12 Indonesian Foods You Must Try Before You Die

Although Indonesia is currently bearing diverse problems to solve and scores of challenges to face, I feel, to some extent, lucky to have been born here since food-wise, it remains one of the best countries in the world (at least for me). With amazing spices such as ginger, turmeric, candlenuts, lemongrass, cilantro, tamarind and galangal galore, it is arguably extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find a legit contender for this archipelagic nation in the palate-spoiling arena. If you are a foodie, I can assure you that you will not rest peacefully in your grave if you haven't tried a good number of the Indonesian foods on the list below. Actually it is pretty brain-racking to pick only a dozen out of the innumerable scrumptious foodstuffs from Indonesia, but I did try to do my level best. So here you go, 12 Indonesian dishes you must try before you kick the bucket!

12. Bakso

Bakso Beranak in Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta
"Bakso Beranak" literally means "Birth-Giving Bakso", referring to many small meatballs inside a massive one.

Let's start the list with bakso! The main element of this dish is meatballs. They are usually made with beef and the size varies from small to humongous (such as the one in the picture!). Bakso is usually served with bihun (rice noodles), mie (wheat noodles), choy sum, bean sprouts, celery, and crispy fried shallots. It is a classic Indonesian dish and the hot soup of bakso will make you return to it again and again!

Fun fact: The former U.S. president Barack Obama loved bakso as a child.

11. Nasi ulam

Nasi Ulam Bang Muhi in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta
Nasi ulam is a traditional Betawi dish.

Nasi ulam is a fantastic dish of Jakarta's indigenous tribe, the Betawi. This partly soup-based food is composed of rice, bihun, peanuts, basil, and side dishes such as perkedel (potato-based fritters), telur dadar (Indonesian omelettes), and dendeng (beef jerky), which you can choose from. You can also have tempe goreng (fried tempe) and tahu (tofu) added if you like. Nasi ulam is topped with kerupuk (crackers) and emping (Gnetum gnemon chips), which makes it a perfect dish to close your day! I would describe the overall taste of nasi ulam as "sweetilicious".

10. Pempek

Pempek Kenari in AEON MALL BSD, Tangerang
Pempek is originally from Palembang, South Sumatra

Are you a fan of spicy food? If so, pempek is sure to satisfy your appetite for fiery grub! This Palembang dish is basically all fish and served with black vinegar-based soup. Pempek types include pempek kapal selam (submarine pempek), pempek lenjer (long pempek), pempek adaan (Allium-filled pempek), pempek bulat (round pempek), and pempek kulit (fish skin pempek). You can opt to have your pempek fried or not, depending on your preference. Pempek is usually accompanied with mie and cucumber, and ebi (dry shrimp powder) may be sprinkled to enrich the already amazing taste!

9. Soto

Soto Betawi Daging in Canteena, Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta
When it comes to food, "daging" usually means "beef", although it can broadly mean "meat (of any kind)".

Soto is another classic dish from Indonesia and there are countless varieties of it: soto Betawi, soto tangkar, soto Medan, soto mie, soto ayam Ambengan, soto Lamongan, etc. The soup of soto can be coconut milk-based and the smell of this food is distinctively alluring. Soto is usually made with turmeric and can contain bihun, mie, meat (mostly beef or chicken), tomatoes, scallions, crispy fried shallots, cabbage and/or lumpia (spring rolls). Sweet soysauce is a condiment that people typically pour over soto, but however you eat it, your tummy will certainly be pleased by a plate of rice plus a bowl of soto!

8. Siomay

Siomay which my student Satria bought at or near his office
Siomay is suspectedly derived from xiao mai, a type of food that is part of the popular Chinese dish dim sum.

Siomay, also spelled "somay", is a delish dish that is thought to be a variant of the Chinese light dish xiao mai (notice the similar pronunciation). However, siomay is composed of more various food items than its Chinese counterpart: you can have siomay bulat (round siomay), siomay panjang (long siomay), siomay telor (egg siomay), siomay kentang (potato siomay), siomay pare (bitter melon siomay) and so on. The meat used in siomay is commonly fish, although you can find siomay made with shrimp or pork as well. Siomay is typically eaten with tasty peanut sauce and this will surely take you to seventh heaven! You won't want to miss the additional taste of lime juice poured over siomay either, which will make you relaxed and peaceful after a hard day's work.

7. Sekoteng

Sekoteng on Haji Agus Salim Street (Sabang), Central Jakarta
A bowl of sekoteng on a rainy day is just what the doctor ordered.

Sekoteng is a hot Indonesian dessert prominently flavored by ginger. Sekoteng can look like a motley of strange little food items, but once you try it, you will never stop! The components that make up sekoteng include bread cubes, peanuts, kolang-kaling/buah atep (Arenga pinnata fruit), and pacar cina (sago pearls). Sekoteng can also be enjoyed with condensed milk and, depending on the seller, sugar and ginger syrup may be available on the table for you to add as you wish.  If you don't have anyone to hug in order to warm your body, at least you can indulge in a bowl of sekoteng!

6. Rujak

Rujak Kolam in AEON MALL BSD, Tangerang
"Kolam" means "pond" and it may have been named this way because of the resemblance of the sauce to a pond.

Rujak is basically Indonesia's fruit salad. If you need an intake of fiber-rich food while you are in Indonesia, you are highly recommended to tuck into a portion of rujak. Imagine a mix of water apples, pineapple, mango, young papaya, kedondong (ambarella fruit), and starfruit bathed in spicy, shrimp-pasted peanut sauce -- hmmm, yummy! Rujak can also include vegetables such as sweet potatoes, yam, and cucumber, which add more tastes to it. I promise, you will be head over heels in love with this assorted dish!

