Being Indonesian, I love Indonesian foods and being a country of so many tribes and islands, you bet there are plenty of  different kinds of food here that Anthony Bourdain from No Reservations did an episode  in Jakarta and Bali. Andrew Zimmerman was here too but my favorite gotta be Anthony Bourdain – he’s just so cool like that.

With no particular order, here are my Top 10 Favorite Indonesian Cuisine

1. Mie Ti Ti (Makassar Fried Noodle) : This is a traditional fried noodle from Makassar – the place where I was born – What makes the noddle so special is the way they fried the noodle first it is super crunchy and crispy. Then you pour the vegetable mix on top of it, mix it and enjoy!

2. Nasi Campur Kenanga (Kenanga Mixed Rice): This pork laden feast is just heaven! The rice is cooked Hainan style so it does have a Chinese influence. Losely translated Nasi Campur means Mixed Rice. I had a really bad craving for this when I was pregnant but failed to make it because I can’t track down the recipe.

3. Sate Lilit (Wrapped Satay): This is a Balinese cuisine. Made out of minced fish (or fish paste) and shrimps also other ingredients then usually wrapped around a lemon grass to be grilled to perfection (usually by a charcoal grill) or you can use regular sticks. Recipe from my friend, Dhi can be found here.

4. Coto Makassar (Makassar Stew): This is another signature dish of Makassar. Traditionally it will include beef and some cow’s intestine parts – which I had avoid due to its cholesterol levels – and opted for the meat only. Eaten with ketupat (rice cakes), it really is delicious despite the intestine parts.

5. Seafoods: This is also famous because there are so many different kind of seafood cuisine from grilled fish to grilled shrimps in Indonesia. My favorite is anything that is charcoal grilled!

6. Rendang (Slow cooked spicy beef): Originated from Padang, Sumatra, this is a signature dish. It takes forever to cook and weirdly enough, the longer it is kept (in the fridge) the better they taste – after of course you reheated it. They almost looks like a beef curry.

7. Lontong Sayur (Vegetables in Coconut Milk with Rice Cake): Usually served as breakfast, this is quite a wholesome meal that’s delicious. It consist of tofu, chayotes, young jack-fruits, sometimes tempe cooked in coconut milk and served with cut up rice cakes.

8. Nasi Uduk (Scented Coconut Rice): This rice smells so fragrant and you eat it fried chickens, eggs, tempe and tofu or just about anything you wants with really.

9. Ayam Rica-Rica (Manadonese Spicy Chicken): This one is my husband’s favorite really. Coming from Manado, this cuisine is not only delicious but the spicy-ness will keeps you wanting more.

10. Tempe: I love tempe! Tempe is made from fermented soybeans and here in Indonesia, there are so many kinds varieties on how to cook them. From deep crispy fried to spicy chili loaded ones. Pepy have a recipe for the same picture below.

Curious to see Anthony Bourdain’s visit to Indonesia? I found the videos on Youtube and here’s one of them:

PS: Thanks Pepy from Indonesia Eat for allowing me to link to her recipe blog. Seriously check out her blog – I dare you not to drool

Thanks Dhi from Cooking Etcetera for her recipe and fantastic picture as well! Besides an awesome cook, a mad talent on photography, she’s also a web designer! She did my first blog design which I love so much I still use the Tatter Scoop header she created last year.