Beef Rendang and 7 Other Restaurant-Worthy Recipes to Transport You to Indonesia

With 18,000 islands spanning 3.8 million square miles, Indonesia is a vast, diverse country. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean in Southeast Asia, its strategic location along major sea routes has established the archipelago as a transit and trade hub for centuries. Even before European explorers set off on voyages of discovery during the 16th and 17th centuries, merchants and traders from China, India, the Middle East, and neighboring Siam (now Thailand) and Malacca (now part of Malaysia) flocked to the archipelago for fragrant seasonings, such as clove and nutmeg from the spice islands of Moluccas (now Maluku). 

This long history of trade has influenced Indonesian culture immensely, and each region has a distinct cuisine shaped by multiple influences: Rendang from Sumatra is influenced by Indian curry; lumpia Semarang are heavily influenced by Chinese egg rolls; and breads and baked goods show strong Dutch influence because of Dutch ports along the coasts of Java, Sumatra, and Manado. Despite differences between regional cuisines, there are many similarities due to the criss-crossing of foods and ingredients across the archipelago. 

Indonesian food is largely a cuisine of the common people, not ceremonial food. Most meals are served communally, to be eaten and enjoyed with family and friends. A typical Indonesian meal consists of a staple, most often rice, and side dishes that are shared. Common sides include vegetables and proteins like meat, seafood, or tempe. These sides can also vary by cooking method—they might be deep-fried, boiled, curried, grilled, or stewed. Thus, an Indonesian meal typically includes a blend of flavors and textures. Sambal (chile paste), kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and krupuk (savory crackers) often complement the meal. 

Though there are about 1,300 ethnic groups and cuisines in Indonesia, the cuisines of Java and Sumatra seem to be more familiar to foreigners. When I ask people what Indonesian dishes they’ve tried, they tend to mention meals from Java and Sumatra, such as sate (also spelled satay), gado gado, nasi goreng, and/or rendang. However, Indonesians themselves could be to blame for their regional foods not being better known to foreigners, says Sri Owen, an Indonesian culinary expert and the author of Indonesian Regional Cooking.“It is difficult for Indonesians, especially in the provinces, to offer their own local food to visitors, partly because they know that however good it tastes it doesn’t always look very appetizing.” Furthermore, traditional cooking methods, such as stuffing bamboo stems or cooking over charcoal, may be intimidating—and not practical—for many Western cooks. 

For this introductory guide to Indonesian cuisine, I’ve highlighted recipes and cooking techniques that support a basic understanding of the country’s flavors and techniques. As part of my research, I consulted Dr. Murdijati Gardjito, a retired professor who once taught at Universitas Gajah Mada in Jogjakarta, who is a major proponent of traditional Indonesian food. I also spoke with Indonesian chef and cookbook author William Wongso. 

My list may not cover every region or the specialty of every Nenek (grandma), but it will get you started with some of the more popular and approachable Indonesian recipes. Cook your way through the dishes below and you'll acquire a good foundation of knowledge about Indonesian cuisine, from which you can branch out and explore more thoroughly if you choose.

If you live in the United States, it might be difficult to locate Indonesian ingredients at your local grocery store. Thankfully, most metropolitan cities have Asian markets that carry pantry ingredients essential to Indonesian cuisine, including palm sugar, kecap manis, sambal oelek, and jarred fried shallots. Herbs and spices integral to Indonesian cooking like chiles, lemongrass, turmeric, coriander, and cumin are also quite common at Asian markets. Ingredients like candlenuts, salam leaves, makrut lime leaves, and galangal may be harder to find but can be substituted or left out without sacrificing too much flavor. If not, many of these ingredients can be purchased online relatively easily, too.

Start With Spice Pastes

Spice pastes called bumbu bumbu (the repetition indicates plural) are essential for seasoning many Indonesian dishes. Traditional cooks use a mortar and pestle hewn from volcanic rock to grind ingredients into a paste, but modern cooks, including me, often use a food processor or blender to speed things up. 

One of the most basic bumbu bumbu called bumbu putih (white spice paste) starts with garlic, shallots, and/or candlenuts, and can be easily customized to make other dishes. The spice paste often flavors nasi goreng (fried rice) and simple stir-fries. Add chiles and fresh herbs like ginger and lemongrass, and you have a basic bumbu rendang. Incorporate turmeric and coriander, and you’ll be able to whip up soto ayam, a fragrant chicken noodle soup. Made with peanuts (kacang), bumbu kacang is the base for the crowd favorite gado gado.

