Cook like a local: Indonesia

Today Indonesian food represents some of the most exciting but least-known culinary treasures of Asia. The heritage of diversity in ingredients, tastes and culture is evident in every region of this massive country, and every dish – a reflection of the national motto ‘bhinneka tunggal ika’ or ‘unity in diversity’.

The flavours of Sumatra, Java, Bali and some parts of Nusa Tenggara are bold, with layers of herbs and spices. Going further east to Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Maluku and Papua, the food relies less on spices and more on local natural ingredients. However, the chilli pepper is present wherever you go – it may not be indigenous but has become a national favourite in the form of sambal. Indonesians love sambal and have more than 100 varieties of it. Alongside the chilli, root spices – turmeric, ginger and galangal – are key ingredients, together with herbs including lemongrass, basil, makrut leaves and pandan leaves to make a paste or ‘bumbu’.

Jajan pasar, or ‘market snacks’, combine raw and cooked vegetables served with a spicy peanut sauce. There are curry dishes, including the famous beef rendang, satays of chicken, fish, beef and goat, barbecued fish and stir-fried dishes. Indonesia is also heaven for plant-based eaters – tempeh originated here and exotic vegetables and tropical fruits are everywhere.

Petty Pandean-Elliott's recipes

Recipes extracted from The Indonesian Table by Petty Pandean-Elliott (£24.95, Phaidon).

Indonesian sweetcorn fritters with chilli and tomato sambal

Served as a snack or as part of a meal, these sweet and crunchy fritters are absolutely irresistible. Best of all, they’re unbelievably simple to make. Traditionally, the fritters are made with fresh sweetcorn on the cob but you can substitute canned or frozen sweetcorn as long as you drain all the water.

Indonesian pork satay (sate babi rica-rica)

Rica-rica is a sambal from Manado, North Sulawesi. The name translates to ‘chilli’ in the local dialect and, to be expected, this condiment has fiery intensity. The spiciness is also attributed to the red ginger, distinctively coloured, local to Manado and smaller than your typical ginger. For this recipe, I have reduced the number of bird’s-eye chillies but you can add as many as 20 if you’re feeling adventurous. You can also try this dish using prawns, chicken or fish fillets.

Indonesian tuna (gohu ikan) in spicy and tangy citrus

The Manado word gohu translates to ‘pickled’ in specific dishes such as gohu papaya, where ripe papaya is pickled for at least 24 hours. But in this case it is used to describe a quick, spicy and tangy marination of tuna. I first learned of this dish on a visit to a fishing village near Likupang, a hot Indonesian tourist destination in my hometown of Manado. As the story goes, local fishermen would go out to sea with pouches of fresh chillies, shallots, calamansi and salt. When hunger struck, a few freshly caught fish were filleted on the spot and combined with the ingredients in the small bags. Quality is paramount, so you must use high-quality fish. Ask a trusted fish supplier for sashimi-grade tuna.

Lara Lee's guide to Indonesian cuisine

Lara Lee is an Indonesian-Australian chef, caterer and food writer. Her debut cookbook Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from My Indonesian Kitchen (£26, Bloomsbury) is out now.

It is the fragrance of Indonesia that hits first: the citrus perfume of lemongrass, the peppery heat of ginger and galangal, and the caramelised sweetness of shallots that weaves through the air at the local night markets. Burning coconut husks fuel fires that grill the skewered meats and seafood, which are glazed with spices and a fermented sweet soy sauce named kecap manis, producing aromas of earth and smoky caramel.

Spice pastes, known as bumbu, are flavoured with garlic, chillies, lime leaf and turmeric, and then sautéed in woks with coconut oil until it splits from the paste, a signal to progress to its next stage of cooking to be transformed into fried rice, soups, noodles or curries.

Indonesian cuisine is as diverse as its 17,500 islands and each region celebrates distinct local flavours, influenced by its landscape, migration and the country’s rich history. Nationally loved dishes, such as the fragrant chicken soup soto, have hundreds of regional variations and countless unofficial ones, as home cooks commit recipes to memory, using instinct rather than measurements to cook.

Feasts across the archipelago are sensory experiences, with varying textures and crunch, and a melody of sweet, sour, bitterness, heat and piquancy. Indonesians take great pleasure in variety, so a selection of vegetables, tempeh and tofu, fried snacks, fish and meat adorn the table, framed by generous helpings of rice and at least one or two sambals – a spicy condiment that Indonesians cannot live without.

Lara Lee's recipes

Nasi goreng ayam

This chicken fried rice is a classic Indonesian dish, with heat coming from galangal and white pepper, and a touch of sweetness from the kecap manis.

Indonesian pandan, raspberry and white chocolate blondies

Pandan and raspberries give a colourful and festive edge to these blondies, while the tartness offsets the sweet white chocolate perfectly.

What to eat in Indonesia

Bakso

Bouncy, spiced meatballs served in a flavourful beef and noodle broth, seasoned with kecap manis, vinegar and sambal.

Ikan bakar

Seaside restaurants and markets serving seafood are ubiquitous in Indonesia. Here you’ll find ikan bakar, a marinated fish barbecued in banana leaves and served with fiery sambal.

Pisang goreng

Creamy chunks of ripe bananas and plantain melt in the mouth in this deep-fried snack. My favourite version uses palm sugar and honey, producing a caramelised fritter that is crisp and heavenly to eat.

Rempeyek

Eaten with most meals, kerupuk is a cracker with hundreds of varieties across Indonesia. Rempeyek (peanut and lime kerupuk) is gluten-free and made with rice flour, ginger, garlic, coriander and fragrant lime leaf.

Gado-gado

A salad of cooked and raw vegetables, gado-gado is dressed in a spicy peanut sauce flavoured with tamarind and kecap manis. Served with boiled eggs, tofu and tempeh, it is a hearty dish that is loved by Indonesians everywhere.

Find recipes for the above dishes in Lara's cookbook, Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from My Indonesian Kitchen (£26, Bloomsbury). Photography by Louise Hagger and Lara Lee.