6 Mouth-Watering Indonesian Delicacies

Nasi Goreng is a fried rice dish with fried eggs and pickled vegetables. This Indonesian rice specialty is cooked and caramelized in a sauce made from a combination of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), garlic paste, onions, red chili paste, and terasi (shrimp paste). This unique flavor profile is typically enjoyed over breakfast. It is slightly spicy yet delicious, as well as effortless to make. Beef Rendang is a slow-cooked spicy beef stew that is quintessential of Indonesian delicacies. It’s simmered together in a bath of coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, and dried bay leaves until the beef absorbs all the juices and tenderizes completely. Bakso is an Indonesian meatball soup made using a combination of well-seasoned chicken, beef, or pork for the meatballs. The savory broth can be personalized with additions of noodles, tofu, vegetables, dumplings, etc.

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Sop Buntut is a healthy, warm, and hearty oxtail and vegetable soup. It is made by boiling oxtails until the meat is tenderized enough to slip off the bones and a leftover broth is ready for the soup. Carrots, potatoes, celery, and onions are added to the pot, and notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, fish sauce, freshly cracked black pepper, garlic, and white sugar are introduced to ease its complex flavor profile. Nasi Rawon is another beef-centric dish made using kluwak nuts, giving it a profoundly spicy and nutty undertone but an exceptionally dark color on the surface. Nasi translates to ‘rice’ which is why Rawon is traditionally served with plain rice. Still, it can accommodate additions like tempeh and boiled eggs if preferred. Nagasari is a steamed cake wrapped in banana leaves and made using rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, and a slice of banana filling the inside of the cake. It is slightly sweet but very light, so you won’t even realize until you’re on your fourth one.