Indonesian Baverages with health benefits

Many traditional Indonesian beverages are also not only healthy, but incredibly delicious. Here are 7 types of Indonesian beverages that are certain to please your taste buds and help you stay healthy.

 1. STMJ (Milk Egg Honey Ginger)

This traditional beverage can be found in many regions throughout Indonesia. And it features ingredients that are essential to maintaining a healthy diet. STMJ is made by blending fresh milk, honey, ginger and duck or chicken’s eggs. Many believe that it helps improve stamina, especially for those who exercise regularly. STMJ is so well known in Indonesia, most herbalists will have a recipe for the traditional beverage on-hand.

2. Bajigur

This sweet brown beverage originated in Sunda, and is ideal for curling up with when the weather turns cold. Bajigur blends palm sugar, ginger, salt, vanilla powder and coconut milk, giving it a distinctive scent and rich flavor. Many Indonesians believe that bajigur can help reduce fever and stomach ailments, as well as other illnesses.

3. Bandrek

If that last beverage piqued your interest, then bandrek will also be right up your alley. It’s similar to bajigur, but with one significant difference – a blend of rich herbs. In addition to ginger, bandrek contains a mixture of lemon grass, cloves, young coconuts, milk and fragrant pandan leaves. And it’s designed to help relieve coughs and colds and warm you up when there’s a chill in the air. Bandrek has also been known to help increase appetite and relieve everyday aches and pains.

4. Wedang uwuh

In Javanese, ‘wedang’ means beverage and ‘uwuh’ means organic trash. But don’t let this traditional beverage’s name scare you away. Wedang uwuh isn’t made from actual garbage – it got its name because the natural leaves that are added to the beverage sometimes resemble scattered trash. And its flavor and health benefits make it an essential part of many Indonesian diets. Wedang uwush combines ginger water, secang woods, sugar cube and brown sugar. But what gives it its distinctive name is the combination of the leaves, flowers, stems and roots of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon grass. Wedang uwuh is filled with antioxidants, and can also help lower cholesterol.

5. Wedang Ronde

This beverage, native to Java, packs a powerful punch with just a few ingredits. Wedang ronde is made with ginger syrup, a mixture of cinnamon, lemon grass, peanut, bread and the fruit of a sugar palm, called kolang-kaling. But the piece de resistance is ronde, a small ball of dough made from glutinous rice flour and filled with mashed peanuts. Wedang ronde may sound a bit exotic, but its health benefits are plentiful. It’s been known to prevent motion sickness, relieve headaches, cure sore throats, lower cholesterol and decrease stroke risk. You can also find wedang ronde in Yogyakarta and Solo.

6. Pletok Beer

Don’t get too excited – this Betawi beverage doesn’t contain any alcohol. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. Pletok beer is made with brown sugar, sugar, chilies, kapol, various roots, and the essences of ginger and selasih flowers. This Indonesian traditional beverage has a bit of a bite – it has an undeniably spicy and bold flavor. But has been known to instantly warm the body. You can also add ice cubes for a cool drink on a hot day. And beyond its refreshing qualities, you can also enjoy pletok beer’s health benefits, which include improving blood circulation, relieving migraines and insomnia and improving cold symptoms.

7. Saraba

One of the most popular traditional drinks from West Sulawesi, it’s easy to find Saraba on the streets of cities across the region. It’s made from palm sugar, egg yolks, milk, pepper, gingers and cinnamon – a rich combination for sure. Saraba can improve stamina, increase appetite and aid digestion. So it’s no wonder why it’s appealing for its flavor and its health benefits. Thanks

Traditional Indonesian Appetizers

            Traditional Indonesian Appetizers

We want to tell you about  the traditional Indonesian appetizers. Well, even though we usually eat the main dish first and then continuing to eat the dessert after that. We don’t really know well about the actual appetizers, it’s like our own habit. But, the thing you should notice is we prefer to call those appetizers as the “small” meals. Usually they have so much colorful flavor and so good, a really god choice before start chewing the main dish. So, in here we want to tell you about 15 of them, included on the list of traditional Indonesian appetizers. More about Traditional Indonesian Appetizers ,See the  Others foods

 1.Batagor

 

Batagor is like the Indonesians best friend. You can easily find them on the vendors that selling them with their batagor wagon. The wagon itself is also very noticeable, because you can see the word “Batagor” on it.

