discover how some of our dishes are influenced more or less by foreign cuisine in such diversity and uniqueness. There is more than just delightful art of cookery on a plate of regional Indonesian dishes where culture and history lie, which will make your visit to Indonesia undoubtedly captivating.

Spicy, The Unifying Tool for Batak Tribe

It is clearly uncommon when tribe unification is influenced by cooking ingredient. Although Bataknese cooking has variety of types and can be consider as vast, it is impossible to set aside andaliman pepper from each dish. From arsik ikan mas, ayam natinombur, ikan naniura, ikan napinandar, and sambal tuktuk, all of them  rely their deliciousness on andaliman pepper. Batak dishes are known to be spicy, but the spiciness does not come from chili or any related condiment, but appears to be originated from andaliman or populary pointed as Batak pepper.

Speaking of its distinctive “spiciness”, andaliman will remind food enthusiasts of the character of Sichuan cooking. Culinary culture of Sichuan people is also familiar familiar with andaliman’s distinctive spiciness. An Indonesian culinary expert William Wongso explains that Sichuan cooking is enriched by five major tastes; sour, sweet, spicy, and ma la where ini English literacy suggests as “numb hot”. To make appear the taste of ma la, andaliman or Sichuan pepper completely comes into duty.

The Presence of India

Tome Pires, a Portuguese explorer recorded on his journal that mercantile from Gujarat had already visited shores of West Sumatra in the 16th century. When those traders arrived in the land of Minang, they brought with them knowledge of cookery from their homeland and introduced the art to local citizens. As time goes by, culinary acculturation took place and led to strong influence of Indian cooking with Minang cuisine.

One of the signature elements on Minang cuisine that is believed to be influenced by Indian touch is the use of coconut milk is a staple ingredient used by people from Southern India, while those from Northern India prefer yogurt and grain varieties.

Dutch Trail in Javanese Palate

The arrival of European in Java without many of us notice was once a very important moment of introduction of European cooking, especially Dutch, to Indonesia. Solo, a city in Central Java is strong in adptation of Dutch cookery that is clearly visible in their local dishes. From sosis Jawa (Javanese sausage), selat Solo (delivered from ‘salad’) and bistik (inspired from beef steak) – all are European-inspired.

The birth of those particular dishes is originated from the fact that sultanate of Surakarta once the one who often done royal banquet to hosted Dutch high-end and royal guests. Before it was introduced to general society, Dutch-inspired dishes only played their role inside Royal Palace.

Pura Mangkunegaran in Solo stands as the evidence of prosperity achieved from close cooperation with the Dutch government in the old days. Grand palatial architecture is influenced mainly by European design; marmoreal floor from Italy, grand chandelier from Netherlands, massive pillars from France, and some ancient Greek God statue. This includes special building designated as central kitchen to cook Dutch cuisine called keuken (kitchen in English).

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When Indonesia began building trade relations across the various points of the Silk Route, from Asia through Arabia and to Europe, the traders never came empty handed. They brought with them different elements from their cultures along with culinary riches.

If one were to ask which region had the most influence on Indonesia’s culinary scene, it would surely be Chinese travellers. These foreign traders referred to the archipelago as nan yang, which trasnlates as ‘the southern sea’, a nickname meant to indicate the strategic region’s promising prospects from both economic and political perspectives. But beyond their political and economic mission, these travellers carried with them a variety of gastronomic delights from their homeland which were, over time, adapted to suit the character of local dishes.

Having to make do with ingredients they were able to find across the archipelago, classic Chinese dishes slowly evolved to adjust to and accomodate the local palate. Nasi goreng (fried rice), for example, a dish that started as a way to make sure leftovers of other dishes did not go to waste, rose to mainstream with Indonesian spices thrown the pans.

In the archipelago, garlic, chilli and pepper – staple ingredients back in China – met with the richness of local flavours such as turmeric, onions, pecan, kencur (kampferia galanga), bay leaf, pandan leaves, shrimp paste and many others.

