From age-old traditional recipes to modern innovative methods, the streets of Indonesia
have a delectable array of cuisines to offer. While there is no
shortage of fancy eateries, the captivating aromas from the local street
hawker stalls are like a magnet for all the ardent foodies. From fried
foods to a variety of salads, from satays to flavoured rice, Indonesia
is bound to be a gastronomical adventure for all the food lovers.
Visitors are often left spoilt for choice so; we are here to help you
plan out your food journey in Indonesia with ease. Here is a list of top Street food in Indonesia :
1.Nasi Goreng (fried rice)
Nasi Goreng or fried rice is a favourite with the locals. This rice dish is a perfect combination of numerous Indonesian spices, which also consists of shredded omelette, meat, prawns, shallots and veggies. One needs to head straight to Nasi Goreng Kebuli Apjay to get a taste of a classic nasi goreng. As the name suggests, this version of nasi goreng combines middle eastern and Indian spices to come up with a unique blend of Nasi Goreng Kebuli and is a must-try for all the spice lovers out there.
2.Sate Padang
Sate is a typical Indonesian street delicacy composing of juicy meat cubes and organs wrapped around skewers, bursting of authentic Indonesian flavours, grilled over hot charcoal. Its distinguishing feature is the thick spicy sauce and tender meat, cooked in a paste of lemongrass and shallots among the other common ingredients. One can choose from an array of beef, intestines, tongues, etc. There are several kinds of Sate, and among the most popular ones is Sate Padang, which initially originated in Padang, Sumatra. Ajo Ramon stands out among all the other stalls selling this speciality and has endeared itself to the taste palettes of millions of Indonesians as well as tourists.
3.Sate Ayam
Another variant of Satay, Sate Ayam, has always been a crowd-pleaser with its zesty taste and is an ubiquitous street food in Indonesia, with vendors found on every street in every city. The chicken is marinated in sweet soy sauce with herbs and spices and wrapped around skewers and cooked on charcoal. The incredibly tender chicken with a smoky barbeque-ish taste with some delectably savoury peanut base sauce and coconut cream by the side is an absolute favourite among the locals.
4.Rendang
West Sumatra is famous for being the origin of several kinds of cuisines, and one of them happens to be a dish called Rendang. The original form of rendang uses beef, but there have been several variations, according to the tastes and preferences of the customers. Beef Rendang is a concoction of Indonesian herbs and spices, which is simmered for a few hours until the meat completely absorbs all the flavours into it. It tastes best with a plate of hot coconut milk rice, also referred to as Nasi Lemak. This dish is an explosion of a myriad of flavours and is arguably one of the most famous foods in Indonesia, according to a recent poll.
5.Kerak Telor
Kerak Telor is a trendy snack among Indonesians but is prominently found only outside certain iconic spots. It is cooked by itinerant vendors in a small pan over charcoal. It looks a lot like an omelette rice mixture with a variety of seasonings, coconut being a dominant one and loads of fried shallots. The vendor first grills a portion of sticky rice along with shallots, shredded coconuts and choice of meat, which is simmered on charcoal. It is then garnished and served hot on a paper.
6.Ketoprak
Ketoprak is a vermicelli noodle dish, made with tofu, sweet soy sauce, sprouts covered in peanut sauce and veggies. It is an absolute favourite among locals, and almost all street stalls offer Ketoprak, but one of the most popular joints is Ketoprak Ciragil. They garnish the original Ketoprak dish with a delectable sweet sauce and a sunny side up, which never fails to impress the customers.
7.Martabak
Often referred to as the King of Indonesian Street food, martabak has two variants, savoury and sweet. The savoury martabak is made of white flour dough stuffed with eggs and your choice of meat such as beef, chicken or mutton. The Martabak is then fried, cut into squares and garnished with chillies and coriander, further served hot with a spicy curry dip. The sweet variant, on the other hand, known as Martabak Manis, is like a pancake with toppings like vanilla, choco chips, peanuts, sprinkles, Nutella etc. It is a perfect dessert for a stroll after a delicious meal.
