Many traditional kitchens have a wok, gas stove and rice cooker. As in many parts of tropical Southeast Asia, an oven is the least widely used cooking appliance, meaning baked or roasted ingredients are not commonplace. Banana leaves are often used to steam ingredients.

Indonesian traditional meals usually consists of steamed rice as staple, surrounded by vegetables and soup and meat or fish side dishes. In a typical family meal, the family members gather around the table filled with steamed rice and several other dishes. [1] Each dish is placed in a separate communal large plate or in bowls. Each of these dishes has its own serving spoons, used only to take parts of the dishes from the communal plate into one's own personal plate. Each of the family members has their own personal plate that is first filled with steamed rice. Usually the oldest family member or the husband has the right to initiate the meal, [22] followed by the rest of the family to help themselves with the dishes. Each of them take some portion of dishes from the communal plates into their own individual plates. Feasts are sensory experiences, with varying textures and crunch and a melody of sweet, sour, bitterness, heat and piquancy. Andreas D. Arditya (14 April 2013). "A taste for spirits". The Jakarta Post . Retrieved 22 June 2017.The good news is that many of the above Indonesian dishes are customisable to meet the majority of dietary requirements. However, if you are travelling with an allergy, do be mindful of ingredients such as peanuts or soy as they may be present in cooking oil or within condiments. Look out for nuts if you have an allergy. Today, some popular dishes that originated in Indonesia are now common to neighbouring countries, Malaysia and Singapore. Indonesian dishes such as satay, beef rendang, and sambal are favoured in Malaysia and Singapore. Soy-based dishes, such as variations of tofu and tempeh, are also very popular. Tempeh is regarded as a Javanese invention, a local adaptation of soy-based food fermentation and production. Another fermented food is oncom, similar in some ways to tempeh but using a variety of bases (not only soy), created by different fungi, and particularly popular in West Java. There are two main types of palm sugar in Indonesia: palm sugar from the arenga palm tree and coconut palm sugar from the coconut tree. The Maluku Islands' cuisine is rich with seafood, while the native Papuan food usually consists of roasted boar with tubers such as sweet potato and taro. Various types of ikan bakar (grilled fish) or seafood are eaten with spicy colo-colo condiment. The staple food of Maluku and Papua is sago, either as a pancake or sago congee called papeda, usually eaten with yellow soup made from tuna, red snapper or other fishes spiced with turmeric, lime, and other spices.

It is truly remarkable for a talented chef to also be a sensational storyteller … Petty takes you on a journey across the archipelago, through her food and her life.’– Julien Royer, Chef-owner of Odette Restaurant If you are sitting down for a meal with other people (depending on the occasion), there are a few practices to observe. For example, if the dishes are presented on the table, you shouldn’t reach over and bring the entire plate towards you. Instead, you should use the serving spoon to place food on your plate or ask someone else to pass it to you.The cuisines of Eastern Indonesia are similar to Polynesian and Melanesian cuisine. Elements of Chinese cuisine can be seen in Indonesian cuisine: foods such as noodles, meat balls, and spring rolls have been completely assimilated. Because of their proximity, historic migrations and close cultural kinship, Indonesian cuisine also has influenced neighbouring cooking traditions; most notably Malaysian cuisine. Indonesian influence is pervasive in the central state of Negeri Sembilan, which was settled largely by Minangkabau people hailing from West Sumatra and is, thus, reflected in their culture, history and cuisine. [52] Minangkabau cuisine influences is profound in Malay cooking tradition, as the result both traditions share same dishes; including rendang, gulai, asam pedas and tempoyak. Rendang is a typical example that has been well-integrated into mainstream Malaysian cuisine and is now considered their own, and popular especially during Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. In the early 20th century, there are large influx of Sumatrans to Kuala Lumpur and other parts of Malaysia heartland, that led to the popularity of Nasi Padang (originated from Padang city, West Sumatra) not only in Malaysia, but also in Singapore. [53] Rice production in Indonesian history is linked to the development of iron tools and the domestication of wild Asian water buffalo as water buffalo for cultivation of fields and manure for fertiliser. Rice production requires exposure to the sun. Once covered in dense forest, much of the Indonesian landscape has been gradually cleared for permanent fields and settlements as rice cultivation developed over the last fifteen hundred years. [24] Wheat [ edit ] Mie goreng (fried noodle), a wheat-based Chinese dish completely assimilated into Indonesian mainstream cuisine.

Main article: Rice production in Indonesia Using water buffalo to plough rice fields in Java; rice is a staple for all classes in contemporary; Indonesia is the world's third largest paddy rice producer and its cultivation has transformed much of Indonesia's landscape. In Indonesia rumah makan means restaurant, while warung means small and humble shop. [1] From these eating establishments, a warteg ( warung Tegal) and rumah makan Padang are particularly notable for their ubiquitousness in Indonesian cities and towns.

10. Ikan Goreng (deep fried fish)

Kay, Enze. "The History Of Satay Bee Hoon, And Why It's A Fading Hawker Dish In Singapore". eatbook.sg . Retrieved 26 April 2023. Terungkap, Asal Mula Menu Lalapan | Dream.co.id". Dream.co.id (in Indonesian) . Retrieved 23 December 2017.

Maluku and Papua [ edit ] Maluku dishes, ikan kuah kuning ( fish in a yellow soup), papeda, ikan bakar, and sambal colo-colo.In the 15th century Sundanese manuscript Sanghyang Siksa Kandang Karesian, it was mentioned the common Sundanese food flavours of that times which includes; lawana (salty), kaduka (hot and spicy), tritka (bitter), amba (sour), kasaya (savoury), and madura (sweet). [20] Chinese immigrants has settled in Indonesian archipelago as early as Majapahit period circa 15th century CE, and accelerated during Dutch colonial period. The Chinese settlers introduced stir-frying technique that required the use of Chinese wok and small amount of cooking oil. [18] They also introduced some new Chinese cuisine—including soy sauce, [ii] noodles and soybean processing technique to make tofu. Subsequently, soybean processing led to the possibly accidental discovery of tempeh (fermented soybean cake). The earliest known reference to tempeh appeared in 1815 in the Javanese manuscript of Serat Centhini. [21] Rambutan: Java island is the central location for Rambutan, where you will find this hairy looking fruit in abundance. Rambutan has a sweet fruit inside which is similar to a lychee. Some Like It Hot! Bali Safari and Marine Park Holds Its 3rd Chili Festival". Bali Discovery Tours. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012 . Retrieved 23 February 2018.