♥Indonesia Tanah Airku♥: Indonesian Cuisine

INDONESIAN CUISINE

An Indonesian meal may include a soup, salad, and another main dish. Whatever the meal, it is accompanied by at least one, and often several “sambals”(chili), spice relishes that are mixed with the food. One main food that can always be found in and Indonesian meal is rice. Rice is a staple for all classes in contemporary Indonesia and it holds a central part in Indonesian culture: it shapes the landscape; is sold at markets; and is served in most meals as a savoury and sweet food. Rice is most often eaten as plain rice (nasi putih) with just a few protein and vegetable dishes as side dishes. It is also served, however, as ketupat (rice steamed in woven packets of coconut fronds), lontong (rice steamed in banana leaves), intip (rice crackers), desserts, noodles, brem (rice wine), and nasi goreng (fried rice). Indonesian meals also always have chili. Almost everybody living in Indonesia always have a good tongue for chili. In Indonesia, we can also find street snacks, that is, people selling food such as meatballs, fried chicken and other fried food (gorengan). The street snack sellers put their food in a portable stall so that they can move their stall around. For example, if it is raining, they can easily find shelter and save the food. The portable stall has wheels and usually a glass case to put their food inside. This is convenient for the Indonesians because if along the way they are hungry, there is always a street snack nearby!

MEALTIME

In Western and Central Indonesia, the main meal is usually cooked in the late morning, and consumed around midday. In many families there is no set mealtime where all members are expected to attend. For this reason, most of the dishes are made such that they can last and remain edible even if left on the table at room temperature for many hours. Whereas in Eastern Indonesia, where the natives are more influenced by Pacific islander cultures such as on the island of Papua and Timor, the meals can be centered around other sources of carbohydrates such as sago and/or grain.

Indonesian markets abound with many types of tropical fruit. These are an important part of the Indonesian diet, either eaten on their own, made into desserts, or even savoury dishes (ie, rujak).

Many of these fruits are indigenous to Indonesia (Mangosteen) or the Indonesian archipelago in general (Rambutan), others have been imported from other tropical countries, although the origin of many of these fruits is disputed.

Banana and Coconut are particularly important, not only to Indonesian cuisine, but also in other uses, such as timber, bedding, roofing, oil, plates and packaging , etc.

FAMOUS FOODS

There are many dishes in Indonesia but the most famous ones are Nasi Goreng, Satays, Mie Goreng, Gado-gado, Soto Ayam, Sayur Asam, Otak-otak and some desserts and drinks like Es Cendol and Lapis legit.

1.Nasi Goreng is mainly fried rice. More ingredients can be thrown in such as eggs, chili, even sausages!
2. Satay is either chicken, beef and sometimes lamb pieces on a stick. It is served in special Indonesian sauce that goes great with the satay.
3.Mie Goreng is fried noodle. Like the Nasi Goreng, additional ingredients can be mixed in.
4.Gado-gado is for light meals. It is mixed fruit in a spicy and sweet sauce.
5.Soto Ayam is noodle with chicken in a soup which is yellow in colour.
6.Sayur Asam is a sour but yet sweet soup with veggies, corns and other foods inside.
7.Otak-otak is made from fish and is rectangular shaped.
8.Es Cendol is a cooling drink that all Indonesians love to drink. It has colourful jellies in it and its sweet taste makes it a must-try!
9.Lapis Legit is a yummy dessert. It tastes sweet and is actually made up of “layers” of something like bread. That is why it is called lapis legit, as layer means lapis in Bahasa.