After so many years of living in the US, I still think Indonesian food is the best food in the world. (no offense! I’m crazy about cheeseburgers too!) But for me, nothing compares to eating a plate of nasi padang with ayam goreng or a plate of rice with barbecue fish (ikan bakar) and sambal.
Every time I go back to Indonesia, I always make sure I eat my favorite foods. Here are some of my top favorite Indonesian foods.
Nasi Padang
Nasi Padang literally means rice from Padang, a place in West Sumatra. Padang food is spicy and features an array of curries, rendang, and sambal. Usually, when you go to a Padang restaurant, the waiter/waitress (pelayan) will bring small plates of Padang dishes to your table. Don’t worry, you only pay what you eat.
Spicy but very yummy!
Watch Anthony Bourdain from the TV show No Reservations visit (and almost destroy!) a Restoran Nasi Padang below…
Sate Padang
Padang-style sate. Unlike sate ayam, the gravy of sate padang is spicy and curry-based (with turmeric, coriander, and cumin). Usually served on banana leaf and sprinkled with fried shallots or onion. It’s a very popular street food (kaki lima).
Ikan Bakar/Panggang
Barbecue fish marinated with sweet soy sauce. Very delicious eaten with rice and sambal.
Nasi Uduk
For those who don’t like spicy food, nasi uduk is a good choice to try. Nasi uduk is coconut-flavored rice, usually served with side dishes such as ayam goreng (fried chicken), tempe goreng (fried tempe), telur goreng (fried egg), and of course, sambal!
Martabak Manis
Indonesian adaptation of Dutch pancake. The most popular options are martabak manis dengan coklat (sweet martabak with chocolate) or martabak manis dengan keju (sweet martabak with cheese). You can even order one martabak with both coklat and keju. Yummy! Once you try it, you will never get enough!
Es Campur
Es campur literally means mixed ice. It is usually served in a bowl (mangkok). The mangkok is filled with shaved ice, santan (coconut milk), gula merah (palm sugar), alpulkat (avocado), kelapa (coconut), nangka (jackfruit) and several kinds of jelly. Perfect for a warm day in Indonesia!
Hmmm. My mouth is watering just thinking about my favorite foods…
What is your favorite Indonesian food?
16 Comments
Dadar Gulung is my all time favorite dessert!
I pretty much like all Indonesian food. But I’ve only been to Java and Bali, so there’s probably a lot of delicious dishes I’ve never tasted.
I’ll definitely try to expand my knowledge on Indonesian food when I’m there in October.
Hello! I found your Learning Indonesian website and blogs, while hunting for online Bahasa Indonesia lessons!
So far, one of my favorite foods is Gurame Bakar (the ikan bakar you described). I have tried Padang food, but it is so spicy! I love the taste of rendang (the beef cooked in that spicy sauce) but the spiciness is still hard to get used to. One thing I am begining to like is fresh sambal sauces, like at Ayam Bakar restaurants–I still do not like the bottled saus sambal :p
I really like Sate Babi if I can find an Indonesian restaurant that is not halal. I also really like Babi Guling which I ate at an excellent restaurant in Bali, Warung Ibu Oka, which was shown in that same episode of No Reservations.
I like Mie Ayam when I feel like noodles. I also like soto betawi and gado gado. Who am I kidding, I like almost every Indonesian food I have tried as long as it isn’t too spicy.
I went to a Padang restaurant in Jakarta which was interesting. A lot of the items were a little to spicy for me, but the presentation was good. I don’t think they could get away with serving food that way in the USA.
Halo Cici,
Es Campur sounds lovely but it sparks a question. What’s your opnion on taking ice in Indonesia? When you and Shaun spend time there it sounds like you don’t avoid it even though it’s unlikely to be made with boiled water. Have you had any problems?
Cheers,
Joe
Sorry – also – where was the photo taken? The one at the top of this blog entry with the amazing rock in the sea …
@ Tony:
We also tried Warung Ibu Oka in Ubud. Really delicious! By the way, are there any Indonesian restaurants near where you live?
@ Joe:
Actually Shaun got sick from drinking iced drinks (which even though delicious, more likely not made with boiled water).
I would suggest that you wait at least 2 weeks (for your stomach to adjust to Indonesian food) before taking any ice.
Does anybody have experience on this? I didn’t have any problems at all
Oh, the first picture was taken in Tanah Lot in Bali. Have you been to Bali?
Cici, we actually have quite a few Indonesian restaurants in the area (Southern California). My favorite is a halal restaurant called Toko Rame. There is also a fast food place nearby called Warung Pojok — we went so often that we became friends with the owners. There is actually an Indonesian Food Court at Hong Kong Plaza (an Asian mini-mall) that has three or four different Indonesian places. Then there is the Duarte Inn. Every Saturday afternoon there’s a mini bazaar there in the parking lot with five or six different vendors serving food. They call that Pondok Kaki Lima. http://tinyurl.com/d458sd There are a few other Indonesian restaurants here as well but I’m not as familiar with them.
I loved visiting resto Padang. The foods I ate there were delicious, and I enjoyed the npresentation….
G’day, My wife Coral and myself visit Bali often. So far this year we have spent 6 weeks in Bali. We love the food and always eat Indonesian food in Bali. My favourite is Ayam goring, done in a tomato and onion sauce. I love nasi goreng. I love the different ways it is made from different resturants. My wifes favourite is chicken satay. We both love black rice pudding
Regards
Mike and Coral
Darwin
Australia
OMG! Es Campur is just like halo-halo here in the Philippines! Looks so delicious! I wonder what it taste like, since we don’t use santan (or gata in tagalog) instead we use evaporated milk. Must taste this one sometime!
Hi guys
I’m in Indonesia for over 2 months now and yeah I agree the food is really great. Mostly i love nasi goreng, sate, martabak, ayam goreng, and roti bakar coklat ehehe
and sure all the food with es jeruk. 
)))))))
thx CiCi and Shaun for the intresting information
)))
peace!!!
Hi CiCi & Shaun,
Thanks for this wonderful site! When talking about favorite Indon food, I’m very surprised why nobody mentioned.. INDOMIE?
The tasty (and affordable) instant noodles from Indon is simply one of the best I’ve ever tried!!
<3 Indomie!
Hi Cici!
Saya orang Austria! Terima kasih for all the information about Indonesia and bahasa indonesia…
I really love Sate ayam, kakap merah and of course nasi goreng. actually i love every indonesian food i can get!
bye,
Kati
Thanks Shaun and Cici for a wonderful program. I am trying to learn by osmosis!! I am getting older and don;t learn as quickly as I used to. I downloaded the files to my mp3 player and can play/listen when I am working/relaxing, even before I go to sleep! I have been to bali many times but hope to go to the rest of Indonesia one day.
Thanks again
Patrick
I forgot to ask on my previous post. Can someone please tell me the name of the music played during the lessons. eg name, group, label etc.
Would appreciate it
thanks
Patrick
Halo Cici!
Makanan Indonesia enak! I suka sekali Gado-gado. Terimakasih banyak. Sampai lagi.
Ibu Connie