Packed with complex flavors, each paste has a different profile and forms the foundation for a wide range of dishes. By playing a game of mix and match—bumbu, ingredients, and cooking methods—you’ll be on your way to preparing some Indonesian favorites.

Bumbu Dasar Putih (Indonesian Spice Paste)

This spice paste is the cornerstone of many Indonesian meals—and having a jar means you can whip up your favorite Indonesian recipes at a moment’s notice.

Staples

Rice, Indonesia’s most popular staple, is grown throughout the archipelago. Other staples include sago, cassava, and yam. However, cooked long grain rice is the starch of choice to accompany a meal. Rice can also be wrapped in leaves to form rice cakes—either cylindrical ones called lontong or square-shaped ketupat—and served with sate (grilled skewers of meat) or sayur lodeh (a coconut milk-based vegetable stew).

At markets and shops, snacks made from ketan (glutinous rice) such as lemper (shredded chicken rice dumplings) and kue srikaya (glutinous rice and pandan custard layered cake) are popular. Home cooks like my mum serve bubur ketan hitam, sweet black rice porridge, for breakfast or as a snack. Flavored rice like nasi gurih (savory rice) is also common. Instead of water, the rice is often cooked in coconut milk and flavored with an assortment of herbs and spices. During selametan–community get-togethers celebrating special occasions like birthdays, births, weddings, and more–fresh turmeric is often added to rice for color. Nasi kuning, literally yellow rice, is mounded into a cone and surrounded by numerous side dishes. Beef rendang (naturally!), fried chicken, prawns, and caramelized tempeh are just a few popular choices to accompany this ceremonial presentation, which is known as nasi tumpeng. 

Nasi goreng, the Indonesian version of Chinese fried rice, is just as ubiquitous at warungs (small eateries) and restaurants as it is in homes. Nasi goreng’s simplicity and versatility make it a very accessible dish since you can do anything you want with it. Start with day-old rice if you have it, bumbu, vegetables, meat or tofu, and serve it with sambal and krupuk. To make it istimewa (special), you can bulk it up with pricier ingredients such as shrimp and top the rice with a fried egg. My mother often made nasi goreng for breakfast using leftovers, but I make nasi goreng for an easy lunch or dinner, and always serve it with a side of acar (pickles). 

Like fried rice, noodles likely arrived at some point during centuries of Chinese migration, and they offer the most vivid example of how deeply Indonesian cooking has been influenced by Chinese cuisine. The Indonesian word “mie,” referring to wheat noodles, comes from “mian,” the Chinese word for noodles. Kwetiau (wide rice noodles), mie telur (egg noodles), and so-un (mung bean noodles) are just a few of the different types of noodles you’ll find in Indonesian cooking.  

Popular noodle dishes include mie goreng, wok-fried noodles tossed with vegetables and protein; mie godok (literally boiled noodles) served in a rich poultry-based gravy thickened with eggs; and Chinese-style noodle soups with wontons. In my opinion, however, the most iconic noodle dish is a chicken noodle dish called bakmi ayam. Made famous by local chain Bakmi Gajah Mada, the noodles can be served dry or in broth, topped with diced or ground chicken and sometimes mushrooms, with meatballs and fried wontons on the side if you’d like.

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)

This Indonesian riff on fried rice gets a sweet-savory profile from kecap manis and a big hit of umami from shrimp paste.

Mie Goreng (Indonesian Fried Noodles)

Tossed with vegetables and served with crunchy shrimp crackers, mie goreng is an easy, satisfying meal that takes just 15 minutes to make.

Sambals

Bought at the store or homemade, an Indonesian meal isn’t complete without a sambal—hot and spicy chile paste—on the table. If you love spice, you’ll have heard of sambal ulek (oelek is the Dutch spelling). Composed of chiles, salt, and sometimes lime juice, sambal ulek is named for the grinding motion when using a mortar (cobek) and pestle (ulekan).  

Sambals can be made by grinding any type of red or green chiles with the cook’s choice of ingredients: garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, tomatoes, and/or shrimp paste. Very often, sambals reflect their origins. East Indonesia has a preference for raw sambal while the Western side of the country prefers cooked sambal; Bali’s sambal matah is a cornucopia of fresh chiles and raw shallots, lemongrass, and/or makrut lime leaves. My go-to sambal is  sambal terasi (shrimp paste sambal), a cooked sambal with different variations found all over Indonesia that I like to enjoy with fried chicken. 

