At a poll CNN did a few years ago, our readers voted rendang the most delicious food in the world. Now it’s high time to give culinary credentials to that islands-sprawling nation of Indonesia. Its food deserves some time in the limelight.
Here we run through a mouth-watering array of broth-soaked noodles, fiery curries, banana-wrapped fish and vegetable salads with sweet peanut dressing.
Here are 40 dishes we just can’t live without.
1. Sambal
While technically more of a condiment, the chili-based sauce known as sambal is a staple at all Indonesian tables.
Dishes aren’t complete unless they’ve a hearty dollop of the stuff, a combination of chilies, sharp fermented shrimp paste, tangy lime juice, sugar and salt all pounded up with mortar and pestle. So beloved is sambal, some restaurants have made it their main attraction, with options that include young mango, mushroom and durian.
Pedas Abis, Waroeng Spesial Sambal, Jl. RM. Said No.39, Solo, Surakarta
2. Satay
These tasty meat skewers cook up over coals so hot they need fans to waft the smoke away. Whether it’s chicken, goat, mutton or rabbit, the scrappy morsels get marinated in turmeric, barbecued and then bathed in a hearty dose of peanut sauce.
Other nations now lay claim to sate, but Indonesians consider it a national dish conceived by street vendors and popularized by Arab traders. Each vendor seeks distinction, but “sate madura” — served with rice cakes (ketupat) and diced cucumber and onion — is distinguished by its boat-shaped street carts.
Sate Ragusa serves legendary satay that dates to the 1950s. Its signature spaghetti ice cream is a perfect dish to cleanse the palate after a meal.
Sate Ragusa, Jl. Veteran 1 No. 10, Gambir, Jakarta
3. Bakso
A favorite among students, this savory meatball noodle soup gained international fame when U.S. President Barack Obama remembered it as one of his favorites during a visit to Jakarta.
The meatballs — springy or rubbery, the size of golf balls or bigger — are made from chicken, beef, pork or some amorphous combination of them all. Sold mostly from pushcarts called kaki lima, bakso comes garnished with fried shallots, boiled egg and wontons.
Bakso Lapangan Tembak Senayan, Jl. Gerbang Pemuda 1, Senayan, Jakarta
4. Soto
This traditional meat soup comprises a broth and ingredients that vary across the archipelago.
Common street versions are made of a simple, clear soup flavored with chicken, goat or beef. In Jakarta, home of the indigenous Betawi, soto Betawi garners fame with its sweet, creamy, coconut-milk base. It’s usually topped with crispy shallots and fried garlic, and as much or little sambal as taste buds can take.
Kafe Betawi, No. 1, Grand Indonesia Mall, West Mall Lt. LG No. 08, Jalan MH. Thamrin No.1, Jakarta; +62 21 2358 0501
Soto Madura, Jl. Ir. H. Juanda No. 16, Gambir, Jakarta
5. Nasi goreng
Considered Indonesia’s national dish, this take on Asian fried rice is often made with sweet, thick soy sauce called kecap (pronounced ketchup) and garnished with acar, pickled cucumber and carrots. To add an element of fun to the experience, diners can try nasi gila (or “crazy rice”) and see how many different kinds of meat they can find buried among the grains — yes, those are hot dog slices.
Menteng Plaza, Lantai Ground, Jl. HOS. Cokroaminoto No. 79, Menteng, Jakarta
6. Gado-gado
Literally “mix-mix,” the term gado-gado is often used to describe situations that are all mixed up — Jakarta, for instance, is a gado-gado city.
As a food, however, it’s one of Indonesia’s best-known dishes, essentially a vegetable salad bathed in the country’s classic peanut sauce. At its base are boiled long beans, spinach, potato, corn, egg and bean sprouts coupled with cucumber, tofu and tempe.
Gado-gado gets sweeter as you travel eastward through Indonesia — but Jakartans swear by the cashew sauce at Gado-Gado Boplo.
Gado-Gado Boplo, Jl. Panglima Polim IX No. 124, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta; +62 21 724 8334
7. Nasi uduk
A perennial favorite among native Betawi, nasi uduk is rice cooked in coconut milk and includes a pinwheel of various meat and vegetable accoutrements. It almost always includes fried chicken, boiled eggs and tempe (soybean cake) with anchovies and is topped with emping (melinjo nut crackers). It’s cheap, fast and popular among lunchtime crowds.
Nearly four decades old and still going strong, Nasi Uduk Babe Saman packs in everyone from students to celebrities morning, noon and night.
Nasi Uduk Babe Saman, Jalan kebon kacang 3, Jakarta; +62 21 314 1842
8. Nasi padang
Singaporeans may say they can’t live without it, but nasi padang, named after its birth city in Sumatra, is 100% Indonesian.
Nasi padang is a meal with steamed rice accompanied by more than a dozen dishes — goopy curries with floating fish heads or rubbery cow’s feet — stacked up on the table. The best way is to chuck away the cutlery and dig in with hands then wash the spice away with a sweet iced tea.
Garuda Nasi Padang, Jl. Gajah Mada no. 8, Medan, Sumatra
9. Ayam goreng
The key to Indonesian fried chicken is the use of small village birds, whose freedom to run around the yard makes them tastier than the big chunks of meat at KFC. Variations on that chain have cropped up across the country — rumor has it that one of these was founded by a polygamist, so franchisees must have multiple wives.
Ayam Goreng Suharti, Jalan Kapten Tendean No. 13, Mampang Prapatan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta; +62 21 525 4595
10. Bakmi goreng
Noodles compete with rice for carbohydrate of choice in Indonesia, ranging from broad and flat (kwetiau) to scrawny vermicelli (bihun).
The best are bakmi — pencil-thin and, in this case, fried with egg, meat and vegetables. Vendors add their own special spices for distinction, but the iconic Bakmi Gajah Mada garners a cult following. More modern outlets now make noodles from spinach and beets.
Bakmi Gang Mangga gives diners an in to the cool hangouts in the old city, but only after 5 p.m. For an earlier version, try Bakmi GM on Jl. Sunda.
Bakmi Gang Mangga, Kemurnian IV No. 38B, Gang Mangga, Glodok, Taman Sari, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta