Indonesia Food and Drink

Two words describe Indonesian dishes: deep fried. Travelers will often encounter the term “goreng,” which means “fried.” Warungs (foodstalls) offer the tastiest and cheapest food. Take cues from locals. Some of Indonesia’s most popular dishes (listed below) can be found at most warungs.

Bakso: Meatball soup.
Sambal: Indonesian hot sauce. Exported all over the island. Yogya does it best.
Bolang-baling: Fried doughnuts.
Nasi goreng: Fried rice, the national dish. Not too spicy. Ayam means that chicken is mixed in, daging includes beef, kambing is lamb, and kampung means egg.
Gado-gado: A vegetarian staple in Indonesia. This vegetable stir-fry in a light peanut sauce provides a healthy alternative to heavier fare.
Soto: Indonesian soup. Soto ayam madura is a popular, tangy chicken soup.
Pisang goreng: Yes, even bananas can be fried. The result is not overly sweet, making for a lovely dessert or light meal.
Lalapan: Raw vegetables served with samble (chili sauce) on the side.
Mie goreng: Fried noodles.
Nasi uduk: Rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves topped with fried shallots. This is a native Jakartan dish but can be found throughout Indonesia.
Bakso: Mie soto (noodle soup) in a beef or ox broth with meat and deep-fried tofu. This would be excellent on a chilly day—if such a thing existed on Java.
Bandrek: A cool and refreshing drink made with ginger, sugar, and coconut milk. Bajigur is the version without ginger.
Srabi: Even from warung, this specialty is still made the traditional way, in clay pots over low fires. Sweet coconut milk and rice flour are combined with cokolat (chocolate), pisang (bananas), coconut, or condensed milk for sweet srabi, with cheese and meats for the savory version.

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