Indonesian food is amazing! It is so full of flavor and very fresh, in the US we would say “farm to table”. However in Indonesia three things are highly valued when it comes to food, especially street food: Fast, Cheap, and Delicious! Most foods will check all of those boxes. It may have taken all day to make, but you will be served it fast (this is a relative term, a western “fast” may not be the same speed as in Indonesia). It is incredibly affordable, and blow your taste buds minds delicious! I am going to share some of our favorites from our time in Indonesia, that I thought to snap photos of, so here goes...
First up, Ayam goreng
(deep fried chicken) with sambal (a sauce of ground chili’s, garlic, and salt), and nasi (steamed white rice) typically also served with a few pieces of (kole) raw cabbage. This filling meal is a favorite of most everyone and a solid go to for lunch or dinner, and may only cost 2-3 dollars a plate!
Bubur Ayam
(Chicken porridge) One of our favorite breakfast foods, and the go to food for anyone who is sick. Rice boiled in chicken broth until it is a porridge consistency. Topped with shredded chicken, hardboiled egg and garnished with fried garlic and chives. Sambal is added to achieve the desired spice level, and soy sauce is added to achieve the desired saltiness.
This is a meal for 1-2 dollars.
Ketumpat
(steamed rice in palm leaves) This rice is so yummy, and becomes a solid single portion block. The leaves are sliced on one side with a knife so the eater can easily open the wrapped rice and spoon out the insides to add to soups usually.
However it can also just be dipped in sambal and easily eaten with the hands. Usually this is free and on the table at any respectable coto (a traditional soup I will feature some time later) restaurant!
Pisang Goreng
(fried bananas) with cokolat (chocolate) and keju (cheese). That’s right! The perfect mix of sweet and salty fried goodness! These are smaller, sweeter bananas sliced, dipped in batter and fried.
A salty fresh parmesan cheese is put on top that doesn’t melt easily being a hard cheese, and chocolate sauce is drizzled on top! It is yum, yum yum! And yes, those are regular French fries in the background just in case you aren’t up for a food adventure.
The fried banana dish can run between 1-3 dollars, the fries are usually between 2-5 (imported food is always more!)
Yes, Coffee!
So one thing I love is a good coffee date! It seems that even little coffee shops in out of the way places in Indonesia have barista’s that are so talented with coffee art.
Coffee is also a major crop that grows in Sulawesi along with several other islands in Indonesia, so it is fresh and always a good idea! Sadly, coffee shops don’t typically open before 9 or 10 am especially if you are not in the city. This coffee was only 2 dollars a cup!
Chocolate
Sulawesi is resource rich, but especially if you are talking about coffee, tea, spices, and chocolate! This may look like just another tree, but this is one cacao tree of the many in the chocolate forest that our kids grew up playing in when we lived in the village. Most of the chocolate grown in Sulawesi is sold to the Mars Candy Company to become many of the worlds favorite candy bars.
Nutmeg
has a rich history and originally was only found one one island in Indonesia. The Dutch East India Company colonized and dominated most of the trade and resources in Indonesia for over a hundred years, but the one island with nutmeg was controlled by the British and heavily guarded. Nutmeg was rare and highly valued! Then a trade was proposed...this island with nutmeg under British control for an island the Dutch controlled off the coast of the British colonies in the Americas. And that is how England acquired Manhattan from the Dutch! Now, Nutmeg is grown on many Indonesian islands including Sulawesi.
Cinnamon
Not all cinnamon is created equal. It is the bark of the cinnamon tree that after it is peeled off the tree dries and curls into what we know as the cinnamon stick. I love the flavor and smell of the local Sulawesi cinnamon. Literally like red hot candies!
You can buy it very cheap in the market and grind it yourself (it’s always best fresh ground), but you cannot buy it outside of Indonesia because a large company has contracted nearly all Sulawesi cinnamon for it’s business. So if you want to know what this cinnamon tastes like, go to the closest Cinnabon, it is their unique signature cinnamon, and is all that they use!
Cream Puffs
Lastly, I had to show a photo of one of my favorite stops at the airport. Oddly enough Bearded Papa’s is found in many airports in Indonesia. They serve the best creampuffs I’ve had anywhere in the world outside of some childhood memory of trying them for the first time at a friend’s grandma’s house! They are a little pricy but so worth it!