The most inviting part of visiting Indonesia is undoubtedly the extreme variety displayed in the food department. With affordable meals at a street side stall to a sumptuous meal at a 5 star hotel, each bite will appeal to your taste buds in its own unique way. If you would like a taste of authentic Indonesian food which is preferred by most citizens when on a low budget, ask around for ‘kaki lima’ which literally means ‘Five Feet’ – two feet of the owner and three belonging to the cart he carries. Simple dishes like fried rice, noodles and porridge are the specialties of these hawkers.

A Rumah Makan or eating house is slightly more formal specializing in a certain type of cuisine. A chain of Nasi Padang restaurants offer a very unique concept to their customers. You don’t need to think too deep about what you would like to order. Walk inside the restaurant, grab a table and within seconds your table will be flooded with small portions of a variety of dishes. Whichever dish appeals to you, go ahead and taste it while you pay only for the dishes you decided to consume.

Another level higher up in terms of eateries will include the several food courts and restaurants, easily found in most Indonesian malls. During the first few days of your trip, it would be a good idea to eat at these hygienic locations complemented with air conditioners. The EsTeler 77 is a local food chain popular for its iced fruit deserts.

If you are one of those who fancy the western eating style, you won’t be disappointed either. Air conditioning, table cloths, tabled seating and formal waiters with food that matches its excellent service, are features of what Indonesians call a ‘Restoran’. Bali and Jakarta are two cities where you won’t have trouble finding such establishments to suit your hygiene requirements. Such a meal would usually cost above Rp 100,000 per head, which is still relatively cheap.

The accommodation in Indonesia where you might be staying at would usually be equipped with its own kitchen to serve their guests and also walk ins. The class of the hotel will determine the level of hygiene followed by the hotel restaurants. Let Excitehotels.com find a great hotel in Indonesia that will also take care of your accommodation.

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In a country with a population of over 200 million there are obviously a huge number of eating experiences that you could enjoy. So it is extremely difficult to narrow down a list of restaurants all meals that you should include in your itinerary. Nevertheless there are at least five things you should experience when it comes to the cuisine of Indonesia.

Satay. The Satay is probably the best-known Indonesian dish in the world, but one variation that may have escaped your attention is Satay Ponorgo. This is an East Java dish originating in the town of Ponorgo and is made from marinated chicken meat served with a sauce made from peanuts and chilli. This dish is unique however in that each skewer contains a whole chicken’s meat, not just a few slices, so it is a rather filling dish! This is a traditional recipe calls for it to be marinated in its special sauce for long periods of time before cooking. It is traditionally cooked in a specially designed earthenware pot roasted over hot coals.

Gado Gado. This is a basic vegetable dish made from cooked and raw vegetables in a coconut milk and peanut sauce. You will find this dish in almost every restaurant as well as many street vendors, where the peanut sauce is made fresh for each dish. This makes Gado-Gado more special word is served in Indonesia as opposed to the restaurants back home, where the sauces are prepared in advance.

Rujak. This dish is widely regarded as Indonesia’s national salad dish. Consisting of pineapples, bananas, green apples and cucumber, it is then dressed with chilli powder and dark soy sauce with a little brown sugar and a splash of lime juice and is absolutely delicious and refreshing. It’s something you don’t see very often outside of Indonesia so make sure you give it a try.

Nasi goreng. This is the famous fried rice dish that is served around the world, and is a simple combination of rice, dark soy sauce, chilli powder, onions, garlic, and brown sugar with seasoning. Serve it as an accompaniment to many dishes this makes a complete Indonesian experience out of any meal.

Sarikayo Telor. For a desert with a difference this Indonesian specialty is a steamed egg and coconut milk concoction flavoured with vanilla for the perfect end to any Indonesian meal.
The huge variety of Indonesian food makes the challenge of finding the best European dish an impossible one.

The best advice you could receive would be to simply let yourself go and experience the full local cuisine of Indonesia and to never turned down the chance to eat with a local family where you are assured of being treated to something really special. Whilst hygiene levels can vary from place to place just use your common sense with the proviso that a good holiday insurance package should always be part of your plan.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/5-best-food-experiences-in-indonesia-3256673.html

We use so much leeks and eggs to make this savory and delicious snacks. And it’s pretty easy to make. You can make your eat table in just short of time the place where the whole family keeps coming back to taste this snacks. Everybody would love this. No doubt about it.

