Since a long time ago, Indonesia was already famous for the richness of its spices used in cooking ingredients. Even the traders from various countries flocked to the archipelago in order to be able to obtain various spices in Indonesia.
Nowadays there have been many types of ingredients that are very varied. This type of cooking ingredients is tailored to your needs. Even you can also make and process your own blending ingredients using a spice making machine to be able to produce dried herbs and wet seasonings. The following are the types of herbs used as common ingredients in Indonesian cuisine.
- Nutmeg
Nutmeg is a type of high-value spice used throughout the world. Indeed, nutmeg is used only by seeds. Nutmeg is used to add spicy and spicy flavor to cooking or drinks.
It is mostly produced in the Maluku region, especially in Halmahera. In addition, nutmeg is a spice commodity exported to Europe which is able to help warm the body and make delicious food. The shape is round and hard and blackish in color. It can last a long time in a dry state so this spice is a mandatory item in the kitchen of the archipelago.
- Turmeric
Turmeric is a typical Indonesian plant that has many uses. Initially turmeric, which is a spice plant, has grown a lot in the mainland of Southeast Asia, then turmeric quickly develops in the regions of Indonesia, Malaysia and other neighboring countries.
This type of plant which is classified as ginger is widely consumed by the public both for cooking process ingredients or used as herbal medicine as well as ingredients to maintain the natural beauty of every woman. In turmeric there is a chemical compound that can generate it. In most of Indonesian cuisine, turmeric is the most used ingredients. To distinguish turmeric from other useful plants, you can see from the color of the fruit itself. Turmeric has a yellow color on the flesh.
- Pepper
Pepper is a kind of medicinal plant that is taken by the fruit. In the community, pepper is also known as pepper. There are two kinds of pepper known to the public, namely white pepper or black pepper. The difference between them is at the existing color display. However, there is no significant difference in terms of taste. White pepper is obtained using immature fruit while black pepper is made using ripe fruit.
In most of Indonesian cuisine, pepper is used to strengthen the taste of the dish. Bu adding pepper, the foods become tastier.
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- Galangal
Galangal is one of the basic ingredients in cooking spices. The galangal is solid, oval, and large. It’s usually red when it’s young and yellowish white when it’s ripe. Galangal has less hard meat.
Moreover, galangal has a savory and sweet taste and smells good. It’s usually commonly used in Indonesia because Indonesian cuisine is generally well-stocked and savory. To get galangal, galangal farmers usually harvest roots from ginger plants. Galangal is quite easy to find in the Indonesian market because it is one of the main ingredients that must be in some dishes. It’s usually sold per kilo or one package with other spices.
- Ginger
Ginger is one of the spices that have a shape similar to galangal and rooted. It has a spicy and warm taste. The spicy that is meant is not the spicy taste like chili but the spicy taste because it is very warm. The meat of the ginger is yellow.
Ginger also has several types: ginger elephant, yellow ginger, and red ginger. It can function as a fishy deodorizer in fish. Besides, ginger can also be cooked into a drink because it tastes warm and can cause body weight. Cuisine that uses ginger is usually soup or sardines.
- Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a type of grass plant commonly used for cooking spices. In addition, lemongrass does not have a distinctive taste, but has a fragrant aroma that is able to make the dish. Indeed, generally lemongrass has a fragrant aroma when crushed.
Lemongrass is elongated like grass with pretty hard skin. This is greenish or sometimes yellow with white lemongrass. It can grow on various plains so that lemongrass plants are included in family medicinal plants because they are easily planted even in the home environment. You don’t worry because lemongrass is quite easy to find in the market or super market. The price is also relatively cheap because it is sold one package with other spices.
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- Bay Leaf
Bay leaf is a type of green leaves and belongs to a group of plants commonly used for cooking. You can get this leaf from a plant called Syzygium polyanthum. The shape is sharp and not too wide.
Bay leaf is used because it can add to the aroma of cooking. In addition, bay leaves are also used to beautify dishes. Bay leaves are very easy to grow. Sometimes even these plants grow in one field with other plants. It can also be planted in a home environment. Bay leaf is widely used in Indonesian cuisine or several types of international cuisine. Bay leaves only need to be added to the spices.
- Coriander
Coriander is one type of spice that is widely used by the wider community, especially in Asia. It has been a long time since coriander plants were traded in this area. Generally used from coriander is a small seed. Coriander seeds can be used directly or crushed first. In addition to seeds, cilantro is also widely used.
To breed coriander, a cold or cool temperature is needed. Cilantro cannot live in temperatures too hot. Coriander plants grow not too high. This causes coriander to be easily bred in Indonesia.
