With the havoc that loss of our Internet connection caused earlier in the week, I have just now realized that I promised you a selection of Indonesian recipes before the disaster and have not come through! Rather than get into a whole involved post on this, I have decided to share some choice links…
A cavalcade of Indonesian street food carts: They line the streets
in every city or town in Indonesia. from Jakarta to Bali.
It’s how the people eat…
As a lover of Indonesian food, I thought I had ‘tasted it all’ after sampling a dozen or so different dishes which are regarded as iconic examples of their style and region: Beef Rendang. Nasi Goreng. Sate Padang. Ayam Bakar. Pecel Lele… I was lucky enough to have a real, authentic Indonesian restaurant in the town where I grew up.
In the back…
You had to know the town and the owners, and know that the name on the sign wasn’t exactly what you’d get when you went inside. You could drive right past the Dutch Kitchen and think it was a European joint with the usual food. But if you kept on walking after entering the front door and brushed through the beaded curtain over near the left hand side of the dining room, you’d enter a different world. The world of the former Dutch East Indies!
The original Dutch Kitchen and Tavern: In Port Credit, Ontario (c. 1965) on the main drag,
Lakeshore Road. Long gone now, the property is still a restaurant, but,
after several reincarnations and name changes, as far from
Indonesia as Jakarta is from Port Credit…
That was the Indonesian room, hidden away in the back where only those who really knew and appreciated Southeast Asian (SEA) food came for their fix. It was also where folks like me had their first experience with SEA food and culture, and got hooked for a lifetime.
So forgive me…
… If I can’t just sit down and list off my top 10 fave Indonesian foods. Here are some websites I’ve found that can act as a gateway to the universe of SEA food for you!
Migrationology.com: 50 top Ind0onesian dishes described in detail. Every Indonesian cook can make these from memory. You can too, with a little practice!
Jakarta: Travel Guide For Food Lovers: By the same talented author as the 50 Dishes website, above.
Top 100 Most Popular Indonesian Foods & Beverages: From Tasteatlas.com, which is proving a great reference (with rich links and background material) on various global cuisines.
Indonesian Street Foods: A selection by cultural anthropologist (specializing in food anthropology) who has lived and eaten her way across SEA over the past several decades.
Top 50 Indonesian Recipes: From a major online supplier of SEA foods and ingredients. Lots of info and details about their selection of the top 50 (out of thousands) of Indonesian dishes.
And there are hundreds more great, authentic websites celebrating Indonesian Food… Go for it! Use your ‘you’ time today to explore some of them and start making your list of which SEA dishes you’re going to try!
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Photo, top of page: Perhaps the best known Indonesian dish outside of Indonesia: Nasi Goreng. Literally ‘Fried Rice’, it is found everywhere Indonesian food is offered. And don’t forget the Fried Egg (usually a Duck Egg) which is the traditional crown and garnish for many Indonesian dishes!
~ Maggie J.