11 Indonesian Famous Main Dish You Should Try

Indonesia has so many main dishes that will make you binge eat them. The unique taste of Indonesian food makes everyone miss the taste whenever they come from. Besides, the main dish is popular to serve as the first menu once you get the table.

If you are aware of the richest of Indonesian culture so that the food. One region will have different food even if they are nearby neighborhoods. Such as in West Java and Central Java.

The main dish from the West Java will come so salty with a hot chilly sauce, while the Central Java is sweet and commonly keep the chilly on its form without blend it. Not both of them have some food differences, but also all over the region.

Now, we have some of the most Indonesian famous main dishes that you should try.

1. Rendang

Rendang comes from Padang, West Sumatera. It becomes famous because of the unique taste that you will never find in any country but Indonesia. It made from beef that cooked for hours long to get the great taste.

Not only Indonesian who loves Rendang, but also foreigners. A not long time ago, the famous chef Gordon Ramsey comes to Minangkabau, West Sumatera to taste it. He told the world that the taste is very great which he mixes it on his scrumble egg.

2. Gudeg

Gudeg is a popular food in Yogyakarta and it becomes the most food you have to eat while visiting there. it made by the jackfruit that cooked professionally with coconut milk. The taste is sweet but so tasteful. It serves with rice, egg, or chicken.

3. Tengkleng

Tengkleng is a kind of soup made from a goat whether to use the meat, bone or some offals. The soup is so thick just like curry but the taste is different. In Indonesia, there are so many kinds of Tengkleng such as Tengkleng Gajah, Goat Tengkleng, Tengkleng Solo, and many more.

4. Sayur Lodeh

Sayur Lodeh is a soup that mixes with some vegetables such as corn, long beans, peanut, eggplant, and many more. It comes with a tasteful flavor that perfect to serve with rice and local chilly sauce.

Sayur Lodeh is perfect for lunch and every Indonesian loves it. you can find it everywhere in the Indonesian resto or even in the most famous Yogyakarta street food.

5. Nasi Campur

Nasi Campur is a mix of rice, Sate Lilit, chilly sauce from Balinese taste, egg, peanut, and some mix of vegetables. It is so tasty with a great combination of all of this food on one plate. It comes from Bali as the traditional food in Bali and you will only find this main dish in Indonesia.

6. Tumpeng

Tumpeng is rice with a yellow color that cooked with coconut milk and serve with some vegetables, meat, chicken, egg, and many more. Tumpeng usually made for some ritual or only a sign of the gratefulness to God in Javanese culture as the fact about the Indonesian religion.

Commonly Tumpeng made for a birthday party or other gratitude things fro Indonesian to celebrate as the typical meals in Indonesia.

7. Soto

Soto is a kind of chicken soup with a clear soup on it mixes with chicken, beef, and some cabbages. There are so many kinds of Soto in Indonesia, and it is perfect for the main dish for breakfast.

There are so many Soto in Indonesia such as Soto Betawi, Soto Madura, Soto Semarang, Soto Medan, and many more. Another kind of Soto, such as Rawon is the same type of Soto but it has a dark soup because of the Kluwek.

8. Laksa

Laksa is another kind of Soto, but it comes with bigger noodles and bean sprouts. The soup is thick and the taste is so delicious. You can find Laksa in Bogor, or around Jakarta.

Laksa has a succulent taste that can boost your day in a good way. The combination of salty and a bit spicy makes it the Indonesian main dish favorite for breakfast.

9. Pecel Lele

Pecel Lele is the mixes of rice, fried catfish, Tempe or Tahu, and onion or tomato chilly sauce. It is so famous that you can find them everywhere. This is the best main dish you can eat to make your stomach full.

Pecel Lele is so famous for students in Yogyakarta. Since the price comes at a lower rate, the taste is great. So it is so worth it to get Pecel Lele to your dinner. But, be careful of the spicy level on it, since the chilly becomes one of the extreme food in Indonesia.

10. Nasi Padang

Nasi Padang comes from Padang, West Sumatera. It comes with a mix of rice, some vegetables usually the cassava leaves, egg, beef, Rendang, and many more. The taste becomes so precious with a seasoning of Rendang on it.

You can find Nasi Padang in all around Indonesia. some of them made by the origin people from Padang, some of them have acculturation such as in Yogyakarta. The taste is not as spicy as in Padang because Yogyakarta’s people love sweet.

11. Nasi Pecel

Nasi Pecel is rice serve with some boiled vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, long beans, and bean sprouts which mixes with peanut chilly sauce. You can add the egg, chicken, or meat as you want. you can find it everywhere, but the best place is from Madiun, East Java.

So, there is 11 famous main dish in Indonesia that you should try. Be careful with the cholesterol effect while consuming the Tengkleng or other kinds of beef soup. Have you ever try them all?