All the same, Chinese travellers also brought a fres twist to traditional Indonesian cooking with the introduction of new techniques such as grilling (zhi), steaming (zheng), satueing (fan chao), slow cooking (dun), soy sauce cooking (hui) and fast frying (chao).

This cultural exchange gave birth to fresh takes on traditional Chinese dishes, which became unlike anything in their home country. Take for example lontong cap go meh, which one will not find anywhere in China. Though its history remains pretty much unknown, the dish is said to date back to the period when Chinese travellers first set foot in Indonesia.

Many believe lontong (a type of rice cake) is a variation of another Chinese dish called bakcang. The round form of lontong is said to be a reference to the shape of the moon, while the words cap go meh translate as ‘the 15th evening’ or the night of the full moon. In Chinese tradition, the moon is seen as a sacred symbol.

Aside of inspiring the birth of lontong, the shape of the moon also ispired Chinese settlers on Bangka Island to create what is known as Hok Lo Pan, a dish more popularly known nowadays as martabak manis (sweet martabak). Made from dough, eggs and sugar, Hok Lo pan, too, takes a moon-like form. Little did the Chinese on Bangka Island know that the word of this sweet, round cake would eventually travel across the archipelago, and would later be put in the same category as the martabak, a dish that was first introduced from India.

Hok Lo pan, which means ‘cake of the people of Hok Lo’, quickly became popular in other Indonesian regions under a variety of names, such as ‘moonlight cake’, ‘martabak mains’, and ‘Bandung cake’. Sellers of this cake eventually began offering it along with its savoury counterpart, martabak asin, asin, as if in keeping with the Chinese views on maintaining a yin-yang balance in every aspect of their lives.

In Jakarta, Martabak AA in Setiabudi is among the best place to sample a bite of martabak telur, while Martabak 65A in Pecenongan is believed to be the best place to sample the different varieties of sweet martabak.

Another dish that has evolved to become a staple in Indonesian Chinese restaurants is fuyunghai, which is believed to be a Chinese adaptation of the European omelette. Restoran Trio in Central Jakarta is a must to seek out this delicious dish.

While the Dutch served toetje (desserts), the Chinese created their own version, something known today as es puter, an ice-cream-like dessert made from coconut milk and sugar. Its production technique is relatively simple, made by spinning the ice container upon salted ice. What was initially just sweet cream produced from a mixture of coconut milk and sugar, es puter is now served at various Indonesian festivities and celebrations with variety of flavours. It can also be found by the roadside, sold by street hawkers.

Today, Chinese food is ubiquitous across Indonesia. From street hawkers to many restaurants that dot is vibrant cities, these establishments often come with extensive menus and a handful of stories (or, rather, myths). Restoran Trio in Jakarta is one of them; opening to years after Indonesia claimed its independence, it serves approximately 300 different Chinese peranakan dishes on its menu. Its Nanking chicken is a crowd favourite.

Another popular Chinese peranakan restaurant is Cahaya Kota on Jalan Wahid Hasyim, Central Jakarta, which opened in 1943. The restaurant is home to about 100 Cantonese dishes, ranging from Shanghai prawn spring rolls, fried chicken, duck with hoisin sauce, and Cantonese snapper, to salted frog with Chinese mustard.

Meanwhile, Kedai Kopi Tak Kie, perched in Gang Gloria, a smell alley in the Glodok area of West Jakarta, stands as a testament to Chinese settlers’ expertise in concocting delicious beverages. First opened in 1927, this simple cafe serves just two types of drinks: black coffee and milk coffee.

For decades, Chinese settlers have made their mark in Indonesia, especially in the country’s culinary scene. Their influence is nothing short of the result of a two-way cultural exchange that has allowed the Chinese to develop dishes from their homeland using the richness of the Indonesian archipelago’s spices.

