I think I could eat these for dinner every night! Seriously. When it comes to Indonesian food, the flavors are just SO GOOD.
We’re talking rich, fragrant, and loaded with so much goodness. Some ingredients might be new to you, but that’s part of the fun! It’s a choose-your-own-adventure in the kitchen, and you can almost always find a great swap at your local grocery store.
I have made some of these so many times I can’t even count. They are just that delicious. I hope you love it!
1. Bakwan Sayur (Vegetable Fritter)
These fritters are street food perfection! They are sweet, crunchy, and stupidly easy to make at home. The mix of carrot, cabbage, and scallions is just so good, with a bit of crunch and sweetness in every bite.
My secret for getting that crispity, crackly golden exterior is using rice flour in the batter and making sure the batter stays cold. Everybody wins!
2. Indonesian Fried Bananas
Whoa. We Love These. If you thought regular fried bananas were good, just wait. Covering them in desiccated coconut gives them this amazing flavor and a super satisfying crunch.
I make these for a fast dessert, and they are utterly delightful. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is not required, but man, we hope so.
3. Easy Sambal Balado (Indonesian Sambal Chili Sauce)
If you love things with a bit of heat, you have to try this. I am obsessed. THE FLAVOR is just not going to let you down.
It’s pleasantly sharp and you can totally control how much heat you want, which is way better than the jarred sauces. It comes together with just a handful of ingredients, and if you use a food processor, it’s practically mindless in the best possible way.
The number of times I have made these in the last few weeks is… a lot.
4. Tahu Gejrot Cirebon (Fried Tofu in Chili Soy Sauce)
This crispy, craggly 15-minute tofu is honestly blowing my mind. The TEXTURE! I can’t even believe you can get this kind of delightful crisp and ruggedy crunch with such low effort and energy.
The firm tofu is an absolutely elite canvas for sauces like the chili soy sauce here, which gets into every nook and cranny. I honestly like just eating these straight off the pan.
5. Gudeg Jogja (Yogyakarta Jackfruit Stew)
Okay, I get it if you’re a little unsure about jackfruit. But whether you’re going vegetarian or just want something new, this is the one to try.
Most of the ingredients are easy to find, but if you can’t get your hands on something like candlenuts or galangal, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure!
You can easily swap in macadamia nuts or just use ginger. It’s hard to go wrong here, and the flavor is on point.
6. Gado Gado (Indonesian Salad with Peanut Sauce)
Let’s talk about this peanut sauce! Whoa. It’s one of those sauces that is spicy, sweet, tangy, and so delicious. I fell in love with peanut sauce on a trip and now it’s a house favorite.
This dish is loaded with veggies and crispy fried tofu, and that amazing sauce just clings to every single nook, cranny, and crevice. You’ll find yourself standing over the bowl and licking your fingers. Very demure, very mindful.
7. Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
I could eat this fried rice at every meal, a hundred different ways. It’s one of those ridiculously good recipes that I can make for a WFH lunch or a super fast dinner. The main goal here is TEXTURE.
For that perfect texture, you absolutely have to use rice that has cooled down, preferably from the day before. Fresh rice just turns into a sticky situation, and nobody wants that.
This recipe is also a great canvas for whatever you have in the fridge. Go ahead and throw in some chicken, tofu, or shrimp. Life is good.
8. Indonesian Coconut Turmeric Rice with Cashews
Can we agree that rice should never be boring? It deserves to be just as flavorful as everything else on the plate! And it’s stupidly easy to make that happen.
Giving your rice a good rinse is the first step, but cooking it in coconut milk? Game over. The flavor is just so luscious and amazing. You deserve to feel good, so give yourself an extra scoop and let all that luscious flavor absorb into the rice. YUM!
9. Indonesian Spiced Rice
This isn’t just any rice. You start it like a risotto, softening the onions and toasting the rice and spices before adding any liquid.
The smell when the garlic and chilies light up as soon as they hit the warm pan? Are you feeling this?? It’s almost as good as eating it.
For some extra luscious creaminess, try swapping some of the chicken stock for coconut milk. DANG. So good.
