Indonesian Food: 50 of the Best Dishes You Should Eat

 

Why is Indonesian food so delicious?

As I was about to dig into a plate of Nasi Padang, a nice man sitting at the table next to me said:

“It’s because Indonesian food is based on fresh spices and herbs.”

And when you and I look at the list of food below, and notice the fresh herbs and multitude of spices used in Indonesian cooking, it truly is a huge contributing factor as to why Indonesian cuisine is so flavorful and exciting to eat.

In this blog post I’m going to share with you 50 incredibly delicious Indonesian foods. Get ready for a serious Indonesian culinary journey!

Nasi Liwet

Indonesian Food: 50 Dishes

Before we get started, I just want to make it clear that this is not an exhaustive or complete list of food in Indonesia (there are thousands of Indonesian dishes), but it’s a definite start to discovering the incredible cuisine of Indonesia. Some of the foods I included, such as durian and petai, are simply because I love them so much.

For each of the dishes listed in this Indonesian food guide I’ve included the dish, and if possible, the restaurant where I ate it in Jakarta (you may also be interested in my Jakarta travel guide).

Food is the reason you should travel!

1. Sate Ayam / Sate Kambing (satay)

I’ve had a lot of different types of sate (or satay) in Southeast Asia, but there’s nothing that compares to real Indonesian sate; In my opinion you’ll find some of the absolute best sate in Asia within Indonesia. in Indonesia you’ll find many different types and varieties of sate, but two of the common versions in Jakarta at sate ayam (chicken sate) and sate kambing (goat sate).

One of the common recipes includes the meat marinated in sweet kecap manis soy sauce, before being skewered. I think is the main reason why Indonesian sate is so good, is because the skewers of meat are typically grilled on an extremely hot charcoal fire, so the meat cooks quickly, while leaving it smoky and juicy.

Where: Sate H. Romli in south Jakarta serves delicious sate ayam and sate kambing. Address: Jalan Kyai Maja No.21, Melawai, Kby. Baru, Kota Jakarta Selatan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta; Open hours: 10 am – 12 midnight daily; Prices: I paid 67,000 IDR ($4.99) for 2 plates of sate.