Indonesian Eats

Before I went to Bali, the only Indonesian foods I had heard of were satay, i.e. meat on skewers with peanut sauce, and nasi goreng, a type of fried rice. Now, I must admit that because we were in a touristy area, we often ate Western and international cuisine, but I tried some local food, too.

My first Indonesian meal in Bali was in fact nasi goreng. I have seen it served with a fried egg in Hong Kong, but mine came with strips of scrambled egg on the side, as well as two chicken satay skewers and prawn crackers. The rice itself had chicken and egg inside, along with some vegetables, too.

Another Indonesian dish I tried was a vegetarian one called gado gado. In a way, you could call it an Indonesian cooked salad because it was basically steamed vegetables, mostly cabbage, with a warm and delicious peanut sauce. On the side were prawn crackers, a hard-boiled egg and fried tofu. I really liked this dish, though I would have chosen a greater variety of steamed vegetables.

The last meal I ate in Indonesia was at probably the most local restaurant of our entire trip. We ate at a warung near our hotel, which had food for at least half the price of the nearby international restaurants, though I suspect it was still more expensive than a truly local establishment. 

I ordered nasi campur, which the Lonely Planet guidebook said was a Balinese specialty, and I am glad I gave it a try. I believe this was one of the best meals I ate in Indonesia. My bowl of steamed rice was topped with bean sprouts, seasoned shredded chicken, greens, fried tofu, egg and some kind of savory peanut cake. In addition, I got a bowl of mild Indonesian curry with vegetables to eat with the rice. It was fantastic!