Curry Research: Indonesia

The country and culture known as Indonesia encompasses a vast archipelago in the South Pacific that includes the islands of Bali, Java, Sumatra, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Kalimantan, along with thousands of islets, including the Spice Islands, each with its own unique culinary palette. Seafood and tropical fruits abound, and the cuisine is influenced by centuries of international trade. The Malay Peninsula extends from the southern border of Thailand to the island city-state of Singapore at its southern tip, and only a narrow strait separates it from the Indonesian islands of Sumatra to the west and the island of Borneo across the South China Sea to the east.

Much like the cuisines of other Southeast Asian cultures, the traditional dishes of Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia feature essentially the same array of ingredients. But, as with the cuisines of other cultures, it’s the way the ingredients are combined and presented that give these cuisines their unique qualities.

Malaysian, Singaporean, and Indonesian cuisines are highly influenced by many cultures, including Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and European. Spice pastes are the heart and soul of many dishes, and the main ingredients include an abundance of fresh seafood and tropical fruits. Lemongrass and lime, ginger root and chilies, shrimp paste and coconut milk all play their roles. The kaleidoscope of other spices and exotic ingredients includes basil, candlenut, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin, cup leaves, galangal, garlic, kencur, kaffir lime, nutmeg, palm sugar, pandan leaf, peanuts, pepper, salam leaf, shallots, soy sauce, tamarind, terasi, turmeric, and vinegar.

Indonesian and Malaysian favorites include: sambal (the general term for a variety of spicy, chili pepper-based condiments); satay (skewered appetizers made with chicken, beef, pork, or seafood served with a spicy peanut sauce); lemper ayam (a common Indonesian snack of minced chicken wrapped in sticky rice and steamed in bamboo leaves); loempia (the Indonesian version of spring rolls); rendang (a flavorful curry beef dish in a rich coconut sauce); and nasi goring (an Indonesian fried rice dish that contains various vegetables and fragrant spices).

Chili Crab and Hainanese Chicken Rice are two of Singapore?s tastiest and most popular dishes, and the spectrum of Singaporean cuisine runs the gamut from simple street fare served up by thousands of sidewalk vendors, to the haute cuisine elegantly presented in one of the fourteen dining establishments in the opulent Raffles Hotel. The Raffles Hotel culinary staff has even published a cookbook.