10. Lontong Sayur Medan (Rice Cakes with Vegetables)
I love a shortcut dinner hack! While traditionally these rice cakes are made by rolling rice in banana leaves, there’s an easier way.
The good news is, you can use a glass baking dish. Just cook your rice in a rice cooker or Instant Pot, press it into the dish, and you’re good to go. It’s one of those things that makes me feel like I have my life together.
11. Easy Chicken Rice Congee / Porridge (Bubur Ayam)
This is just super easy comfort food. It’s a simple dish, but so satisfying and absolutely mindless in the best possible way. There are no fancy tricks here, just chicken, rice, and broth.
Just a quick textural note, for leftovers, it gets stickier the longer it rests, so you may just need to add a little water to loosen everything up and get back their silkiness.
12. Bubur Manado Tinutuan (Manadonese Porridge)
I usually love my morning porridge with sweet things, but this savory version has me so excited. It’s filled with sweet potatoes, pumpkin, corn, and spinach, making it so nutritious and filling. It’s definitely going to wake up the table!
I’ll admit, the garnish of salt fish was a bit much for me in the morning, but when I had the leftovers for lunch, it was just perfect.
13. Speedy Indomie Mi Goreng Noodles
A spicy, peanutty, noodley bit of super easy comfort food coming your way! Instant noodles are life, and these are a spicy upgrade from the usual. The magic is in the flavoring.
Since the real deal can be tricky to find, you can make your own sauce. Then you can jazz it up with piles of fresh herbs, veggies, and a fried egg on top.
Please report back on how often you are making these so we can feel totally normal and non-obsessive about how often we’re making these, ok?
14. Soto Ayam (Chicken Soup)
I love a thick, creamy soup, but sometimes I just want a brothy soup with lots of amazing flavors and textures. This is that soup.
It’s like a cozy curry meets a show-stopping marry me chicken. Except it’s stupidly easy. It’s loaded with juicy chicken and tender veggies, and it’s so filling and delicious. This one goes in my forever files!
15. Indonesian Chicken Curry
Can I have this for dinner every night? Because I think I really could. This curry is so rich and fragrant.
The ingredient list might look a little long, but I bet you have a lot of them already. And once you see how easy it is to make your own curry paste from scratch, you’ll feel like you really have your life together. It’s so worth it for THE FLAVOR.
16. Rawon (Indonesian Dark Beef Soup)
I don’t normally consider myself a beef person, but this soup is something else. It has this incredibly rich and warming flavor that is so comforting.
There is one ingredient, buah keluak, that gives it that unique dark color, but it can be hard to find. A little bit of black truffle is the closest thing if you can’t get it. I love to serve this with a big scoop of fluffy rice and some fresh bean sprouts for crunch.
17. Sayur Asem (Vegetables in Tamarind Soup)
The flavors in this soup will knock your socks off. It’s loaded with veggies and has this sweet and tart thing going on from the tamarind, plus a nice bit of heat.
This is one of those all-in-one meals; the veg is there, the protein is there, the flavor is there! Don’t skip the shrimp paste, you can find it online and it really makes all the difference.
18. Wedang Ronde (Glutinous Rice Balls in Ginger Syrup)
Okay, here’s a pro tip for this one. You have to get glutinous rice flour, the one with the green writing on the bag. It’s different from regular rice flour and gives you these delightfully chewy, carby, textured little bits.
The dough will feel sticky, but trust the process. It becomes perfectly smooth. And the zippy, fresh ginger syrup is just… mic drop.
19. Es-Teler (Indonesian fruit cocktail)
This fruit cocktail is so refreshing! The flavor comes from pandan leaves, which you can usually find at an Asian grocery store, or you can just get the extract online. It has this grassy, vanilla-like flavor that is so good. Hello! So good.
If you can’t find jackfruit, just swap in some mango. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure, and it’s utterly delightful either way.
20. Kopi Lethok (Coffee and Coconut Milk)
I’m not the type of person to usually go for coconut milk in my coffee. And yet, here I am. It’s a really great vegan option if you’re looking for something creamy and inexpensive.
For a little something extra, you can warm it up with a bit of cinnamon or vanilla. It’s surprisingly delicious.