Despite the short distance between Malaysia and Indonesia, both countries have a different range of food with distinct flavours. Though some may contain similar elements, its taste is completely different.
Since we live in an era where everything trendy is a must try, here are 5 trendiest food you should try when you go visit Indonesia.
1. Ayam Geprek
‘Geprek’ means smashed in Indonesia and from the way it looks, you may think that Ayam Geprek is the same as Ayam Penyet, but that is not the case.
Originally from Yogyakarta, Java, Ayam Geprek is actually chicken that is fried with flour until crispy and smashed together with chili using pestle and mortar.
The interesting part of this dish is that you can actually choose the level of the spiciness that you want. Some places even offer up to level 10!
Warning: Level 10 might be too spicy for a lot of people, so be careful!
Some places also offer ‘Ayam Geprek with Mozzarella Cheese.’ This is different from the original, because they use chicken fillet and add mozzarella cheese creating Indonesian-Western food fusion.
2. Sate Taichan
There’s story behind the creation of Sate Taichan involves a couple, a Japanese man and an Indonesian woman. The man was at a store buying sate one day when he decided that wanted to make his own with only chicken, salt, lime and sambal.
When the seller asked him what satay do you called that, he said ‘Taichan.’ Sate Taichan is very different from any other satay. It is white in color because it does not use the peanut sauce or any soy sauce. This is a very simple satay since the only seasoning that they use is salt, lime and sambal.
3. Sambal Matah
Sambal Matah is well-known in Bali, but has become a nationwide favourite because it tastes so good. Sambal Matah is consist of bird’s-eye chillies, shallots, garlic, oil, kaffir lime leaves and shrimp paste.
This is the most basic sambal that can compliment any main items such as chicken and fish. The overall taste is spicy and sour yet refreshing. Most sambal in Indonesia or Malaysia is red in color and has a thick consistency, however, this sambal is more like a salsa.
4. Banana Nugget
A nugget shaped banana, the trendiest dessert in Indonesia right now!
This dessert is originally from Makassar. Similar to banana fritters, however, the difference is that they use breadcrumb to coat the mashed banana before they deep fried it, so it has more crunchy texture.
What makes it so good is that people use different kind of toppings on top such as Nutella, green tea, cheese, milo and even tiramisu. People go crazy for this dessert because it is cheap and convenient to eat because its small in size and have varieties of toppings to choose.
5. Bola Ubi
Bola ubi may not be a new creation but it has started to rise in demand this past year.
The main ingredients are only sweet potato, tapioca flour and powdered sugar for dusting. There is no filling needed because it is sweet enough.
Despite the recipe is using minimal ingredients, this dessert is not easy to make because the oil temperature and time of cooking need to be perfect, or else it will not have a crispy and chewy texture.
Don’t they all look absolutely mouth watering?