Published on Colours, inflight magazine for Garuda Indonesia, July 2017

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A 2017 UFF pre-event held at Plataran Menteng, Jakarta on April 13 dished up a discussion themed ‘Bringing Indonesian Food to the World’ featuring UFF initiator Janet De Neefe, celebrity chefs Farah Quinn, Ragil Imam Wibowo, and Petty Elliott. The discussion explored around the necessity  for Indonesia  to seriously work on its culinary domain as an important tool to globally promote its nation’s tourism.

Chef Ragil said, “It is so hard to determine the focus of Indonesian traditional cuisine since Indonesia has a very diversed food landscape; each is unique to its origin”. “There has to be some sort of comprehension and agreement on what cuisine that Indonesia wants to globally promote. But we all should start at home. It has been very rare to see mothers who are willing to introduce Indonesian foods to their children. Indonesian mothers currently prefer to feed chicken nuggets to their children”, Ragil further explained.

Meanwhile, Farah Quinn said that Indonesian food is no longer the king in its own country. “The best quality of culinary ingredients are usually exported. The ingredients sold in domestic market are not good quality products”, said Farah who is renown for her cooking program on national television.

Featuring World Class Culinary Celebrities

The third Ubud Food Festival will also be the biggest event out of its three installments showcasing more than 100 speakers from Indonesia and around the world. The three-day event will be filled with various programs such as talkshow, discussion, masterclass sessions, cooking demos, and movie screenings.

Guests includes Bali’s own Chris Salans from Mosaic institution in Ubud, Hujan Locale’s Will Meyrick, and Locavore’s Eelke Plasmeijer who recently made it onto Asia’s 50 best restaurants list as well as Mischelin-star chef Nic Vanderbeeken of CasCade Restaurant Ubud.

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Nasi Goreng Bang Roby
Situated right in front of Robinson Department Store on Jalan Sabang, you may find yourself waiting for it to open if you come here early as Nasi Goreng Bang Roby only starts business at 6pm. It is never devoid of customers though. Its sizeable portion goes hand in hand with the abundant toppings that it comes with. Besides Nasi Goreng, it also offers Bubur Ayam (chicken porridge), Omelette and chicken. One of the aspects that make its Nasi Goreng unique is the additional sprinkle of Cakue (fried breadstick) that makes it taste even more savoury.

Find Its Address Here

Nasi Goreng Kebon Sirih
It is a must to order its Nasi Goreng Kambing (mutton fried rice), which has been this joint’s speciality ever since it was established in 1958. One of the most interesting sights here is to witness a mountain of fried rice on a wok just waiting to be devoured. Cooked prior to order so that customers need not wait too long, the fried rice here is fried using butter. Although this cooking process lends a slightly oily feel as a result, it is still savoury and is accompanied by sizeable cuts of mutton meat.

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Nasi Goreng Kebuli Apjay
A joint in South Jakarta that never fails to draw a crowd, this place tends to see a never-ending stream of punters every day from the moment it opens at 5pm. Although it is called Bakmi Jogja Pak Ivan, most people go for its Nasi Goreng Kebuli (fried rice cooked in goat broth) instead. It is quite large in portion and the kebuli flavour is rather zesty. If a plate doesn’t get you going, then you can also snap up a box of Martabak (stuffed pancake) sold right behind this fried rice seller.

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Nasi Goreng Warna-Warni Thole
It may be a bit ordinary in taste for the palates of some, but Nasi Goreng Thole wins in the novelty department for its colourful fried rice. The black colour is extracted from squid ink, while beet is the source of its red-coloured fried rice. The green colour for its green fried rice comes from Chinese mustard greens. You can also have black-coloured noodles or a red Bihun (rice vermicelli). Despite its small portions, a plate can be very filling.

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Nasi Goreng MPR
One of the most popular Nasi Goreng in Jakarta, although its nomadic existence has caused confusion for its customers. Sold from a small pushcart on Jalan Fatmawati, its fried rice is savoury and not too oily. It is also incredibly generous with its toppings.

Find Its Address Here

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