Usually people in here always buy more and more of them, even some people orderit twice. Kids, adults, teenagers, all of them love this traditional “appetizer”. With such a cheap price and very delicious taste complete with peanut sauce, this one is not missable.

2.Siomay

 

Siomay. Like the batagor vendors, you can also notice the sellers of siomay so easily by their wagon. One thing to notice here, the sellers will always shout “Siomay” when travelling around.

Not like the Batagor that always packed in plastic to eat it, this Siomay always eaten in a plate. Don’t worry if you happen to not having a plate around you when ordering this food, the sellers will gladly serve you with their own plates.

 3.Lumpia

 

Lumpia, you can find so many stuff, ranging from vegetables, and also the chicken meat. So this appetizer is perfect for either vegetarian or not, because you can choose so many kinds of Lumpia that available in these days. Even some people add some mayonnaise and other good stuff inside.

 4.Martabak

 

Martabak. In Indonesia, you will easily find the Martabak sellers during night time only. Well there’s some in the day and evening, but not as much as in the night. Also, some restaurants serve this food as an appetizer, with the smaller portion of couse.

You can choose two kinds of Martabak, there’s 

• Martabak Manis (Sweet Martabak)
• Martabak Telor (Egg Martabak). 

All of them are great to try, especially the “special version” of them. In the usual Martabak sellers, the portion is really fulfilling, great stuff in the night.

  5.Serabi

 

Serabi. There’s some variations of Serabi, even some areas in Indonesia have their own unique Serabi that really different from the other areas. The taste is always the same though, which is sweet and tasteful.

6.Pastel

 

Inside the Pastel, you can find the delicious vegetables and really crispy skin. That’s a great combination of a meal right there. One Pastel is not enough for the whole evening, you should eat more of them.

 7.Risoles

 

Risoles, the food that look almost the same as Lumpia.The main different to notice is, the skin. The skin of Lumpia is really dry and crispy, not like this Risoles that has the skin that looks like a nugget. It has the crumbles like the nuggets, you know.

8.The Egg Satay

 

If you don’t what is this stuff, then let me tell you. This really delicious egg sauce is also one of the kids foods that sold in front of their school. Some teenagers also come by and buy them for eat at home. It’ll be great as an appetizer before eating your main dish.

9.Asinan / Pickles

 

Of course, in almost every foods in Indonesia, there will be some pickles. Well if the pickles in another country like America look more like a cucumber with the additional “sauce”, in Indonesia the pickles come with so many varieties. All of them really great to eat first to “wash” your mouth before tasting the food after that. The most tasty pickles out there in Indonesia is the Jakarta pickles. It feels somewhat refreshing and so eye opening.

Indonesian food

 5 Popular Indonesian Foods You can Make at Home

Indonesia has so many delicious foods to offer. The rich ethnicities and the tradition of passing down signature recipes from generation to generation have blessed this country with an unlimited amount of dishes that range from traditional to popular, to easy-to-make. You can find all the ingredients for these dishes at your nearest shops. While at home in self-quarantine, you can make good use of your cooking skills and “travel” to Indonesia by recreating these 5 most popular Indonesian dishes. In case, you can’t find an ingredient at your nearest store, you can replace it with a substitute and give the recipe your own twist.

Put these dishes on your Indonesia bucket list; you won’t have trouble finding them when you’re finally able to travel tomorrow. see also the other indonesian foods.