Popular sambals include sambal tomat (with tomatoes), sambal kacang (with peanuts), and sambal mangga (with mango). Yet another sambal called sambal kecap features chopped shallots and bird’s eye chiles floating in kecap manis; it's often drizzled over fried or grilled fish. The varieties are endless, and according to Dr. Gardjito, who has been collecting sambal recipes for decades, there are at least 350 different types of sambal! 

Sambal are a condiment, but they can also serve as the starting point for a stir-fry or marinade. Sambal goreng (fried sambal) is the general name for a whole class of dishes that start with a sambal base: ground chiles, garlic, and shallots. After a quick sauté in oil, the sambal is stir-fried together with meat, seafood, or vegetables. Shrimp paste, tamarind, and coconut milk are often added to the mix, as well as fresh  herbs like makrut lime leaf and lemongrass. 

Rica rica, a fiery sambal studded with bird’s eye chiles from Manado in the province of North Sulawesi, and balado, from the Minang cooking tradition in Western Sumatra, are two regional-specific sambal goreng types. When my mother makes nasi tumpeng for celebrations, sambal goreng ati dan petai (liver and stink beans) is an essential accompaniment for her.

Sambal Kacang (Peanut Sauce)

This rich, nutty, and bold peanut sauce is a delicious staple in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Soups

In the Indonesian lexicon, there are two types of dishes we might call soup in English: soto (known also as coto and sroto) and sop. Two things distinguish soto from sop. The first is that soto tends to be richly spiced and can be clear (soto ayam) or made cloudy with coconut milk (soto Betawi). Sop is almost always brothy and clear (for example sop buntut, oxtail soup). Second, soto refers to true-blue Indonesian inventions, whereas numerous sop dishes are influenced by European culinary traditions, particularly Dutch cuisine.

There are about 75 different types of soto. Some sotos are named after their city of origin, such as soto Padang or soto Betawi. A soto can be named for its main ingredient as well. For example, soto babat (tripe soto) or soto mie (noodle soto).  

In addition to the main ingredients—usually chicken, beef brisket, or goat—add-ons include vegetables like tomatoes, radish, bean sprouts, and noodles. Potato chips, emping (crackers made from melinjo nuts, which are native to Southeast Asia), and fried soybeans are used as crunchy garnishes. Regardless of regionality, soto is always served with sambal, lime wedges, kecap manis, and often rice.

One of the most popular sotos, soto ayam—a chicken noodle soup fragrant with turmeric, coriander, lemongrass, and makrut lime leaves—is eaten all over Indonesia, and tweaked according to regional preferences. The version I grew up eating is closest to the soto ayam from the town of Surabaya on the island of Java, made with a bumbu of garlic, shallots, turmeric, and coriander.  

Soto Ayam Madura (Indonesian Chicken Noodle Soup)

Soto ayam Madura is an Indonesian chicken noodle soup fragrant with turmeric, coriander, lemongrass, and makrut lime leaves.

Braises

If there is one dish that's synonymous with Indonesian cuisine, it’s rendang daging, or beef rendang. Rendang, a specialty of West Sumatra’s Minangkabau people, employs a cooking technique known as “marandang.”

Meat is simmered in coconut milk with bumbu rendang, lemongrass, galangal, and whole spices like cinnamon and cloves for four to five hours over a low flame. Moisture slowly evaporates during the slow-cooking, which results in a deeply flavorful dish that’s dry (in a good way!) and caramelized, thanks to the sugars from the coconut milk. For these reasons, rendang is a special dish (and a must during selamatan), serving as an expression of gratitude and respect toward guests.  

There are probably 150 types of rendang. While beef rendang is prevalent archipelago-wide, traditional Sumatran rendang is made with buffalo. Other variations include chicken, unripe jackfruit, and mushrooms. 

Another braise that is very popular with Indonesian home cooks is semur daging (beef stew). The word semur (also spelled smoor) comes from the Dutch word "smoren," which means “to braise.” 

Like European-style braises, semur involves slow-cooking meat for several hours until it falls apart. The difference is in the seasonings. Semur has been adapted to local palates with the use of bumbu bumbu and ingredients like kecap manis, salam leaves, coriander, and nutmeg. You can also choose to add coconut milk in a variation called semur santen. 

Funnily enough, many omas (grandmothers)—including my mother—still follow Dutch convention and use butter or margarine instead of oil to fry the bumbu for semur and other Dutch-influenced dishes like bistik (Indonesian beef steak) and kroket (croquettes).

