9 Dishes You HAVE To Try In Indonesia

When most people think of Indonesia, they think of Bali. And it’s easy to understand why once you visit, you’ve got the crazy waves of Canguu, the deep culture of Ubud and of course the friendliness of the Balinese people. It’s truly an amazing place to visit. However, it’s hard to ignore the over tourism in this part of the world and the impact that it is having on the culture and the kind of food that you’ll see in Bali. Across the island, you will see small restaurants start to close down and more westernised restaurants pop up to meet with the tourist demand. Sadly this means there is a lack of authentic cooking and I don’t know if I got the true experience of Indonesian food during my time there. 

Foods To Try In Indonesia

In this blog I will discuss some dishes that I enjoyed in Bali and was more authentic. If you are visiting Bali, then do make sure you try all these dishes to have a taste of Balinese food. 

Nasi Goreng  

You’ll find this in pretty much every single restaurant across Indonesia. It’s a staple dish in Indonesia. The name translates to ‘fried rice’ which is exactly what it says on the tin. Fried rice with bits of meat or prawns and a variety of vegetables. The sauce will have kecap minis with is Indonesia soy sauce that’s a bit sweeter than regular soy sauce. They’ll also be Bumbu Blend which is a traditional seasoning blend in Indonesia. It’s made of coriander, candle nut, cumin, nutmeg, cardamom and chilli. It is spicy and adds a punch to the dish. Finally there will be a fried egg on a top. A classic and quite simple but certainly packed with flavour. 

Mie Goreng  

 Again this is another dish that is a staple and you’ll find everywhere you go. The name translates to ‘fried noodles’ which again is exactly what it says it is. You can choose egg or meat with it and there will be a variety of vegetables. The sauce will be the same as nasi goreng with kecap minis and Bumbu Blend. The noodles will be be made with egg noodles or instant ramen noodles. Another simple dish but very comforting especially if you are suffering with a little bit of Bali belly. 

Satay 

This is a quintessential classic that you’ll find across South East Asia. However, Indonesia is actually where satay originated from, in a place called Java. If you’ve not heard of satay before, it’s essentially marinated meat that’s been barbecued over a grill. It’s then served with a peanut sauce that’s been flavoured with soy and lime. In Indonesia the meat can be anything from chicken, goat, beef or even seafood. The Indonesia version is less sweet and more savoury than other countries. 

Bebek Goreng  

 Now this was certainly my favourite dish out of everything that I tried in Indonesia. I ordered this from a restaurant in Ubud called Sun Sun restaurant. It was a beautiful restaurant where everything was served in hand weaved wooden baskets and where you can sit on the floor with embroidered cushions. Lots of incense burning everywhere as well, I am sure you can picture the place. This dish translates to fried duck and it was a duck leg that had been deep fried. The batter was light and not greasy at all. The meat was so tender and just fell off the bone. It was served with a variety of sambals and a coconut rice. You will love this dish if you are a big fan of duck like me. 

Nasi Pedang  

 Now this dish is great, if you are like me and like trying a little bit of everything. The dish will be served in a big handweaved basket and each component will be served in a small banana leaf bowl. In the centre you will have a coconut rice. And then around the edge you will have a variety of different dishes that will be different even if you went to the same restaurant two days in a row. Similarly to a thali in India. Typically you’ll always get satay, an egg dish, a fried dish and then a variety of vegetables or tofu. It’s a great way to try a load of different dishes at once or if you are not sure exactly what you want. 

Luwak  

 This is one of the most expensive coffees in the world and once I describe how it’s made you are going to wonder why.  It’s a coffee that is made out of partially digested coffee cherries from the Asian palm civet. So essentially excreted coffee cherries from a wild animal. Delicious! Obviously the coffee cherries are properly cleaned before being made into coffee and then that fermented process is what makes the amazing flavour profile. The reason why it’s so expensive is because it’s made in such small batches each year. So whilst you are in Bali, you have to give it a try even if you might be a little bit repulsed! If you go on a tour to Mount Batur or ATV riding then they’ll more than likely take you to the coffee plantation to try this coffee afterwards. 

Baba Guling  

 This has to be a close second for me in my favourite Balinese dish. If you have been to the Philippines before then it’s a very similar dish to lechon. It’s a whole spit roasted pig that’s been stuffed with a variety of spices and skin coated with marinade to give a wonderful crispy skin. Now in Philippines you will typically get just the meat and skin. However, in Bali, they will serve you the pig in a variety of different ways. So you’ll have the meat, the skin, a soup made out of the bones, fried intensines, satay and a mix of coconut and vegetables. You will also get sambal and rice served with it. It’s a great dish packed with so much flavour. Also a great demonstration of using all the parts of the animal. I would definitely recommend going early in the morning for this dish as it usually sold out by later on in the day. As always find a place that only serves this dish. This dish used to be something that was only made as an offering or for royal weddings but now it’s something they make every day due to the demand. 

Balinese Cake  

 Whilst we were staying at a Homestay in Ubud, our host cooked us this everyday for breakfast so we soon fell in love with the dish. It’s a pancake batter flavoured with pandan, which gives it an amazing vivid green colour. It can either be served as small mini pancakes or as a large crepe. It is sometimes served with monkey banana inside which a small and very sweet banana. On top there will be grated coconut and palm sugar. A perfect sweet treat to have during breakfast time. 

Fish  

As with any coastal town you have to try the fish, as it’s going to be the freshest fish that you have ever tasted! Honestly it was one of my favourite things of travelling, was getting to have fresh fish every day and trying varieties of fish that I’ve never had before. Even if you are not a big fish lover, then trust me when I say you’ll have a different opinion when you’ve tried fresh fish that’s been barbecued on a grill. The best place I found for this was the Gili islands where they had a variety of restaurants and markets serving fish freshly caught in the morning. In Gili T you had a huge food market where there were people serving the fish they caught that morning. You could get whole fish or if you wanted to try a few different kinds of fish you could fish skewers. There was red snapper, tuna, barracuda and lots of squid. Honestly my idea of heaven. 

Conclusion

When visiting Indonesia or Bali, you definitely need to make sure you are eating at ‘warungs’ these are the last of the authentic restaurants in Bali. First of all, they are extremely cheap so great for the budget. Although if you go in the hotspot areas like Canguu you might find a different story. They also are a great way to try a variety of dishes, that are cooked by local Balinese people. A variety of dishes are cooked and kept in containers on the counters, where you point to want you want to. Staff members will then make a plate for you and then they charge you based on what you pick. You’ll find a lot of vegetable dishes, tofu, noodles, omelettes and some sort of fried meat or rendang curry. Super delicious, healthy for your budget and diet! 

That brings this blog to a wrap, there are so many more amazing Indonesian dishes to try whilst you are travelling but these are definitely the highlights that you cannot miss out on. I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog and it will help with your travels to Indonesia. If you did like this blog make sure to send to your friends and family, so it can help them with their foodie adventures as well!