Indonesian Recipes with Sweet, Spicy and Savoury Notes
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Indonesian Recipes with Sweet, Spicy and Savoury Notes

Sweet, salty, sour and spicy notes meet in richly seasoned Indonesian food. Try well-known dishes such as nasi goreng, gado-gado, satay and soto, with guidance on the sauces and aromatics that define them.

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Open banana leaf with Indonesian pepe ikan, mackerel, spice paste, tomatoes and basil
1 hr 45 min Indonesian

Pepes Ikan in banana leaves

For Pepes Ikan, mackerel is steamed in banana leaves with an aromatic paste of shallots, chilli, turmeric, ginger and kemiri nuts and grilled briefly.

Javanese opor ayam with chicken pieces in yellow coconut milk sauce, lime leaves and roasted shallots
1 hr 20 min Indonesian

Opor Ayam in coconut milk

Opor Ayam is a mild Javanese chicken dish in coconut milk with kemire nuts, coriander, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves.

Open banana leaf with Balinese ayam betutu, spicy paste, lime and steamed rice
6 hr 45 min Indonesian

Ayam Betutu from Bali

Ayam Betutu is Balinese chicken with a strong spice paste of shallots, chilli, turmeric, ginger, galangal, lemongrass and kemiri nuts.

Crispy fried Martobacco Telur with beef and spring onions cut into small squares
3 hr 30 min Indonesian

Martabak Telur with beef

Martabak Telur is a crispy fried Indonesian dough with a juicy filling of eggs, spiced ground beef and lots of spring onions.

Sate Padang with grilled beef skewers, thick yellow spice sauce, rice cake and roasted shallots
2 hr 25 min Indonesian

Sate Padang with spicy sauce

Sate Padang is a spicy, pre-cooked beef grilled over a high heat and served with a thick yellow sauce made from broth and rice flour.

Ketoprak from Jakarta with tofu, rice noodles, sprouts, cucumber, rice cake and peanut sauce
50 min Indonesian

Ketoprak from Jakarta

Ketoprak combines rice noodles, fried tofu, mung bean sprouts, cucumber and rice cake with a freshly stirred peanut sauce and Kecap Manis.

Sliced Pempek Palembang with dark cuko sauce, cucumber cubes and rice noodles
2 hr 5 min Indonesian

Pempek Palembang with Cuko

Pempek are springy fish cakes made of palembang, shaped with tapioca starch, poached, fried until golden brown and served with sweet and sour cuko sauce.

Indonesian gudeg with brown braised young jackfruit, eggs, coconut sauce and steamed rice
3 hr 25 min Indonesian

Gudeg with young jackfruit

Gudeg from Yogyakarta stews young jackfruit slowly with coconut milk, palm sugar, kemire nuts, galangal and Indonesian bay leaves.

Indonesian black Rawon beef soup with mung bean sprouts, egg, lime and roasted onions
2 hr 40 min Indonesian

Rawon - black beef soup

Rawon is an East Javanese beef soup with black keluak, lemongrass, galangale, kaffir lime leaves and roasted spice paste.

Sambal Udang with shrimp in red chilli sauce, lime and rice
35 min Indonesian

Sambal Udang

Sambal Udang combines shrimp with a hot sambal sauce of shallots, garlic, chilli, tomato, kecap manis and lime. Shrimp cook only briefly.

Tempeh Goreng with crispy tempeh, sambal, cucumber and rice
40 min Indonesian

Tempeh Goreng

Tempeh Goreng is a crispy fried tempeh, which is marinated with garlic, coriander, turmeric and salt. It should remain golden brown on the outside and nutty on the inside.

Ayam Goreng with golden chicken, sambal, cucumber and rice
1 hr 10 min Indonesian

Ayam Goreng

Ayam Goreng is first pre-cooked in a spice broth with turmeric, coriander, garlic, galangal and lemongrass and then fried until crispy.

