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SambalWhile technically more of a condiment, the chili-based sauce known as sambal is a staple at all Indonesian tables.
Dishes are not complete unless they have a hearty dollop of the stuff, a combination of chilies, sharp fermented shrimp paste, tangy lime juice, sugar and salt all pounded up with mortar and pestle.
So beloved is sambal, some restaurants have made it their main attraction, with options that include young mango, mushroom and durian.
Recipe:
Food in Indonesia has been influenced by the Chinese culture, Indian culture and now by Western Culture. During the colonial era, immigrants from many different countries arrived in Indonesia and brought different cultures as well as cuisines.
Most native Indonesians eat rice as the main dish, with a wide range of vegetables. The most important aspect of modern Indonesia cuisine is that food must be halal, conforming to Islamic food laws. Indonesian dishes are usually spicy, using a wide range of chili peppers and spices.
Indonesia now grows almost enough rice to meet the country's demands. Indonesia's islands attracted traders because of the spices their country had. Also these islands have fish, fruits and vegetables. Some of them include bananas, yams, coconuts and sugar cane.
The combination of geographic and cultural diversity in Indonesia has resulted in one of the most unique cuisines in the world. Although meals are generally simple, the plentiful use of various roots, spices, grasses, and leaves adds zest to most dishes. The common use of the chili pepper may mislead some to believe that all Indonesian dishes are spicy and hot. On the contrary, the most widely used spices are coriander (which has a faint orange flavor), cumin, and ginger, all relatively mild spices. In addition, most Indonesian food is prepared with contrasting flavors, such as a spicy sweet or hot sauce served over a bed of plain white rice, a popular meal throughout the country.
Dishes are not complete unless they have a hearty dollop of the stuff, a combination of chilies, sharp fermented shrimp paste, tangy lime juice, sugar and salt all pounded up with mortar and pestle.
So beloved is sambal, some restaurants have made it their main attraction, with options that include young mango, mushroom and durian.
Recipe:
Food in Indonesia has been influenced by the Chinese culture, Indian culture and now by Western Culture. During the colonial era, immigrants from many different countries arrived in Indonesia and brought different cultures as well as cuisines.
Most native Indonesians eat rice as the main dish, with a wide range of vegetables. The most important aspect of modern Indonesia cuisine is that food must be halal, conforming to Islamic food laws. Indonesian dishes are usually spicy, using a wide range of chili peppers and spices.
Indonesia now grows almost enough rice to meet the country's demands. Indonesia's islands attracted traders because of the spices their country had. Also these islands have fish, fruits and vegetables. Some of them include bananas, yams, coconuts and sugar cane.
The combination of geographic and cultural diversity in Indonesia has resulted in one of the most unique cuisines in the world. Although meals are generally simple, the plentiful use of various roots, spices, grasses, and leaves adds zest to most dishes. The common use of the chili pepper may mislead some to believe that all Indonesian dishes are spicy and hot. On the contrary, the most widely used spices are coriander (which has a faint orange flavor), cumin, and ginger, all relatively mild spices. In addition, most Indonesian food is prepared with contrasting flavors, such as a spicy sweet or hot sauce served over a bed of plain white rice, a popular meal throughout the country.