8.Bakso
Bakso, also known as Baso, is a meatball soup dish and is favourite street food in Indonesia amongst locals. It is served in two variations, Mie Bakso, which is the Indonesian style Bakso and Bakso Kuah, the Chinese variant. The only difference is that Mie Bakso is served with your choice of noodles, yellow or white, whereas Bakso Kuah is served without noodles. Either way, the meatballs are the heroes of this dish. The perfect taste, bounce and texture make it one of the most popular street food in Indonesia.
9.Babi Guling
Bali’s classic pork delicacy, Babi Guling has gained massive popularity among the locals and tourists. It is like heaven for all the pork lovers because this dish is everything pork! Starting from crackling pork skin, to some fried pork meat, skewers of pork satay nicely done with some light herbs and Balinese spices, sticky rice, sausages and some sautéed veggies. What makes this dish stand out is its different technique of roasting the pork meat for hours with oil and spices greased all over the body, making the meat extraordinarily juicy and is bound to take your taste buds on a wild, wild ride!
10.Siomay
Inspired by the Chinese origin, Siomay is dumplings made of mackerel fish, which might be substituted for meats or shrimps. It is served with steamed tofu, cabbage, boiled eggs and peanut sauce or chilli sauce. This dish is a must-try recipe, if you are a fan of dumplings and is readily available in almost every food stall.
11.Soto Betawi
Soto Betawi, a savoury soup, is another much-loved Indonesian street food classic among locals. While most Indonesian Soto dishes have a clear broth, Soto Betawi has a thick creamy broth made primarily with coconut milk. Among the other ingredients are meat, shallots, lemongrass and Indonesian spices. This traditional classic tastes best with condiments.
12.Gado Gado
It is one of the healthiest dishes out there on the streets of Indonesia and vegetarians swear by it. It is a potpourri of greens, tofu, drizzled with a thick spicy peanut sauce and finally garnished with some sliced eggs, fried onions and prawn crackers. Even though it sounds like a side salad dish but the locals have it as a main dish. Gado-Gado Bon-Bin is one of the oldest places serving Gado Gado and is still the best in quality and quantity since the 1970s. Unlike the usual, Bon-Bin’s peanut sauce is all savoury, and the texture is not so thick like the ordinary but is smooth.
13.Mie Goreng
Mie Goreng is just another example of the extent of Chinese influence in Indonesia. Mie Goreng is a typical noodle dish, of Chinese origin but has been modified keeping in mind, Indonesian tastes and preferences. This fried egg noodles dish consists of shredded chicken, shrimps, lots of veggies and soy sauce. This classic stir-fried egg noodles is an absolute favourite among all, and every street stall comes up with its new variation, which makes it one of the top must-try street food in Indonesia.
14.Gulai
Gulai, a savoury, is a curry made up of rich, creamy gravy with succulent meats like chicken, beef, mutton and sometimes even prawns and garnished with dollops of spicy sauce, coriander and curry leaves. Gulai is best described as a burst of flavours, and the strong fragrance is bound to make you crave for a large bowl of gulai.
15.Pisang Goreng
Among the most common street food in Indonesia are their deep-fried items. Pisang Goreng is typically a fried banana where the batter to banana ratio is very high, which gives it a very crunchy and crispy taste. The banana tastes sour in the inside and is a perfect combination of creamy and crispy texture on the outside, which makes it a perfect little evening snack.
16.Ayam Betutu
Ayam Betutu is a grilled chicken dish. The main ingredient of this dish, the chicken is marinated in a particular way using herbs and Balinese spices including ginger, lemongrass, salam leaves, tamarind pulp, etc. and then grilled. It is then served with cucumbers, chilis, eggs and loads of fried shallots along with a mouthwatering spicy sambal sauce, and is very famous street food in Indonesia.
