Nasi Goreng

Nasi goreng, literally meaning "fried rice" in Indonesian and Malay, can refer simply to fried pre-cooked rice, a meal including fried rice accompanied with other items, or a more complicated fried rice, typically spiced with tamarind and chilli and including other ingredients, particularly egg and prawns.

Nasi goreng is considered as national dish of Indonesia. There are many Indonesian cuisines but few national dishes. Nasi goreng is the best of them. Indonesia's national dish knows no social barriers. It can be enjoyed in its simplest manifestation from a tin plate at a roadside warung, or food stall; eaten on porcelain in fancy restaurants, or constructed at the ubiquitous buffet tables of Jakarta dinner parties.

From leftover rice to nasi goreng

The main ingredients for the plain nasi goreng include pre-cooked rice, soy sauce, garlic, shallot and some spring onions for garnishing. Nasi goreng can be eaten at any time of day, and many Indonesians, Malaysians and Singaporeans eat nasi goreng for breakfast, often using leftovers from the previous day's dinner. The rice used to make nasi goreng is cooked ahead of time and left to cool down (so it is not soggy), which is one reason to use rice cooked from the day before.

‘Special’ nasi goreng – as meal component

In restaurants, the dish is often served as a main meal accompanied by additional items such as a fried egg, fried chicken, satay, vegetables, and kerupuk (meaning crackers, also called "prawn crackers" and many other names). In many warungs (street stalls), when accompanied by a fried egg, it is sometimes called nasi goreng istimewa (special fried rice).

Source: www.wikipedia.com

See also: seafood

Chinese Food

Chinese Indonesian cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Chinese with local Indonesian style. Chinese dishes modified with addition of chili, santan (coconut milk) and spices form a new Indonesian Chinese cuisine. Some of the dishes and cakes share the same style as in Malaysia and Singapore which are known as the Nonya cuisine by the Peranakan.

The Indonesian Chinese cuisine also vary with locations. For example in different parts of Java the dishes are adapted to local culture. In central Java, the food tends to be much more sweet. In Medan, North Sumatra a more traditional Chinese style can be found.

There are different style of Chinese food in Indonesia:

• New style Chinese food with chefs from China, Hongkong or Taiwan.
• traditional Chinese food, such as the Teochew, Hokkian, Hakka dishes.
• Chinese-Indonesian food with recipes borrowed from Dutch and other European cuisine as well as local cuisine.
• Chinese dishes adapted to the local taste, such as replacing pork with chicken or beef to make it halal

Some of the typical Chinese Indonesian Food:

• Bakmi, noodles which are adapted to different styles and regions. Each city has its own recipe for noodles or mie, e.g. Bakmi Bandung, Bakmi Medan, Bakmi Makassar, Bakmi Bangka, etc. 'Bak-Mi' comes from the Hokkien pronunciation for 'Meat-Noodle'.
• Nasi goreng, fried rice with spices and chili, often add kecap manis, but another variant may differ.
• Mi goreng, fried noodle with spices and chili darkened with kecap manis.
• Kwetiau goreng, fried flat noodle similar to char kuay teow.
• Cap Cai, named for the Hokkian word for a mixture of various types of vegetables. Usually served as stir fried mixed vegetables with chicken when ordered as ala carte.
• Tahu Goreng, fried Tofu with peanut sauce and chili. 'Tau-Hu' also comes from the Chinese word for 'Bean-Curd'.
• Pau, which is the Chinese word for 'bun'; sometimes written as Bak-Pau, literally meaning 'Meat-Bun', which is a bun with meat fillings. (Bak is the Hokkien pronunciation for 'meat'.)
• Bakwan, Bak-Wan is the Hokkien pronunciation for 'Meat-Ball', usually made from beef.
• Bakso, Bak-So is the Hokkien pronunciation for 'Shredded-Meat'.
• Sapo, Sa-Po which is the Chinese word for 'Clay-Pot'.
• Lumpia, a fresh spring roll of Hokkien/Chaozhou-style origin.

Source: www.wikipedia.org