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- Chili
Chili is a fruit that comes from plants that we often encounter at home. It is one of the ingredients or complementary dishes that are popular with Indonesian people. Of course you often hear that many Indonesian travelers or stranger in the long term certainly bring processed peppers to treat their favorite foreign food which sometimes feels bland on the tongue of the Indonesian people.
The Chili Plant has grown a lot in Asian continent. This plant is often found in other countries, such as Malaysia or India. The shape of the Chili is also very diverse. Some have short and fat shapes, others have long and curly shapes. In addition there are also those that are small and slim. Meanwhile the color of Chili is generally dominated by red and green. Some peppers have an orange or yellow color.
- Javanese Tamarind
As the name implies, this kitchen spice comes from the island of Java. This Tamarind has brown flesh and fruit skin and also has a sour taste. Usually used in the form of fresh or in the form of processed as a spice in many Indonesian dishes, it functions to give a sense of acid in certain foods. Tamarind, tamarind or tamarind is a kind of sour fruit taste, commonly used as a spice in many Indonesian dishes as flavorings or acid flavor enhancers in food. Fresh fruit is cut into pieces and added to the cooking, for example it is like making vegetable tamarind.
This Tamarind also serves to provide a more luxurious taste of cuisine. We often find that there are many Java acids that are used and sold in the market, usually those with old skin without skin and long lasting if stored in a closed container for a certain period of time.
- Aniseed
Aniseed or its Latin name Pimpinella anisum is a type of plant originating from the Mediterranean and also West Asia. This plant has a height of almost one meter with an oblong leaf shape and slightly pinnate like a feather. This anise fruit is also oval shaped with a length of 3 to 5 mm.
Aniseed has a slightly sweet taste and also a very distinctive aroma. So it’s no wonder that this spice is often used as a flavoring in some types of cuisine, because this cooking spice can improve the taste of the dish, Sweet Fennel is also often used for salad mixes and celery substitute ingredients for soup dishes.
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- Clove
This clove plant has become one of the original Indonesian spices known to the world, because of its distinctive aroma, and can make food more fragrant and delicious. The aroma is fragrant because the content of essential oils in it makes this herb plant popular as a cooking spice and perfume ingredients.
The part of cloves that is often used is the dried flowers. In clove cuisine is usually used for soupy dishes such as soup, soto and curry in powder form or included intact. Cuisine from Padang, India and Middle East regions also often use this spice.
- Temu Kunci
Temu Kunci is a type of spice whose rhizome is used as a spice in Southeast Asian cuisine, including Indonesia. At first glance this form of Temu Kunci is the same as Temu Lawak or Kencur, but Temu Kunci is somewhat different from other findings because of the vertical growth down. One of these ginger families is native to Java and Sumatra.
If peeled, the inside of the Temu Kunci is light yellow with a fresh and distinctive aroma. The key meeting can be used for clear vegetable dishes, fish dishes, lettuce, and anointing. How to process it is by choosing an old root tuber, then peeled, then spread so that the aroma comes out or can also be finely sliced and stir-fry with other spices. Besides being used as one of the cooking spices, Temu Kunci also has other benefits for health.
- Kencur
The next kitchen spice is Kencur. This Kencur is a type of kitchen spice which includes the discovery tribe. The rhizome of this plant contains essential oils and alkaloids which emit a fragrant odor that is often used as one of the herbs and traditional medicine.
Kencur texture is smaller, the color of the skin is brown (slightly dark) and the color of the flesh is yellowish white. The aroma is very distinctive and is used for certain dishes such as making a variety of peaches, sambal pecel, and fish. Actually Kencur is not only used for spice cooking, but is also commonly used and processed as traditional herbal medicine as its component. If you want long-lasting kencur, you must store it in a dry and open container.
- Cumin
It is a spice in the form of small oval granules like rice, with a brown color with a fragrant aroma. Cumin can be used as spices and medicine. This seasoning is often used for coconut milk dishes such as rendang, curry, and opor. Although the use is small in cooking, it is able to give a big influence. The seeds of this plant are often used as a kitchen spice for Indian cuisine. This plant is widely cultivated in India and Southeast Asia.
The aroma is very fragrant, rather sweet and a mixture of traditional dishes in various regions of the archipelago. Cuisine that often uses cumin is opor, curry or curry. The way to use it should be roasted or mashed with other herbs when it will be processed. In the market we can also find cumin which is available in powder form and packed in bottles.
After knowing lots of common ingredients in Indonesian cuisine above, now you can conclude that Indonesian cuisine is very rich of spice. The taste is also unique. Once in a life, you should try to visit Indonesia then try its cuisine.
