1. Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) Nasi Goreng, or fried rice (“nasi” – rice, “goreng” – fried) is a popular dish in Indonesian (and Balinese) cuisine. You can find it everywhere, from a simple warung to a fancy restaurant. Nasi goreng can be vegetarian, meat-based, or seafood-based. It’s usually topped with an egg and served with chips. The price for this dish in a regular warung is around 10-15 thousand rupiahs, while in a Euro-style cafe it can range from 20-50 thousand rupiahs.
2. Mie Goreng (Fried Noodles) Fried noodles with the same ingredients as Nasi Goreng. The noodles can be of the curly instant type. When I eat Mie Goreng, I feel like I’m back on a Chinese train with Cup Noodles. Sometimes you can find delicious Mie Goreng, but it depends on your luck. The price for these noodles ranges from 12-50 thousand rupiahs.
3. Nasi Campur (Mixed Rice) Is a mixture of all the dishes mentioned above. In general, it’s like a Balinese version of Olivier salad – a fun mix of rice, noodles, tofu, tempeh, a few sliced carrots, meat or seafood. The price for this dish ranges from 20-50 thousand rupiahs.
4. Cap-Cay (Stewed Vegetables in a Thickened Broth) Cap-Cay originally comes from China, but it’s also popular in Indonesia. The vegetables are stewed in a thickened broth. The dish is prepared by cutting various vegetables – such as cauliflower, carrots, corn, mushrooms and leeks – and frying them in a pan with a small amount of vegetable oil and water. Garlic and onion are added, as well as salt, sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch to create the thickened broth.
5. Gado-Gado (Mixed Vegetables with Peanut Sauce) Gado-Gado is a popular dish in Indonesian cuisine. We also love it, although we used to think that the dish corresponded to its name, which translates to “mix-mix”. But eventually you get used to it. Now gado-gado is our favorite dish, where meat or eggs are definitely not added. Gado-gado consists of boiled vegetables – beans, zucchini, carrots, spinach as well as tofu and tempeh. And most importantly, peanut sauce, where you need to dip your vegetables. We have already learned to determine the level of chefs in cafes by their sauce. In general, the secret is one – the sauce must be delicious. ?
What are tofu and tempeh, which are commonly added to the above dishes? Tofu is a type of curd made from soybeans. Tempeh is a fermented, pressed cake made from soybeans and a fungus called Rhizopus oligosporus. This fungus creates white mold that spreads throughout the soybean mixture, changing its texture and forming a crust.
6. Lumpia or spring rolls. Spring rolls are a popular dish in Southeast Asia. They are rice paper pancakes fried in oil, filled with the most popular filling of grated carrots, cabbage, and lettuce leaves. Spring rolls can also be made with meat and seafood. Lumpia is served with peanut sauce. I love “steam” rolls, when they are not fried, but slightly baked or steamed. This is rare in Bali. Here, people have a passion for overcooked food.
7. Bakso soup. Soup made from soy or meat balls, tofu, dough, noodles, and rice chips. The mixture doesn’t have a very strong flavor. Bakso sellers are mobile carts with a display case and a mini-kitchen, featuring different types of noodles and meatballs. The bakso seller pours hot broth over the noodles, adds meatballs, a couple of spinach leaves, and lets it steep. Bakso soup is ready! I have never had the desire to try it.. Capricious expats, yes! ?
8. Babi-guling (babi guling). Young pig seasoned with spices. Prepared for big ceremonies, such as Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi, Balinese weddings, and others. During the wonderful celebration of Galungan, when earthly people meet their ancestors and pray and celebrate together, the Balinese cut a huge amount of pigs, believing that they provide them with an improved future life.
9. Soto Ayam (Soto Ayam). Chicken soup with noodles, sometimes with rice, chips, and egg. I will also mention sate (Sate) here. Minced meat or fish on skewers, cooked over fire.
10. Ikan Bakar or Pepes (Pepes Ikan, Ikan bakar, Ikan Goreng). Under this category, I included fish dishes on the island. Pepes Ikan – fish seasoned with spices and baked in a banana leaf. It is considered the most delicious of fish dishes. Ikan bakar – grilled fish. Ikan Goreng, as you may have guessed, is fried fish.
Friends, We have listed the most popular dishes. Of course, Indonesian cuisine includes many more names. For example, if you come to the evening market, you will see a variety of food stalls where they fry something. Usually, these will be martabaks, pancakes, ducks, and pigs. And if you come to a classic Indonesian makan, you will see a buffet where you can choose different dishes to try. And if you visit more touristy warungs and restaurants, you will find cuisine from different countries around the world.
