Salam kenal semua! Saya pikir ini saat yang tepat untuk memperkenalkan diri saya kepada kalian.

Nama saya Cici. Saya lahir di kota Medan (di pulau Sumatra) dan pindah ke Jakarta sejak umur 5 tahun. Saya tinggal di Jakarta sampai lulus SMA lalu saya pindah ke Amerika Serikat. Walaupun saya tinggal di Amerika, saya sering pulang Indonesia untuk berkumpul dengan keluarga saya.

Ketika saya dan Shaun tidak sedang merekam podcast Learning Indonesian, kami suka memasak, menonton televisi dan berjalan-jalan menikmati udara luar. Belakangan, kami suka memasak berbagai makanan Asia. Contohnya: sri kaya (a popular spread made of eggs, sugar and coconut milk, usually spread on buttered toast) dan berbagai nasi goreng. Karena sekarang sudah musim semi, kami juga akan barbeque di luar rumah. Kami sudah tidak sabar bakar ikan (kesukaan Cici) dan sate ayam (kesukaan Shaun). Pasti sedap sekali!

Here is a direct translation…

Hello everyone! I think this is a good time to introduce myself to you.

My name is Cici. I was born in Medan (on the island of Sumatra) and moved to Jakarta since I was 5 years old. I lived in Jakarta until I graduated from high school then I moved to the United States. Even though I live in the US, I often go back to Indonesia to meet with my family.

When I and Shaun are not recording Learning Indonesian podcasts, we love to cook, watch television and walk to enjoy the air outside. Recently, we love cooking various Asian cuisine. For example: sri kaya (a popular spread made of eggs, sugar and coconut milk, usually spread on buttered toast) and various fried rice. Since now is already spring, we will also barbecue outside of our house. We can’t wait to grill fish (Cici’s favorite) and chicken satay (Shaun’s favorite). Definitely going to be delicious!!

Photo courtesy of goosmurf

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?