Indonesian Cuisine

tips

Soy sauce

When buying soy sauce, buy the best quality you can afford.

Indonesian meals

There's an art to eating an Indonesian meal. It all starts with rice and then you add small amounts of curries and other dishes like sambals and pickles to add an extra bit of heat or a burst of sour crunch. Its fun to eat with your hands - use your right hand or a spoon and fork. If you've been invited to an Indonesian home, come hungry - Indonesians are incredibly generous.

Woks

One of the essential cooking implements of Indonesia is the wok. You must remember to have it as hot as Indonesians do when they cook so you can achieve the wonderful flavour and aroma that comes from intense heat, often referred to as "the breath of the wok".

Washing rice

Rinsing long-grain white rice before cooking removes excess starch, thus helping the rice cook more evenly and be less sticky. Some specialty rice, such as basmati, is always rinsed and soaked before cooking to obtain separate, perfectly cooked grains. However, other rice, such as Arborio, prized for its starchiness in risotto, is never rinsed.