Indonesian Nasi Goreng
Indonesia's iconic fried rice — flavoured with kecap manis sweet soy, shrimp paste and chilli, topped with a fried egg and crispy shallots.
64 recipes using garlic — Nasi goreng, rendang, satay — the flavours of 17,000 islands.
These 64 indonesian garlic recipes are ready in about 70 minutes on average, with 20–640 kcal per serving, and 34% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
Indonesian cooking is rich and aromatic, building deep spice pastes that slow-cook into coconut-laced curries and sweet-savoury grilled dishes. When Indonesian cooks work with garlic, they reach for shallots, garlic, candlenut, lemongrass, kecap manis and sambal, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are frying, simmering, boiling and steaming.
The aromatic foundation of savoury cooking almost everywhere — pungent raw, sweet and mellow when cooked. In this collection it's most often cooked with shallots, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, kecap manis, soy sauce and eggs. The dishes here span indonesian classics ready in as little as 10 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Indonesia's iconic fried rice — flavoured with kecap manis sweet soy, shrimp paste and chilli, topped with a fried egg and crispy shallots.
The world's most flavourful dish — slow-braised beef in coconut milk with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and 15 spices until the meat is fall-apart tender and coated in dark, caramelised coconut.
Steamed and raw vegetables with tofu, boiled egg and tempeh, all dressed in a luxurious warm peanut sauce.
Grilled chicken skewers with spiced peanut dipping sauce.
Indonesian village-style fried rice with anchovies and egg.
A gentle, fragrant Indonesian yellow chicken curry simmered in coconut milk with lemongrass, galangal and candlenut — silky, mildly spiced and deeply comforting. The centrepiece of Indonesian Eid celebrations.
Indonesia's iconic wok-fried rice with kecap manis, shrimp paste and chillies — topped with a fried egg and crispy shallots for the perfect finish.
Slow-braised beef in a deeply spiced coconut and chilli paste, cooked until the sauce completely evaporates and the meat is dark, caramelised and intensely flavourful.
East Java's signature black beef soup, coloured and flavoured by keluak nuts, with tender braised beef, bean sprouts, and sambal on the side.
Indonesia's beloved salad of blanched vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and hard-boiled eggs, all smothered in a rich, sweet-spicy peanut sauce.
Jakarta's rich, coconut-milk beef soup with crispy fried shallots, tomato, and fresh lime — a creamy, fragrant Betawi classic served with rice or lontong.
Indonesia's beloved golden chicken soup — turmeric-yellow broth fragrant with lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime, served over vermicelli with boiled egg and crispy shallots.
Slow-cooked beef in a deeply spiced coconut paste — caramelised over hours until almost dry — Indonesia's most celebrated dish.
Raw shallot-lemongrass-chili relish with kaffir lime leaves and toasted coconut oil — Bali's most aromatic table condiment.
Indonesian grilled meat skewers with rich peanut sauce — the ultimate street food.
Indonesian spiced meat cooked in coconut milk — rich, deeply spiced, legendary.
Indonesian beef meatball soup with noodles and broth — warming, hearty comfort.
Indonesian red chili paste — heat in its purest, simplest form.
Indonesian curry with potatoes, eggs, and meat — aromatic, warming, easy.
Indonesian stuffed folded pancake — sweet or savory street food treasure.
Indonesian fried tempeh — nutty, firm, protein-rich alternative to tofu.
Indonesian fish and tapioca cake from Palembang — bouncy, chewy, legendary.
Indonesian peanut brittle wafers — thin, crispy, addictive.
Indonesian golden turmeric rice — fragrant, warm, celebratory.
Indonesian yellow chicken curry — aromatic, creamy, deeply warming.
Indonesian chicken rice porridge — comfort food, street food, morning essential.
Indonesia's masterpiece — beef chuck slow-simmered for hours in coconut milk and a paste of chili, galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime until the sauce evaporates into a dark, intensely spiced coating.
Bite-sized chicken skewers grilled over coconut charcoal and bathed in a sweet kecap-peanut sauce — Indonesia's most famous street food, Madura style.
Crispy Indonesian spring rolls stuffed with seasoned pork, shrimp, and vegetables — a beloved street food and celebration staple.
Crispy corn and herb fritters from Manado, North Sulawesi — sweet, spicy, and impossibly addictive.
The definitive guide to making Indonesian krupuk from scratch: tapioca crackers sun-dried then flash-fried into airy, crunchy chips.
Indonesia's iconic satay peanut sauce: roasted peanuts, kecap manis, galangal, and shrimp paste cooked into a thick, complex dipping sauce.
Padang-style beef satay smothered in a thick turmeric-golden spice sauce — from the fiery Minangkabau highlands of West Sumatra.