Bakso soup with beef balls, noodles, pak choi, spring onions and sambal
1 hr Indonesian

Bakso

Bakso is an Indonesian meatball soup with elastic beef balls, clear broth, noodles, pak choi, spring onions and sambal.

Soto Ayam with chicken, glass noodles, egg, sprouts, roasted onions and lime
1 hr 10 min Indonesian

Soto Ayam

Soto Ayam is an Indonesian chicken soup with turmeric, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, glass noodles, egg, sprouts and lime.

Rendang with tender beef, dark coconut sauce, rice and herbs
3 hr 30 min Indonesian

Rendang

Rendang is a slow-braised beef dish with coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, chilli and spice paste. The sauce reduces until it is dark and concentrated.

Gado-Gado with vegetables, potatoes, egg, tofu, cucumber and peanut sauce
45 min Indonesian

Gado-Gado

Gado-Gado is an Indonesian vegetable dish with potatoes, beans, sprouts, cucumber, egg, tofu or tempeh and warm peanut sauce.

Satay Ayam chicken skewers with peanut sauce, cucumber and lime
1 hr 15 min Indonesian

Satay Ayam

Satay ayam are Indonesian chicken skewers with spicy marinade and creamy peanut sauce. Chicken leg meat remains particularly juicy on the grill or pan.

Mie Goreng with fried noodles, vegetables, egg, Kecap Manis and spring onions
35 min Indonesian

Mie Goreng

Mie Goreng are Indonesian fried noodles with vegetables, egg, kecap manis, soy sauce and sambal. The noodles are pre-cooked and then fried in a wok.

Nasi Goreng with fried rice, Kecap Manis, fried egg, cucumber and fried onion
30 min Indonesian

Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng works best with chilled rice from the previous day, kecap manis, sambal, egg and briefly fried vegetables. The rice should remain loose and not steam in a wok.

Guide

Indonesian Recipes Sweet, Spicy and Fresh

Indonesian cuisine likes to work with rice, sambal, kecap manis, coconut, peanut, lime and fried components. Many dishes work particularly well when sweetness, pungency and acidity are thought of at the same time.

Fried rice, satay, soto or gado-gado need different textures: something warm, something crunchy, a sauce and fresh herbs or cucumber to balance it out.

Putting aroma right

  • Prepare rice: For fried rice dishes, chilled rice is usually better than fresh.
  • Sambal: heat rather gradually work in.
  • Freshness complement: Cucumber, lime, herbs or sprouts give lightness.

So Indonesian recipes remain strong, but not heavy.

Important ingredients of Indonesian cuisine

Kecap Manis is a thick, sweet soy sauce and cannot be directly substituted with light soy sauce. If it is missing, soy sauce can be mixed with a little brown sugar. Sambal brings chilli, acid, garlic or fermented flavours depending on the variety and should be dosed gradually.

Tempeh, tofu, eggs, chicken or shrimp are often mixed with Rice dishes, vegetables and a strong sauce. Peanut sauce goes well with satay and gado-gado, but should be set with warm water, lime or tamarind to keep it pourable.

Prepare Indonesian components

  • Rice: Cook early and allow to cool completely for Nasi Goreng.
  • Sauces: Keep sambal and peanut sauce separate and only dose when serving.
  • Crispy: Store roasted onions, Krupuk or peanuts dry and add at last.

This way, the individual textures are preserved and everyone can adjust sweetness and spiciness at the table.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Indonesian Recipes recipes

Kecap Manis is a thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce. It is used to flavour Nasi Goreng and marinades, among other things. Normal soy sauce is saltier and thinner and therefore not a direct one-to-one substitute.

This varies widely. Sambal can be served separately or stirred gradually, so that dishes remain aromatic, while everyone can adjust the pungency themselves.

Steamed rice goes well with curries, satay, rendang, sambal dishes and vegetables. Cucumber, sprouts, lime, herbs or a fresh salad set a good counterpart to strong sauces.