5. Nasi goreng

Nasi Goreng Spesial Bewok on Haji Agus Salim Street (Sabang), Central Jakarta
"Nasi goreng" means "fried rice", referring to the main ingredient and the way this dish is cooked.

Nasi goreng is definitely the most popular Indonesian food and, aside from bakso, this dish fortunately received a boost of fame many years ago, thanks to the former U.S. president Barack Obama. Due to its staggering popularity, you can find it in almost every nook and cranny of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Nasi goreng is primarily composed of rice and typically contains meat (mostly chicken or goat), egg, choy sum, scallions, and crispy fried shallots but it can also be enriched by cabbage, sausage, and meatballs. Nasi goreng is commonly served with acar (pickles), and kerupuk is an inseparable element of a plate of nasi goreng. You can't say you have visited Indonesia if you haven't tried this flavorsome dish!

Tip: As with many Indonesian foods, the best nasi goreng is cooked by street food sellers, not in restaurants or things of that nature.

Fun fact: Nasi goreng is the runner-up when it comes to the world's best foods according to CNN readers.

4. Indomie

Indomie Goreng Jumbo in Canteena, Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta

Indomie Double Telur in Canteena, Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta

Strictly speaking, Indomie is not really a type of food; it is an instant noodle brand. In fact, it is unarguably the most popular instant noodle brand in the country -- literally everyone knows what it is. Indomie is so well-known that it has become a master brand, in which case its name is well-established as an eponym for instant noodles in Indonesian society (you might hear someone say, "One bowl of Indomie, please!" although there are only other brands of instant noodles in the eatery). Indomie can be divided into two types: dry-based and soup-based Indomie. Which to eat depends on your preference and there are countless flavors to choose from, such as ayam spesial (special chicken), baso sapi (beef bakso), soto mie, rendang, and ayam geprek (bludgeoned chicken). What makes Indomie really special is the heavenly taste of its seasoning, which, in turn, debatably makes it the most delectable instant noodles on the planet.

Click here to read Amazon customer reviews of Indomie Mie Goreng (dry-based), showing how deeply in love they are with the legendary instant noodles.

Tip: As a popular adage goes, the more the merrier. Adding side elements such as choy sum and egg will make your Indomie even more tempting and mouth-watering.

3. Sate

Sate Ayam in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta
Other than sweet soysauce, you can eat sate with peanut sauce.

Sate (satay) is essentially Indonesia's meat skewers. It can be made with chicken, beef, pork or goat and is typically covered with soysauce or peanut sauce. Sate can be aptly accompanied with chili, raw shallots, tomatoes, and crisp fried shallots, especially it is lavaed by soysauce. Just like soto, there is a diverse range of sate types, e.g., sate Padang, sate taichan, and sate maranggi. Although sate can be reveled in without a carbo-based dish, it is usually consumed with rice or lontong (rice cake). Generally, one portion of sate consists of 10 sticks, but in no time you will have devoured all of them as pieces of luscious juicy meat wildly dance in your orifice!

Fun fact: Sate is ranked 14th on the list of the world's best foods according to CNN readers.

2. Ketoprak

Ketoprak in Dwiwarna, Central Jakarta
Ketoprak is another traditional Betawi dish.

Ketoprak is the runner-up on this list largely because this dish is what I (and my first brother) would call a manifestation of "perfection" in culinary terms. Typical ketoprak comprises lontong/ketupat (rice cake), bihun, tahu, bean sprouts, crispy fried shallots, cucumber, and kerupuk. Ketoprak sauce, which is crafted by combining ground peanuts & palm sugar with salt, garlic, chili, and sometimes lime juice, is simply incredible and will leave you addicted. Even though tahu is the usual "companion", you can find ketoprak with sunny-side up eggs and even tempe & potatoes. I would consider ketoprak to be my comfort food and it is one of the Indonesian foods I miss the most after a few days of not chowing down on it.

Tip: You can find the best ketoprak in the area of Mangga Besar and its vicinity.

Fun fact: American paleontologist Steve Brusatte, the author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, accepted my invitation to talk with me over a ketoprak dinner in Jakarta. I am still waiting for that day... 😊

1. Nasi Padang

Nasi Padang in Canteena, Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta
Nasi Padang, as suggested by its name, hails from Padang, the capital of West Sumatra. 

To me, nothing is comparable to the taste of nasi Padang, as yet. I'd say nasi Padang represents the pinnacle of Indonesian food taste. This West Sumatran dish is piquant such that a Norwegian guy made a song about his infatuation with it. Nasi Padang actually refers to rice and numerous side dishes which you can choose from. Rice in nasi Padang is typically served with the vegetables cassava leaves or a combination of cabbage & string beans, and the side dish options are comprised of rendang, ayam bakar (roasted chicken), ayam goreng (fried chicken) perkedel, telur dadar, telur balado (balado egg), terong balado (balado eggplant), bakwan udang (shrimp fritters), and many more. Tucking into this coconut milk-rich dish is not complete without the legendary green chili paste (which tastes superbly unforgettable!), and topped with kerupuk kulit (cow skin crackers), nasi Padang is an absolutely perfect meal for every food lover! If, for some reason, you could eat only one Indonesian food, go for nasi Padang, hands down.

Fun fact: Rendang, an important element in nasi Padang, is the world's best food according to CNN readers.

So, which dishes look the most appealing to you? Which would you like to first try if you come to Indonesia? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Bon appétit!