Indonesia: Must Try Foods you Need to Know

~Ode to Gudeg~

Holy mierdaaa I dream about Gudeg at night
fin

Indonesia had one of the best dishes I have had in Southeast Asia and was a unique change to many cuisines I have had on my trip so far. Here are some of the highlights:

Gudeg

The best thing I have eaten on my trip so far. Gudeg is Javanese food (most commonly found in Jogjakarta) and is made from unripe jack fruit and then stewed for several hours with coconut milk and palm sugar. This stuff was bomb, plus it was super cheap. Do not miss this on your trip.

Nasi Goreng

The first meal I had in Indonesia. Literal meaning is ‘fried rice’ and it was something I ate all the time during my month in the country.

Gado-Gado

Gado-Gado is an Indonesian salad of vegetables, eggs, potato, tofu, and tempeh. It is served with a delicious peanut sauce dressing. Even though this is a salad it still felt quite heavy!

Nasi Campur/Padang

Nasi Campur and the below, Nasi Padang, are similar dishes. Both have a serving of rice surrounded by various goodies in the form of veggies and meats. Nasi Padang has a specifically spiced rice that differentiates it. Both are great because you get to try lots of little bite-sized flavor servings. Also, note the satay (meat skewers) on the Campur – a super common street food snack!

The Liquor Issue

I didn’t realize this before coming but alcohol is extremely hard to get and expensive in Indonesia (not as hard to get in Bali because they are Hindu). This is partly due to a lot of Indonesians not drinking for religious purposes. The government is also very strict about selling alcohol. You can only buy it in a few rare places and the prices are not that different than in the states. It is also very expensive to drink anything besides the local beer, Bintang, because the import tax on alcohol is outrageous. For example, I bought a bottle of soju so my brother could try it….EIGHT DOLLARS. That stuff is less than two bucks other places. My brother drinks a lot so he spent a pretty penny on alcohol while he was here. Should have gone to Vietnam, fifty cent beers in the street on Hanoi.

Still dreaming of Gudeg a few months later…

T