 1.Nasi Goreng (fried rice)

A highly-versatile dish, nasi goreng (literally translated as ‘fried rice’) is an Indonesian dish that has its roots in Southern Chinese culture. It mainly consists of seasoned rice stir-fried with pieces of meat and vegetables. This dish originated from people’s concern about ways to use leftover rice. It is not clear exactly when the Indonesians adopted the recipe of Chinese fried rice and put their own traditional ‘twist’ on Nasi Goreng, but some say it happened around the 10th century, during Sriwijaya’s reign when the trade between Indonesia and China flourished.

Nowadays, almost every region in Indonesia had its own signature recipe of Nasi Goreng (such as Nasi Goreng Jawa, Nasi Goreng Aceh, Nasi Goreng Padang, etc.) and you can find it in almost every corner of every street.

As mentioned before, this dish is very versatile, which means if you are having trouble finding one or two ingredients, you can always twist the recipe by using alternative ingredients that suit your taste and are easily available.

Ingredients

300 g of long-grain rice, cooked and then cooled overnight

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

4 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon of sweet soy sauce

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

A pinch of salt

Pieces of finely-chopped proteins, like chicken breast, meat, shrimps, or anything you prefer

Spices

200 g finely-cut shallots

20 g finely-chopped garlic

20 g of finely-chopped spring onions (or you can substitute it with leek or chives)

            3 red chilies, finely chopped

  How to Make

Stir-fry all the spices in vegetable oil until fragrant. Then add the beaten eggs and a pinch of salt, and stir well. Before the eggs get cooked, quickly add the proteins and the rice that was cooled overnight. Stir again for a while. When the flavors start to combine with each other, add the soy sauce and sweet soy sauce, and stir well. Nasi Goreng is ready to be served.

 2  Rendang

Originating from the land of Minang in West Sumatra, rendang has gained popularity worldwide because of its distinctive savory flavor. This dish is basically made of slow-cooked, braised pieces of beef that are caramelized in coconut milk and a rich mixture of spices. Rendang is traditionally served by Indonesians to honor guests at festive occasions such as wedding celebrations and Eid-al-Fitr. The tradition still exists, but now you can find Rendang at almost every Minang restaurant in Indonesia.

A little patience and diligence is required to cook this dish, but you can find all the ingredients at your nearest Asian markets. This one-of-a-kind dish will put your skills to a test.

Ingredients

1 kg of beef

3 cups of coconut milk

3 stalks of lemongrass

4 kaffir lime leaves

Curry Paste

200 grams of galangal, cut into small pieces

4 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

100 grams of shallot, finely chopped

100 grams of red chilies, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of coriander seeds

¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder

2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger

Two pinches of salt

1 tablespoon of coconut sugar

Two tablespoons of coconut oil

 How to Make

Prepare all the ingredients. Cut the beef into 4-cm squares that are about ½ cm thick. Blend all the curry paste ingredients together until smooth. Sauté the curry paste with coconut oil until fragrant and then pour coconut milk into the wok. Bash the lemongrass stalks and add to the wok. Stir well and then add the beef. Cook over medium heat and bring the coconut milk to a boil before reducing the heat to a simmer. Add a little water every once in a while whenever the stew is about to dry. Cook until the meat is tender and the color turns dark brown (estimated time: 3 hours). Rendang is ready to be served.

 3  Bakso

Essential comfort food that you can find almost everywhere in Indonesia, from street-vendors to five-star hotels and high-class restaurants, bakso is brothy meatballs that are usually served with noodles, chili paste, and spring onions. Is that all? No. It’s as versatile as Nasi Goreng. There are many ways to prepare Bakso, but all the variations include meatballs and broth.

Many regions of Indonesia give their own twist to Bakso, for example,

• Bandung make ‘bakso cuanki’ (meatballs made with starch flour)
  

• Malang make ‘bakso bakar’ (grilled meatball dish with broth). 

Nevertheless, it’s a very simple and versatile comforting dish that you can try to cook by yourself during this stay-at-home period.

