The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Indonesia is the food because there are more than 300 ethnic groups living there, and each and every group has a different type of cuisine. But the one common thing in all the dishes, are the generous use of fresh spices and herbs, which is the reason for the delicious Indonesian cuisine and the reason why the food is so colorful, flavourful and exciting.
The traditional dishes are almost as old as the culture itself and there are around 5350 traditional dishes with 30 of them considered the most important. Before one gets confused with what to eat, when you are in Indonesia, here are a few dishes which you must try out .
Nasi Goreng A Perfect Mix Of Rice, Vegetables And Meat
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Nasi Goreng which means fried rice is considered the second most popular dish all over the world. This national dish of Indonesia is wok fried rice with some pieces of meat or shrimps or eggs or vegetables, which are added along with the fresh herbs and the sweet soy sauce and powdered shrimp paste. The abundance of spice and herbs in this dish and the use of the caramelised sweet soy sauce gives it a distinct taste. Often served with shrimp chips and salad, Nasi Goreng is a versatile dish and found in every eating joints.
Satay Meat Marinated And Skewered On Charcoal
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Another famous dish of Indonesia, Satay is skewered meat which is marinated with a special mixture of soy sauce and other spices and then grilled on charcoal. Satay can be made from any kind of meat or fish and is served with peanut sauce and soy sauce with some chopped chillies. The reason why the Indonesian Satay tastes so good is because the meat is grilled on extremely hot charcoal so the meat cooks quickly giving it a juicy and smoky flavor.
Bakso Or The Indonesian Meatballs
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Bakso or meatball soup is another popular dish, where the minced meat is mixed with tapioca starch which gives the meatball the bouncy and addictive texture. These meatballs are served with rice noodles or egg noodles, vegetables, tofu and some hot seasoned broth and one can optional seasonings like soy sauce and other seasonings. This hot soup is one of the widely available food in Indonesia.
Pempek Or Fish Cake
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Pempek is a well loved dish of Indonesia, and is eaten either as snack or as a main dish. It is made from filleted fish mixed with some tapioca starch to give it a chewy texture, and then shaped into different sizes and deep fried. These are either served with or without noodles along with a special salty, sweet and sour sauce.
These are only a few of the famous foods of Indonesia, there are many many more delicious Indonesian cuisines to try from.