17.Ikan Bakar
Ikan Bekar is a classic barbequed dish, where the fish is grilled with a banana leaf on charcoal. It is among the most famous street food in Indonesia. It tastes best when served with some hot sticky rice and dollops of sambal sauce over it along with some salad and fried shallots by the side. The sambal sauce allows a spicy flavour to permeate through the entire piece of fish and gives it a pleasant smoky aroma. The burst of flavours with just a small bite can be a delight for your taste buds.
18.Durian Ice Cream
Durian is a unique fruit and is a must-try for anyone visiting Indonesia. It has a robust flavour which is addictively delicious and what better than this flavour in the form of ice cream! Every seller has his speciality with variations in the kind of toppings and sauces. This sweet icy dessert is found in almost every nook and corner of the city and is especially popular during summers.
19.Bakmi
Bakmi is a Chinese influenced dish immensely loved by Indonesians. It is noodles served with a variety of condiments such as fried shallots, cilantro and sambal sauce. There are numerous variants of Bakmi noodles. Among the most popular ones are Bakmi Ayam which is a very mild broth with meat such as chicken, Bakmi Goreng, which is fried noodles with chicken, eggs and loads of veggies, Mie Goreng, and a lot more! Bakmi is prevalent street food in Indonesia and undoubtedly among the most popular ones.
20.Nasi Campur
Nasi Campur means meat rice. It isn’t anything extravagant or something but just a simple meal which you can quickly fill your tummy with and is found in every nook and corner. This dish offers rice with an array of choices of sides. These include chicken, beef, duck, etc. One plate of Nasi Campur contains rice, choice of meat and loads of veggies. You can always have Indonesian food with their special spicy sauce known as sambal, which makes a great combination! The vendors usually cook different dishes and keep it for display for you to choose from. However, if you are a fan of freshly cooked food, you might want to skip this.
21.Bebek Goreng
Bebek Goreng is a fried duck dish. This dish consists of rice, some steamed vegetables and sambal along with a sizeable piece of duck meat. The duck is first seasoned and then steamed or sometimes boiled before it is fried. This preparation quite adds to it an incredible flavour, which will surely be a delight for your taste buds. Bebek Goreng is also a favourite street food in Indonesia; however, we would suggest you head over to Bebek Bengil, a long-established eatery which does not compromise on the quality and quantity and is among the most popular restaurants serving Bebek Goreng.
22.Pempek Palembang
Pempek is a typical food from Sumatra, made of fish and sago or tapioca. It is served with a dark, thick sauce called Cuko, mainly made up of chilli, pepper, garlic, sugar and vinegar. Pempek comes in several different varieties, but Pempek Kapal Selam is among the most popular ones. It is sometimes also referred to as an ‘egg nested fish cake’ because the entire chicken egg is wrapped inside the pempak dough or the fish cake and then is deep-fried, sprinkled with shrimp powder and drenched in cuko sauce.
23.Opor Ayam
Opor Ayam is a mild, fragrant curry, made of boiled chicken in coconut milk. There are a number of spices used in this flavoursome dish namely lemongrass, ginger, cinnamon, tamarind juice, candlenuts and shallots. It is one of the most common dishes on every Indonesian family’s table and can be easily available everywhere on the streets of Indonesia.
24.Pecel Lele
Pecel Lele is quite a popular street food across Indonesia. The main ingredient in this dish is fried catfish. This Javanese delicacy is usually served with steamed rice, fried tempeh and lots of sambal sauce to give it a hot spicy flavour.
25.Gudeg Jogja
Gudeg is basically an Indonesian stew made of jackfruit (known as gori) and is a traditional dish which has its roots in Yogyakarta. The jackfruit is boiled for hours with Javanese palm sugar and coconut milk along with traditional spices including bay leaves, galangal, teak leaves, candlenut etc. Sometimes along with the jackfruit, meats and hard-boiled eggs are also added to increase the nutrient content of this dish. However, Gudeg is incomplete without a side dish known as Krechek, which is a traditional Javanese cattle skin stew. This culinary delight has a very satisfying aroma and is a must-try for all the health freaks visiting Yogyakarta.