Ingredients

5 pounds of beef bones

1 knob of ginger, peeled

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

2-inch piece of cinnamon

3 cardamom pods, pounded

3 cloves

6 black peppercorns

18 meatballs

3 cups of egg noodles, cooked

1/2 cup crisp-fried shallots

  How to Make

Put the bones in a pot and add some water. Bring to a boil and take off any scum that rises. Add the ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns to the broth. Simmer for at least two hours, then strain the broth and pour back into the pot without the bones and aromatics. Heat the broth and bring to a simmer, then add the meatballs. Divide the noodles among three bowls. When everything is ready, pour the hot broth and meatballs directly into the bowls. Top each bowl of meatballs with crisp-fried shallots. Bakso is ready to be served. see also about bakso

 4  Martabak

Martabak are savory light bites that originated from a Middle-Eastern recipe of the same name. It is basically a spicy omelet pancake stuffed with bits of vegetables and minced meat and can be bought from almost any street vendor in Indonesia after sunset. Palembang, with Martabak HAR, and Aceh, with Martabak Aceh, are two of the few regions in Indonesia that have given their own twist to Martabak. There is also another general variant of Martabak called Martabak Manis , which is basically a large pancake stuffed with toppings like chocolate, cheese, and peanuts. It might look complicated, but it’s actually very easy to make and the ingredients are available at many shops near you.

Ingredients

250 g minced beef

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

1 small leek, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 spring onion, finely sliced

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder

salt and white pepper   

Dough

100 g plain flour

25 g tapioca flour

250 ml cold water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

How to Make

Filling: Sauté onion in vegetable oil for a couple of seconds. Add the meat and stir-fry until it changes color. Then put in leek and continue sautéing for 2 or 3 minutes before adding curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Mix all the spices and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Put the fillings in a bowl and add the eggs and spring onion. Mix well.

Dough: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until they blend completely without any lumps. Then pour 2-3 tablespoon of the batter into a pre-heated, non-stick frying pan. Make sure the dough covers the whole surface of the pan. Remove when it’s done.

Martabak: Put 2 teaspoons of filling onto the center of the dough, take the skin and fold in from side to side to completely cover the filling in an envelope fashion. Fry until it turns golden brown on one side and then turns it over to cook the other side. Serve warm.

 5  Sate Ayam

The last traditional dish that is so easy to find in Indonesia is Sate Ayam, a grilled chicken skewer served with peanut sauce. It is believed that the word ‘Sate’ originated from Tamil ‘catai’, a regional variant of ‘tacai’ meaning ‘flesh’, which is the indication that the dish was initially developed by Javanese street vendors as an adaptation of Indian kebabs. In West Sumatra, there is a popular variant of Sate Ayam dish called Sate Padang, a grilled beef skewer served with a distinctive spicy Minang sauce. Sate Ayam is very easy to make and you can find all the ingredients at your local store.

Ingredients

1 pound of chicken thighs, finely chopped into pieces

¾ teaspoon of salt

A pinch of ground white pepper

A tablespoon of sunflower seed oil

24 wooden skewers

Peanut Sauce

1 cup of water

5 tablespoons of peanut butter

2 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce

A tablespoon of palm sugar

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ teaspoon of salt

A tablespoon of lime juice

How to Make

Mix the chicken thighs, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, white pepper, and sunflower seed oil in a large bowl, then cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Make preparations to grill and soak the wooden skewers in water so they don’t burn during cooking. Blend water, peanut butter, sweet soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir well. Remove from heat and add some lime juice. Thread the marinated chicken onto the skewers and put three pieces of meat per stick. Put the well-blended peanut sauce in a small bowl and set aside. Then brush the sauce over the chicken. Heat a grill pan or a large skillet and put the chicken skewers in batches on the pan or the skillet. Cook until the chicken meat turns brown, approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve warm.Have you decided which dishes you want to try out while you stay at home? Don’t worry. For now, get a taste of Indonesia at home and prepare yourself to discover these delicious foods around the archipelago once things get better.