Indonesian Recipes

Indonesian food is as varied as the country itself, which stretches over thousands of islands and hundreds of regional cooking styles. Rice sits at the center of almost every meal, surrounded by shared side dishes: something fried, something grilled or braised, a vegetable and always a sambal (chili relish). The spice trade brought cooks and traders from India, Arabia, China and Europe, and their influence shows in curries, noodles and braises such as semur. Coconut milk, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, shallots and garlic form the base of most dishes, while tempeh, tofu, peanuts and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) appear everywhere. West Sumatra is known for slow-cooked rendang and fiery chilies, Java leans sweeter, Bali cooks with a rich spice paste called base genep, and North Sulawesi is famous for heat and fresh herbs. Street vendors sell satay, meatball soup, fritters and sweet pancakes from carts until late at night. Celebrations center on yellow rice cones, while Ramadan and Eid bring opor and kolak.

Staple ingredients

• rice
• coconut milk
• chili peppers and sambal
• shallots and garlic
• galangal, turmeric and ginger
• tempeh and tofu
• peanuts
• sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

• Breakfast 2
• Appetizers 1
• Soups 5
• Salads 1
• Main Dishes 16
• Side Dishes 2
• Desserts 3
• Snacks 3
• Sauces, Dips and Condiments 2

Breakfast

• Bubur Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Rice Porridge)ID1 h 45 minEasy
• Tinutuan (Manado Vegetable and Rice Porridge)ID1 h 10 minEasy

Appetizers

• Sate Lilit (Balinese Minced Fish Satay on Lemongrass)ID55 minMedium

Soups

• Bakso (Indonesian Beef Meatball Soup)ID2 h 10 minMedium
• Soto Ayam (Indonesian Turmeric Chicken Soup)ID1 h 25 minMedium
• Rawon (East Javanese Black Beef Soup)ID3 hMedium
• Sayur Asem (Indonesian Sour Vegetable Soup)ID1 hEasy
• Coto Makassar (South Sulawesi Beef Soup)ID3 h 30 minMedium

Salads

• Gado-Gado (Indonesian Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce)ID1 h 15 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)ID30 minEasy
• Rendang Daging (Padang Beef Rendang)ID4 hMedium
• Sate Ayam (Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce)ID55 minMedium
• Mie Goreng (Indonesian Fried Noodles)ID35 minEasy
• Ayam Bakar (Indonesian Grilled Chicken with Sweet Soy Glaze)ID1 h 10 minEasy
• Ayam Betutu (Balinese Spice-Stuffed Roast Chicken)ID2 h 55 minMedium
• Ayam Goreng Bumbu Kuning (Indonesian Turmeric Fried Chicken)ID1 h 20 minEasy
• Ayam Rica-Rica (Manado Chili Chicken)ID1 h 15 minMedium
• Dendeng Balado (Padang Crispy Beef in Chili Sauce)ID1 h 20 minMedium
• Gudeg (Yogyakarta Young Jackfruit Stew)ID3 h 30 minMedium
• Mie Aceh (Spicy Aceh Noodles)ID45 minMedium
• Nasi Kuning (Indonesian Turmeric Coconut Rice)ID1 hEasy
• Nasi Uduk (Jakarta Coconut Rice)ID55 minEasy
• Opor Ayam (Javanese White Coconut Chicken Curry)ID1 h 25 minEasy
• Pepes Ikan (Sundanese Fish Steamed in Banana Leaf)ID1 h 5 minMedium
• Semur Daging (Indonesian Sweet Soy Braised Beef)ID2 h 20 minEasy

Side Dishes

• Sayur Lodeh (Javanese Vegetables in Coconut Milk)ID55 minEasy
• Tumis Kangkung (Garlic Chili Water Spinach Stir-Fry)ID15 minEasy

Desserts

• Es Cendol (Pandan Jelly with Coconut Milk and Palm Sugar)ID45 minMedium
• Klepon (Pandan Rice Balls with Palm Sugar and Coconut)ID45 minMedium
• Kolak Pisang (Banana in Palm Sugar Coconut Milk)ID40 minEasy

Snacks

• Martabak Telur (Savory Stuffed Pan-Fried Pancake)ID1 h 20 minChallenging
• Pempek (Palembang Fish Cakes with Cuko Sauce)ID1 h 30 minMedium
• Tempe Mendoan (Half-Fried Tempeh in Herbed Batter)ID30 minEasy

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

• Sambal Terasi (Indonesian Shrimp Paste Chili Sambal)ID22 minEasy
• Sambal Matah (Balinese Raw Shallot and Lemongrass Sambal)ID17 minEasy