Ikan bakar is a popular Indonesian and Malaysian dish consisting of barbecued fish. Sometimes, there are also other types of seafood such as squids, cockles, and clams included in the dish. The name ikan bakar literally means burnt fish in the Malay language.
It is very important to marinate the fish before grilling in order for it to retain its moisture. The marinades usually consist of chili paste, soy sauce, turmeric, galangal, and other seasonings. The dish is traditionally served with dipping sauces such as sambal belacan and sambal kecap on the side.
MOST ICONIC Ikan bakar
View moreSate kerang is a traditional dish originating from Surabaya, East Java. The dish consists of marinated mussels that are placed on bamboo skewers and grilled to perfection. The marinade usually consists of shallots, garlic, candlenuts, turmeric, ginger, coriander, grated coconut, chili peppers, oil, lime leaves, lemongrass, brown sugar, sweet soy sauce, and salt.
About five or six mussels are then placed on bamboo skewers and grilled until golden brown. Once done, sate kerang is often served with spicy soy sauce on the side.
Pecel lele is a Javanese delicacy consisting of deep-fried catfish paired with sambal paste and vegetables such as cucumbers, string beans, lettuce, and cabbage. Tofu, tempeh, and steamed rice are often seen on the side, depending on regional preferences.
It is recommended to pair the dish with a glass of fresh orange juice or tea. Flavorful, inexpensive, and nutritious, it is a favorite meal of numerous Javanese people who often buy it from street stands called warung tenda, which are usually open from late in the afternoon until midnight.
MOST ICONIC Pecel lele
View morePepes ikan is a dish that is made by wrapping a whole fish, or occasionally pieces of fish, in banana leaves. The fish is generously coated in a spice paste that typically includes ingredients such as turmeric, candlenuts or macadamia, tomatoes, shrimp paste, palm sugar, lemon basil, tamarind, lemongrass, and chili peppers.
It is then neatly wrapped in banana leaves, and the parcels can be steamed or grilled. The fish is served in the leaf, and it is typically accompanied by lime or lemon wedges on the side. Variations of ikan pepes are found throughout East Timor and Indonesia, but the most popular variety is ikan pepes mas, made with carp.
Udang balado is a traditional dish consisting of peeled or unpeeled shrimps that are stir-fried in a combination of cooking oil and spicy sambal sauce. The dish is often enriched with the addition of lemongrass, quail eggs, tofu, potatoes, or green beans.
As almost all balado dishes, this one is also very hot and fiery. When served, udang balado is often garnished with chopped scallions and accompanied by steamed rice. The dish is also known as sambal goreng udang.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Ikan goreng, translated to "fried fish" in English, is a dish originating from Indonesia.
The preparation starts with marinating the fish in a mixture of spices and herbs, typically turmeric, garlic, shallots, tamarind, and sometimes even kacep manis, then deep-frying it until golden brown and crispy.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Kepiting saus Padang is a traditional seafood dish. It consists of crab that's served in spicy Padang sauce. Mud crabs or blue crabs are usually used for the preparation of this dish. They're boiled in hot water until fully cooked (they will turn red), then shortly simmered in the sauce.
The spicy Padang sauce is usually made with a combination of shallots, garlic, ginger, candlenuts, chili peppers, turmeric, onions, kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, ketchup, and oyster sauce. It's often enriched and thickened with lightly beaten eggs.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Ketupat kandangan is a traditional dish originating from South Kalimantan. It's usually made with a combination of snakehead fish, lemongrass, tamarind juice, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, bouillon cube, salt, oil, and ketupat (steamed rice cakes).
The fish is marinated in tamarind juice and it's then grilled over hot coals. The grilled fish is cooked in a sauce consisting of coconut milk, lemongrass, bouillon cube, salt, oil, and a spice paste made with cumin, turmeric, ginger, galangal, candlenuts, shallots, garlic, shrimp paste, peppercorns, coriander, salt, and sugar.
Sate udang is a traditional dish that's also popular in Singapore. The dish consists of marinated prawns that are placed on bamboo skewers and grilled to perfection. The paste for the marinade usually consists of oil, lime juice, coriander, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, ginger, chili peppers, turmeric, dark sugar, soy sauce, and kecap manis.
Once skewered, the prawns are grilled on both sides until just cooked through. Sate udang is often served with scallions, cucumbers, and pineapple pieces. If desired, coconut milk can also be added to the marinade before cooking.
Cakalang fufu is a traditional dish originating from Minahasa, North Sulawesi. The dish consists of cured and smoked skipjack tuna that's clipped on a bamboo frame. The fish is cured with a combination of salt, soda powder, and spices. It is then smoked over coconut husks for about four hours and left to cool down for two hours.
If properly prepared, the meat will turn into a reddish hue and the texture will become slightly dry and crispy. The skipjack tuna has a shelf life of about a month, so it can also be bought as a gift by many travellers. It's recommended to serve cakalang fufu with steamed rice on the side.
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