Indonesian food: a guide to the dishes worth travelling for

Ask an Indonesian what their national dish is and you will get a regional answer. Rendang belongs to the Minangkabau, soto to East Java, coto to Makassar, papeda to Maluku and Papua. What holds the cuisine together is a set of habits: rice at every meal, sambal on the side, coconut milk in the sauce and a genius for turning cheap ingredients into something complex.

For visitors, the pleasure is in following those regional lines. A warung in Padang, a night market in Yogyakarta and a family kitchen in Flores produce completely different food, and all of it is Indonesian. This guide covers the dishes you will meet everywhere and the ones worth a detour, with notes on how to order and what to pay.

Rice, sambal and the shape of a meal

Rice is the centre of the plate, and the word for eating, makan, is often used to mean eating rice specifically. Around it sit a protein, vegetables, a sauce and sambal. In a Padang restaurant the dishes arrive as small plates stacked on the table, and you pay for whatever you touch.

Sambal is the other constant. There are hundreds of versions, from the raw chilli and tomato sambal of Bali to the fierce terasi-based sambal of Lombok, and it is usually served separately so you can control the heat. Ask for sambal on the side, and taste before adding.

• Rice as the base of every meal
• Sambal as a condiment, not a sauce
• Coconut milk for richness
• Tempeh and tofu as everyday protein

The dishes you will meet everywhere

Nasi goreng, satay, soto and bakso are sold from carts, warungs and restaurants across the country. Each has regional variations: nasi goreng can be sweet with kecap or spicy with chilli, satay can be chicken, beef or lamb with peanut or soy sauce, and soto changes its broth from island to island.

These are the dishes to start with, and they are also the cheapest. A plate of nasi goreng from a street cart costs around IDR 15,000 to 30,000, a bowl of bakso similar, and a serving of satay is priced per stick. They are safe, familiar and a good way into the cuisine.

Regional kitchens worth travelling for

West Sumatra gives rendang, a dry coconut beef curry that is arguably the country’s most famous export. Makassar gives coto, a rich beef and peanut soup eaten with ketupat. Bali gives babi guling and betutu, both built around pork and a dense spice paste called base genep.

Central Java has the sweet, soy-heavy cooking of Yogyakarta, with gudeg and ayam goreng. East Java has rawon, a black beef soup made with keluak nuts, and the fiery soto of Surabaya. Papua and Maluku have papeda, a sago porridge eaten with fish in yellow broth.

How to order and where to eat

Warungs are the small family restaurants that feed most of the country, with a few dishes, plastic chairs and very low prices. Restaurants are more comfortable and more expensive. Street carts are the cheapest and often the best, especially for satay, bakso and gorengan.

Ordering is usually simple: point at what looks good, or say the name of the dish and add “tidak pedas” if you do not want it spicy. In Padang restaurants, take only what you will eat, because you pay for every plate you touch. Carry cash; many places do not accept cards.

What it costs and when to eat

Street food costs IDR 15,000 to 40,000 a portion, a warung meal IDR 25,000 to 60,000, and a mid-range restaurant IDR 80,000 to 200,000. Hotel restaurants and Western-oriented places charge much more. Prices in Bali and Jakarta are roughly double those in smaller towns.

Mealtimes are flexible. Breakfast is early and light, lunch is around noon, and dinner is late, often after eight. Night markets open in the late afternoon and run until midnight. During Ramadan, many restaurants close during the day and the food scene moves to the evening.

Eating with respect and eating safely

Indonesian food culture is generous and informal. If you are invited to eat with a family, accept, and try everything on the table. Use your right hand when eating with your fingers, and do not start before your host invites you. Halal matters to many Indonesians, so do not assume pork is available outside Bali and Chinese communities.

Street food is generally safe where it is busy and freshly cooked. Drink bottled water, be cautious with raw vegetables and ice from unknown sources, and carry oral rehydration salts. If you have a sensitive stomach, start with cooked dishes from busy stalls and build up from there.

Regional food trails worth planning a trip around

The best way to eat in Indonesia is to follow a region. Start in West Sumatra for rendang, gulai and the Padang restaurant culture, then move to Java for the sweet, soy-heavy cooking of Yogyakarta and the savoury soups of Surabaya. Bali adds pork, coconut and base genep, and Sulawesi brings seafood and the beef soups of Makassar.

A two-week food trip might go Padang, Bukittinggi, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Makassar and Bali, using flights and trains. It is ambitious, but each stop is a different kitchen, and the transport is part of the experience. Trains on Java are comfortable, and flights between the main cities are cheap.

For a shorter trip, pick two regions and go deep. Yogyakarta and Solo for Javanese food, or Makassar and Toraja for Sulawesi. Eat at warungs and night markets, take a cooking class, and ask taxi drivers where they eat. The food is the fastest way into a place, and Indonesia rewards curiosity.

Food safety is mostly common sense. Eat where the food is cooked to order and the stall is busy, drink bottled or boiled water, and be cautious with ice from street carts. Raw vegetables and unpeeled fruit can be a risk if they have been washed in tap water. Carry oral rehydration salts and a basic anti-diarrhoeal, and give your stomach a few days to adjust before trying the hottest sambal.

Questions people actually ask

What is the national dish of Indonesia?

There is no single national dish. Rendang, nasi goreng, satay and soto are all contenders, and each region has its own answer. Rendang is the most internationally recognised.

Is Indonesian food very spicy?

Not necessarily. Chilli usually comes as sambal on the side, so you can control the heat. Ask for tidak pedas if you want it mild, and taste before adding.

Is street food safe?

Busy stalls with freshly cooked food are generally safe. Avoid raw vegetables and unknown ice, drink bottled water and carry rehydration salts if you have a sensitive stomach.

What should vegetarians eat?

Tempeh, tofu, gado-gado, sayur lodeh, nasi campur without meat and vegetable curries are all common. Ask for tanpa daging to make sure there is no meat or shrimp paste.