Use the paste of gulai to make this snack.

The ingredients to make the paste:

Make a smooth paste of this above ingredients. You can use food processor if you like it. It’s fast and easy. Or you can use mortar and pestle in traditional way. Set the paste aside.

The ingredients for the martabak:

• 1 kg leeks (you can also use spring onions, but leeks is much cheaper and less work than spring onions), chopped
• 12 medium eggs
• 1 kg grounded meat (use low fat meat, don’t use grounded pork, it’s too fat)
• 1 pack spring roll sheets
• Vegetable oil

Instructions:

• Set a wok on the medium fire without oil, add the grounded meat. Stir it occasionally until the sauce from the meat almost gone
• Add the paste that you’re already made. Mix it with the meat until well. Remove from the fire.
• Add into the big bowl, the chopped leeks, the eggs and the grounded meat. Mix it together until well. Add some salt if needed.
• Spread out the spring roll sheets and put some of the mix in the middle of it, Fold one side and follow the left and the right side. And at the edge of the sheets make it tight with some eggs mix. It has to be flat, not as a lumpia.
• Baked in the flat pan with a little bit oil, on low fire. Be careful, the fire not too high, the martabak would be baked too soon but the inside it’s not really done.
• Ready to serve

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mety_Wistarin

Spicy and sweet are the favorite flavors of the Indonesians. If you don’t ask for “no sugar” in your coffee or tea it will be dripping with sweetness.  Spicy chili sauce accompanies most savory dishes. 

 Nasi, or rice, is the staple of most Indonesian cuisine. Nasi campur is a delightful street food. Street vendors, usually older Indonesian ladies, cook up home made individual dishes of fried tofu, vegetables (cucumber, green beans, spinach like greens), chicken and beef and you choose which items you want over steamed rice. It’s wrapped in a brown paper, tied with a rubber band and eaten with the right hand (left is used for bathroom business). Nasi goreng is a fried rice dish with chopped carrots and cabbage and topped with a fried egg and shrimp crackers. Indonesians tend to eat when they are hungry so they often eat alone, unlike Westerners who enjoy eating together as a means to bring people together socially. Warungs (Indonesian restaurants) now dot the cities for tourists more than the locals and in many places serve Brazilian, Chinese and Aussie food as well.

A giant banana pancake is a breakfast favorite and served with fresh fruit such as pineapple and papaya. Super sour yogurt chock full of acidophilus is a treat to have on top of fruit drizzled with a bit of honey. Jaffels are another breakfast and lunch item which is 2 pieces of sweet white bread put in a sandwich press like a panini and filled with savory items like cheese, tomato and avocado or sweet such as bananas and honey. The bread is smothered in butter so it gets crispy and delicious like toast.

Bintang is the beer of choice! A pilsner, it comes in a 22 oz. bottle. Since it is so warm outside, you have to drink it fast. Arak is the local spirit derived from palm trees and usually mixed with fruit juices. All fruit juice is the fruit thrown into the blender, nothing packaged. Lassi is another popular drink that is fruit and yogurt blended together.

Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/exotic-locations-articles/indonesia-food-and-beverage-669693.html

Spicy fried chicken is a wonderful treat on so many levels. First of all, fried chicken is always comforting and delicious, no matter whether it is pan fried, deep fried or even oven fried. It is a fact of life that fried chicken is one of the most popular meals of all time and that applies in almost every country, not just the United States.

There are so many recipes for fried chicken and so many ways to make it. Some people like to use a very basic batter recipe or simply dip their chicken in seasoned flour and fry it.

Chicken has a soft flavor which goes well with this type of coating. It also suits stronger flavors or spicy coatings. If you want to spice things up, why not use cayenne pepper and chili powder in the flour for a piquant kick?

Using Marinades Before Frying Chicken

Another way of spicing up your fried chicken is to marinate it overnight in a spicy marinade, perhaps using garlic, onion, chili, cumin, hot sauce and anything else you fancy. Marinating chicken tenderizes it as well as flavoring it.

You might even like to marinate your chicken and then use a spicy coating if you want a really fiery dinner. In that case, perhaps choose a creamy side dish to contrast with the spicy chicken recipe. Coleslaw would be ideal.