Many ingredients besides beef can be made into semur. Chicken, mutton, beef tongue, eggs, tofu, and vegetables are all contenders. In fact, babi hong (red pork), an Indonesian adaptation of Chinese red-cooked pork, has all the characteristics of a semur, too. 

Beef Rendang (Indonesian Coconut Milk-Braised Beef)

This Indonesian dish of beef is slow cooked in coconut milk with turmeric, coriander, and other hallmark Southeast Asian aromatics, such as galangal, lemongrass, and ginger. The meat is succulent and meltingly tender, with a flavor that is redolent with fragrant makrut lime leaves and lemongrass.

On the Grill

Grilled foods abound in Indonesia, and are always cooked over an open fire. You’ll find ayam panggang (chicken pieces marinated with kecap manis and spices, then charcoal-grilled), ikan bakar (fish wrapped in banana leaves), and of course, sate. 

Although sate is widely eaten through Southeast Asia, many scholars believe Indonesia is its true birthplace. Like its forefather, the kebab, sate is prepared using small cuts of meat and was invented as a way to avoid waste.  

Sate is an ubiquitous street food in Indonesia, but I also have fond memories of eating sate ayam (chicken satay) at family barbecues when I was growing up in Singapore. It was my job to thread small chicken pieces onto pre-soaked bamboo sticks, then bathe them in a marinade of garlic, kecap manis, ground candlenuts, and lime leaf. My dad would grill the sate over glowing charcoal until gosong (burnt) in parts.

Chicken, beef, lamb, pork, and rabbit are all fair game for sate; the type of meat, the cuts used, and marinades vary according to region. Sate is served with sauce, usually sambal kacang or sambal kecap, lontong, sliced shallots, lime, and/or acar. 

Sate Ayam (Chicken Satay)

Sate—smoky, juicy, savory grilled meat on bamboo skewers—is one of Indonesia’s most beloved and recognizable dishes. Though the dish is enjoyed in other parts of Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, many scholars believe it originated on Madura, an Indonesian island off the Java coast. 

Vegetables and Soy Products

Vegetables aren’t a highlight in the Indonesian diet. The most common vegetables you’ll find in Indonesia are ferns (pakis), leaves from plants grown for their fruit and tubers—such as tapioca and papaya—and easy-to-grow kangkung (water spinach), cucumbers, and long beans. Vegetables like carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, and tomatoes are all Dutch imports. 

The simplest way to add vegetables to a meal—and my mother’s favorite—is to have lalapan, fresh local vegetables eaten with sambal. In Indonesia, the most common vegetables used in lalapan are cucumber, lettuce, kemangi (lemon basil), long beans, and tomatoes, but the selection will vary depending on the region. The vegetables are usually served raw, but sometimes they're blanched or grilled.

One of Indonesia’s most popular and well-known vegetable dishes outside the country is gado gado: boiled vegetables such as long beans, potatoes, and bean sprouts, combined with cucumbers, tofu, and hard cooked egg, topped with a savory peanut sauce. In fact, the term gado gado refers to a hodgepodge, an apt description of the medley of ingredients that make up the dish. There are also dishes similar to gado gado, such as pecel, a salad served with a spicier peanut sauce that's spiked with kencur (sand ginger) and makrut lime leaf; and Sundanese karedok, which uses raw vegetables instead of boiled. 

There are vegetable-focused soups and stews like sayur lodeh (coconut-based stew with long beans, chayote, eggplant, and/or tofu) and sayur asem (a vegetable soup infused with tangy tamarind and savory shrimp paste), but very often home cooks simply stir-fry whatever vegetables they have available. The words oseng oseng, tumis, and cah all refer to stir-fried or sautéed dishes, and have minor differences that I won’t get into here. Another method called orak arik (which literally means to scramble) usually refers to a stir-fried vegetable dish with scrambled egg.

Despite the popularity of dishes like beef rendang and soto ayam, meat is still a luxury for many people in Indonesia. Protein-rich soy products like tahu (tofu), tempe (fermented soybeancake), and oncom (a fermented product made from by-products like leftover soy or coconut pulp) are ubiquitous. Tahu is the same as Chinese tofu, but both tempe and oncom are Indonesian inventions. All three foods are often deep-fried, stir-fried, or added to stews.  

Gado Gado (Indonesian Salad With Peanut Sauce)

Loaded with fresh vegetables, boiled eggs, and fried tofu or tempeh, gado gado is a popular Indonesian dish fit for dinner parties and easy weeknight meals.