Indonesia is not one to be left behind when it comes to the number of appetizing food items that it can offer.  There are Indonesian cuisines to experience and there is an endless list of snacks that you can sample in between your main meals.  You can also munch on these snacks whenever you are in a hurry.  Snacks can come in the form of appetizers, finger foods, small versions of the main meals, desserts, or tasty liquid concoctions.  Snacks can serve as full meals especially when  served all at the same time buffet style.

Given that Indonesia is the world’s biggest archipelago having over 17, 000 islands and populated by more than 200 million people, it is easy to assume that there will be infinite possibilities when it comes to food.

Here’s a list of the different Indonesian snacks that you can try:

BANDUNG – Bandung is an interesting dessert drink that is pinkish in color.  It is made by combining regular milk or evaporated milk with a special rose flavored syrup and ultra cold water.  It is sweet and refreshing at the same time.

CENDOL – This is pronounced as “chen-dol”.  The origin of this conventional dessert drink can be traced to Java, Indonesia.  Some people would prefer to drink the coconut milk first then move on to scoop the other ingredients that include starch noodles and shaved ice.  But as for me, I prefer eating the sweet noodles together with the coconut milk by using a spoon.

DADAR GULUNG – The word dadar is the Indonesian word for “omelette” while gulung actually means “to be rolled.”  This rolled snack is stuffed with different ingredients like chopped or whole peanuts, grated coconut, and different sweetened beans. The wrapper itself is made of flour and gets its green color from the extract of pandan leaves that is combined with the flour mixture.

KETAN HITAM – For this snack, the black and thicker kind of rice is used instead of your usual white or glutinous rice.  This is because black rice is stickier and sweet enough that there is no need to add sugar.  Freshly grated coconut is sprinkled on top of the black rice once cooked.

KRUPUK – The popular snack which is called Krupuk (also called Kroepoek or Kerupuk in Indonesia) is simply Shrimp Chips or Seafood Chips. Krupuk comes in different forms.  Some can be bought in ready to eat form packed in small plastic or foil bags. There is another version that has to be deep fried before it can be enjoyed.   Krupuk can be enjoyed similar to potato chips. In some cases, it is used as garnish for some dishes like the Ayam Goreng (Fried Chicken) or Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice).  This is one of my favorite snacks and I can finish a lot while watching television.

KUE NAGASARI – This sweet snack is made by combining rice flour with white sugar.  Vanilla extract is also added together with coconut milk.  The sticky mixture is wrapped using banana leaves and slices of ripe bananas are also placed on top before these are steamed.

REMPEYEK KACANG – Rempeyek Kacang (or Rempeyek Gacang) are Peanut Chips or Peanut Crackers are ideal as a snack for people on the go.  These are packed in small plastic wraps which make them convenient to keep inside your bag.

PANGSEET – The Pangseet is a popular appetizer in Indonesia.  These are simply sautéed meat and vegetables wrapped in won ton wrappers then deep friend in oil.  The best part in eating Pangseet would have to be the dipping sauce that is served along with this snack.  The sauce can be your simple table top ketchup or the sweet and spicy chili sauce.

PUTU MAYANG – This soft snack is made of rice flour, sugar, vanilla syrup and pandan extract.  The mixture is steamed, cooled then served sometimes with freshly grated coconut on top.  It also comes in different forms — some in the soft fluffy form while others are in noodle-like form.

ROTI LAPIS – Another favorite is a snack called Roti Lapis.  This is made by combining rice flour and syrups then boiled in a pot to make all the flavors blend together.  The mixture is then allowed to cool down and shaped according to preference before serving.  Depending on the type of colored syrups used, Roti Lapis can have different colors.  This can be presented in a more creative manner by layering the different colored concoctions in a container.

WAJIK – The Wajik is made by steaming ketan, a type of sticky rice, together with brown sugar and pure coconut milk.  After doing so, the mixture is pounded thoroughly.  Then the concoction is transferred to containers then cut into the preferred shapes (usually in squares).  Aside from being a tasty snack, the Wajik also serves as a ceremonial offering for some indigenous tribes.

It is not difficult to find these snacks.  You can easily find these goodies being sold by mobile vendors or in bake shops located in some of the grand malls of Indonesia.  If you are staying at the Shangri-la Hotel Jakarta then you can go to nearby Plaza Semanggi or Plaza Senayan.

Happy munching!

Posted in Food, Indonesia

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Food, Indonesia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.