Recipe for Indonesian Style Fried Chicken

The following recipe makes enough spicy Indonesian fried chicken to serve eight people. Serve it with sesame noodles or rice. This recipe uses a very aromatic blend of spices so, rather than being fiery hot, the chicken is carefully spiced so it is full of flavor and really delicious.

If you want to oven fry the chicken instead of deep frying it, you can broil it for twenty minutes in an oven heated to 350 degrees F. If you cannot find fresh turmeric, you can use half a teaspoon of ground turmeric instead. Visit an Asian grocery store for the other spices.

You will need:

1 roasting chicken
2 bay leaves
2 inches fresh turmeric
2 inches fresh ginger
5 candle nuts or macadamia nuts
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3 inches galangal
6 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemongrass stem
1 teaspoon white pepper
Canola oil, for frying

How to make it:

Cut the chicken into 8 pieces. Crush the white part only of the lemongrass stem. Combine the garlic, nuts, coriander, turmeric, white pepper, galangal and white pepper in a food processor and puree the mixture to a paste. Marinate the chicken pieces overnight in this mixture, in the refrigerator.

Transfer the chicken and marinade sauce into a pot over a low heat. Stir in the water, bay leaves, salt and lemon grass. Keep cooking until the water is absorbed. Take the pot off the stove and let the mixture cool down.

Heat enough canola oil in a deep pan for deep frying, then deep fry the chicken until it is golden brown and cooked through. Drain off excess oil on brown paper or paper towels.

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Ingredients

500 grams Uncooked Rice
6 Bay Leaves
3 stalks Lemon Grass, bruise to release flavor
3 cm Greater Galangal, peeled and bruise to release flavor
600 cc Coconut Milk, mix with 200 cc water
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Pandan Leaves, tied in a knot to release the authentic Pandan fragrance
1/2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg Powder

Side Dish:

Fried Shallots (Slice thinly 5 shallots, deep fried until golden brown, to fry shallots only takes a minute or two, do not over fry it or it will taste very bitter)

Sliced Omelette (beat 1 egg, add 2 tablespoons plain milk, a pinch or salt and white pepper powder then make an omelette, roll and slice thinly)

Ingredients for Peanut Sambal:

100 grams Peanut, fried until golden brown, grinded
5 Red Chilies, grinded
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
Lime Juice (from 1 Lime)
150 ml Water

Directions:

Peanut Sambal:

Mix grinded peanut with water, add grinded chilies, salt, sugar and lime juice. Mix it well, set aside.

Uduk Rice:

1. Clean uncooked rice with water, drain.
2. Steam rice for 30 minutes, set aside.
3. Boil coconut milk in a pot, add lemon grass, bay leaves, galangal, pandan leaves, salt, coriander powder and nutmeg powder. Cook in low fire, keep stirring until it boils.
4. Put in steamed rice into the pot, cook until the rice absord all coconut milk.
5. Re-steam coconut rice for 30 minutes.
6. Serve with fried shallots, sliced omelette and peanut sambal

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fiedha_Anindyajati

Indonesian soups are often served with rice and they are quite different to other types of Asian soup. Indonesian soup recipes are aromatic and often contain flavors like candlenuts, galangal, lemongrass, and chilies. Some Indonesian soups contain ingredients you can only get in Indonesia but there are lots of Asian stores where you can pick up these spices or similar ones.

Beef, chicken, tofu, vegetables, and more can all feature in Indonesian soup recipes and, contrary to popular belief, not all Indonesian soups are hot and spicy, although some certainly are. Meatball soup is popular in Indonesia and is often served with noodles, tofu and eggs, as well as vegetables.

Popular condiments, which are served with these soups, include lime wedges, hardboiled egg slices, fried peanuts, green onion, fried garlic, fried coconut flakes, and slices of chilies.

You might like to saute some coconut flakes and peanuts in a non-stick skillet until they are fragrant and golden brown. Keep this mixture in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a couple of months, sprinkling it over any Asian recipes you make. This mixture is delicious with curries as well as soup recipes.

What is Indonesian Chicken Soup Like?

If you like to make chicken soup recipes, you might wonder what Indonesian chicken soup is like. Actually, it is really flavorful and is often served with rice, noodles, and potato croquettes to make it satisfying.