Java Peanut Tofu Rice Bowl brings indonesian flavor into a practical home recipe with chicken thighs, coconut milk, kecap manis, chiles and peanuts, and a finish of lime leaves.
Bali Coconut Chicken Soup brings indonesian flavor into a practical home recipe with white fish, coconut milk, kecap manis, chiles and peanuts, and a finish of lime leaves.
Sumatra Chili Eggplant Skillet Dinner brings indonesian flavor into a practical home recipe with lamb mince, coconut milk, kecap manis, chiles and peanuts, and a finish of lime leaves.
Sulawesi Turmeric Fish Salad brings indonesian flavor into a practical home recipe with roasted carrots, coconut milk, kecap manis, chiles and peanuts, and a finish of lime leaves.
Chicken simmered in aromatic spices then fried until deeply crisp, topped with crunchy fried batter bits, an Indonesian fried chicken classic.
Fried tofu pockets stuffed with seasoned vegetables and coated in a light batter, a popular Indonesian street food snack.
Indonesia's beloved fried rice topped with a fried egg and served with crackers and pickled vegetables, a hearty everyday breakfast.
Thin dough wrapped around a spiced ground beef and egg filling, pan-fried until crisp, an Indonesian street food favorite.
Blanched vegetables tossed with a spiced, toasted grated coconut mixture, a fresh and fragrant Indonesian salad served at room temperature.
Beef slow-braised in a sweet soy and clove-scented sauce until fall-apart tender, a comforting Indonesian stew with Dutch colonial roots.
A mild, comforting coconut milk stew with eggplant, long beans and tempeh, a beloved everyday Indonesian vegetable dish.
Steamed dumplings of ground fish and tapioca starch, served with vegetables and a rich peanut sauce, a popular Indonesian street food.
Crispy fried corn fritters studded with scallion and a light spice blend, a beloved Indonesian street snack served with chile sauce.
A tangy, tamarind-soured Indonesian vegetable soup loaded with corn, peanuts, and melinjo leaves.
Sweet-savory Indonesian street toast, griddled until crisp and filled with condensed milk, cheese, or spiced meat.
A spicy, tomato-rich Indonesian stir-fry of long beans and tempeh in a fragrant sambal sauce.
A thick, fluffy Indonesian omelet packed with garlic, shallots, and scallions, fried until puffed and golden.
Whole fish marinated in tamarind and tomato, then grilled until charred and glazed with a sweet-sour sauce.
A crisp, pan-fried Indonesian pastry stuffed with spiced ground meat, egg, and scallions, finished with a sesame-flecked crust.
A vibrant Indonesian salad of blanched vegetables tossed with spiced fresh coconut and ginger.
Compressed Indonesian rice cakes sliced and pan-fried until crisp outside and tender within, dusted with smoky spice.
Light, gingery Indonesian chicken dumpling soup with green chile heat and a clean, savory broth.
Indonesian grilled chicken marinated in citrus, garlic, and spices, basted with a sweet-savory glaze until charred.
Fried eggplant baked in a fiery Indonesian tomato-chili sambal until soft and richly coated.
Rice bowl topped with Indonesian rica-rica chicken, simmered in a fiery tomato-chile spice paste.
Indonesian fried rice loaded with shrimp and squid, tossed in kecap manis and topped with crispy fried shallots.
A coconut milk vegetable stew inspired by sayur lodeh, given extra body with red lentils and rice.
Bell peppers stuffed with a spicy sambal beef and tomato filling, baked until tender and fragrant.
Rice cooked in coconut milk and aromatics until fragrant, baked with crispy fried shallots on top.
A beef burger seasoned with Indonesian satay spices, topped with a rich peanut sauce and cucumber.
A festive spread of slow-braised beef rendang, coconut rice, sauteed peppers and fresh sambal.
Pick firm, heavy heads with tight, papery skin and no green shoots or soft spots. Fresh garlic far outperforms jarred pre-minced, which tastes flat and slightly sour.
Crush to release more of its pungent compounds, slice for a milder bite, or roast whole until jammy and sweet. Add minced garlic late and keep it moving — it burns and turns bitter in seconds.
Eaten in small amounts, but a source of allicin and other sulphur compounds linked to heart and immune benefits.
Most of these 64 Indonesian garlic recipes are ready in around 70 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Sambal Oelek, takes about 10 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 270 minutes.
Across this collection they range from about 20 to 640 kcal per serving, averaging 419 kcal — Sambal Oelek is the lightest option at 20 kcal.
Indonesian Nasi Goreng is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 30 minutes. 34% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
In these recipes, garlic is most often paired with shallots, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, kecap manis, soy sauce and eggs. Indonesian kitchens also lean on shallots, garlic, candlenut, lemongrass, kecap manis and sambal.
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