Being an archipelago has also fed the country’s diversity of cuisine, with marked differences across the primary population centres of Jakarta, which is the world’s second-most populated urban area after Tokyo, and Sumatra, to the country’s west. “While the Sumatran side of the island is strongly influenced by Middle Eastern and Indian cultures (therefore traditionally serving more curry and rice-based recipes), the Javanese side of the island is more authentic and indigenous, yet still has a twist of Chinese influence,” explains Maxime Jacques, owner of Asian5, an eatery that serves Indonesian, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and Singaporean street food. “Indonesia is also famous for cooking most of its dishes with sambal (hot and spicy chilli sauce with shrimp paste) sauce, giving it a real hot and spicy kick.”
While the Sumatran side of the island is strongly influenced by Middle Eastern and Indian cultures (therefore traditionally serving more curry and rice-based recipes), the Javanese side of the island is more authentic and indigenous, yet still has a twist of Chinese influence
For Isti Regnard, Founder of Betawi, an Indonesian dining spot with outlets in Karama and JLT, there are a number of things that set her country’s cuisine apart from the rest of the region. “Primarily ingredients. We use a larger variety of spices, similar to Indian food, though we get our spice from fresh chillies, unlike Indian food, which tends to use powdered chilli. Turmeric, another commonly used Indian food ingredient, is powdered as well. We use fresh turmeric. Basically, we use very traditional recipes containing spices and ingredients you can’t find anywhere else, such as candlenut and galangal, which you won’t find in other Asian food.”
Common grounds
Asep Suhendar, a senior chef at Dapoer Kita, another Karama Indonesian restaurant, adds, “The most commonly used spices and ingredients in Indonesian food are chilli, onion, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, turmeric, coconut milk, sweet soy sauce, candlenut and anchovy paste.”
The most commonly used spices and ingredients in Indonesian food are chilli, onion, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, turmeric, coconut milk, sweet soy sauce, candlenut and anchovy paste
Jacques explains, “There is definitely a shared spice and ingredient palate in Asian food, which results in a relatively small market list when it comes to proteins and vegetables. Our base list for the various cuisines includes ingredients such as chicken, tomatoes, celery, lemongrass, spring onions, chives, coriander, ginger and galangal. Unlike many other cuisines, Asian food is filled with delicious and nutritious vegetables, which we ensure are organic and local.
“The main similarity would be that in Asian cuisine, most dishes are served with a side of either noodles or rice, the main difference being how these sides are served, for example sticky or dry or the various types — jasmine or plain.”
When it comes to balancing Indonesian authenticity with local tastes, Regnard isn’t a fan of change. “We’ve had a lot of Western customers who weren’t used to eating heavily spiced dishes, but over time they were able to eat everything in the restaurant. If you want to make sure people like authentic food, you shouldn’t change anything. But spices? You can reduce these to make it more palatable for certain diners, but there are some spices you simply can’t remove, because they’re standard [crucial for retaining the flavour of a dish].”
spices? You can reduce these to make it more palatable for certain diners, but there are some spices you simply can’t remove, because they’re standard [crucial for retaining the flavour of a dish]
While she accepts certain diners will never be able to deal with even toned-down spices in her country’s cuisine, Regnard wants to change the perception that Indonesian food isn’t vegan-friendly. “When people see chicken in a dish, they assume it can’t be prepared in a vegan manner. For vegans, we give them tofu for sate dishes in place of chicken. All the curry we make is prepared separate to the meat. For nasi goreng, you can order it as vegetarian or vegan. I need to update the menu to make it clear that these dishes can be prepared vegan.”
When asked about Malaysian influence on Indonesian cuisine, Regnard doesn’t mince words: “They copied us!”