Lime, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, galangal, and turmeric are popular ingredients in Indonesian chicken soup, although the recipes do vary. Some soups contain coconut milk, to sweeten them and add a luxurious creaminess.

Recipe for Indonesian Beef Soup

This delicious beef soup recipe originated from Madura, which is the largest island in East Java. This soup is great for lunch or dinner and serving it with rice makes it satisfying and filling.

What you will need:

• 1/2 lb beef
• 2 chopped stalks celery
• 1 chopped green onion
• 1 cube beef bouillon
• 2 sliced hard boiled eggs
• 1 1/2 pints water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 sliced, fried cloves garlic
• 1 lime
• Fried shallots, for garnish
• Salt, to taste
• White sugar, to taste

For the spice paste: 

• 2 tablespoons turmeric
• 5 shallots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 inches fresh ginger
• 4 almonds or 3 candlenuts

How to make it: 

Simmer the piece of beef in the water for twenty minutes. You might need more water. Slice the beef up and return it to the water. Heat the oil in a wok over a moderate heat, then stir fry the paste ingredients for a couple of minutes or until fragrant.

Put the beef bouillon and fried paste into the water, along with some sugar and salt to taste. Cook the soup, covered, over a moderate heat until the beef is tender, adding more water if required. Crush the fried garlic and add it, with the green onion and celery. Serve the soup hot with rice, slices of lime, fried shallots, and egg slices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Szalay_Kudra

Chili is the main ingredient to make sambal. Choose only the fresh chili one. Other ingredients are terasi (condiment made from pounded and fermented shrimp or small fish), sugar, and salt.

The ingredients you need to make sambal bajak are:

Red chili (the long one), 200 grams, remove the stalk.
Small chili (well known as cabai rawit in Indonesia), 25 pieces, remove the stalk.
Onion, 25 pieces.
Garlic, 12 pieces.
Terasi, 1 table spoon.
Salt, 1 tea spoon.
Cane sugar, 1 table spoon.
Frying oil, 50 cc.

Follow these steps to make sambal bajak:

Wash the red chili, small chili, onion, and garlic. Slice them into pieces.
Put the red chili in a blender; stir it with medium speed for 1 minute. Add the small chili, onion, and garlic. Stir them for 1 minute respectively.
Add salt, terasi, and cane sugar. Stir together until they are fine.
In the frying pan, heat the frying oil. Put the dough into it, and fry it until its color changed into dark red.
Put it into another container, wait until it gets colder.
Sambal bajak is ready to be served.

If you wish to make a small amount of sambal bajak, you can use mortar and pestle instead of blender. Sambal bajak is usually consumed with cooked rice. Put it in a small bowl, dip your fried chicken into it, and enjoy its pleasant taste.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mahirsyah_Wellyan_Twh

Tempeh is a traditional food from Java, Indonesia. This traditional food has been spreading across the world, and became one of the vegetarian diet full of nutrients and also delicious at the same time. You can find tempeh in some other countries, such as the Netherlands and Malaysia. Tempeh spreads throughout the world following the migration of Javanese during colonialism period, when they moved and settled in Netherlands. In Malaysia, tempeh was brought by migrant workers from Java, and become popular food in there.

Nutrients in tempeh are quite balance and can replace some nutrients from animal, make it suitable for those who become Vegan. So what exactly is the content of nutrients in tempeh? According to USDA National Nutrient Database, cooked tempeh contains the following nutrients:

Water (59.56 g per 100 g serving)

Protein (18.19 g per 100 g serving)

Lipid (11.38 g per 100 g serving)

Energy (196 kcal / 822 kJ per 100 g serving)

The protein inside the tempeh is more than its fat. It have 3.745 g per 100 g serving monounsaturated fatty acid and 2.636 g per 100 g serving polyunsaturated fatty acid. So the major fatty acid from tempeh is a good one.

Another micronutrients abundances inside the tempeh are niacin (2.135 mg per 100 g serving), potassium (401 mg per 100 g serving), phosphorus (253 mg per 100 g serving), magnesium (77 mg per 100 g serving), iron (2.13 mg per 100 g serving), manganese (1.285 mg per 100 g serving), and several more.

From these facts, we can see the reason why tempeh should be being included to our diet. There are more healthy, traditional foods which can be good if we put them in our diet, much better than another junk foods around us. So, instead buying expensive junk food, we’d better start eating healthy, cheap food from now.