This is probably the most popular Indonesian dish: chicken, lamb or beef chunks in skewers, grilled, and topped with peanut sauce – satay (or sate in Indonesian). You can probably find Satay in any part of the world, but there are variations of Satay that you can only find in Indonesia. These Satay have different spices, sauces, and even the way it skewered. Here are the 12 different types of Satay that you can find in Indonesia:

 Sate Ayam (Chicken Satay)

 Sate Ayam This is the most common Satay sold in Indonesia. You can find it everywhere—from street peddlers to the up-class restaurants in 5-star hotels. It is chunks of chicken meat (usually combined with chicken liver and skin) skewers that is marinated in soy sauce spice and then grilled. It is usually served with sweet and spicy peanut sauce, sliced shallots, and chopped chilies along with steamed rice or lontong (rice cake).

 Sate Kambing (Lamb Satay) 

 Sate Kambing Just like its name, Sate Kambing is made from young lamb meat. The unique thing about Sate Kambing that the meat is not washed in water because it can make the meat smells bad. Minced pineapple is usually used to wash the meat as well as to make the meat soft and tender. Sate Kambing is usually served with two options of sauce—peanut sauce or sweet soy sauce, completed with diced tomatoes, cabbage, cucumber, and chopped chilies. It is best eaten with hot steamed rice.

 Sate Maranggi Sate Maranggi 

 Sate Maranggi is a popular Satay from Purwakarta, West Java. Usually Sate Maranggi is made from lamb meat or beef. The marinating sauce is usually made from the mixture of green chili paste and cuka lahang (vinegar made from sugar cane) so it tastes a little bit spicy.

 Sate Kerang (Scallop Satay) 

 Sate Kerang This Satay is not like other grilled Satay mentioned above. This specialty food from Surabaya, East Java is cooked by boiling the scallops and sauté them in hot and sweet spice. Usually Sate Kerang is eaten along with lontong balap (famous rice cake dish from Surabaya).

 Sate Kalong Sate Kalong

 Sate Kalong literally means ‘Bat Satay’. But don’t worry, this Satay isn’t made from bat meat at all. Sate Kalong is made from ox meat and marinated in sweet spice. It taste sweet and a bit like dendeng sapi (Indonesian jerked meat). It was named Sate Kalong because usually the peddler sells this Satay from the evening until midnight (‘Kalong’ in Indonesian also means begadang or staying up late).

 Sate Padang Sate Padang 

 Sate Padang is the name for three types of Satay that are famous at West Sumatera: Sate Padang, Sate Padang Panjang, and Sate Padang Pariaman. All of these Satay are made from ox tongue or beef. You can see the difference of the three by looking at the sauce. Sate Padang has spicy flavor because the sauce is made from peanut sauce and chilies. Sate Padang Panjang tastes not too spicy and the sauce has yellow in color, while the sauce of Sate Padang Pariaman has spicier flavor and the color is red. 

Sate Torpedo

 Sate Torpedo This is one of the most unique kinds of Satay from Indonesia. Sate Torpedo is made from torpedo or the testicles of goat. Many people, usually males, love to consume this Satay as it is said can improve the energy and stamina of males.

 Sate lilit Sate Lilit

 Sate Lilit is the specialty food from Bali. There are various main ingredients used for Sate Lilit such as meat, chicken, fish, pork, or even turtle. But the most popular (and delicious one) is Sate Lilit made from fish. The minced fish meat is mixed with shredded coconut, coconut milk, lime juice, shallots, and pepper. This dough then wrapped around lemongrass and grilled above charcoals.

 Sate Ambal Sate Ambal

 Sate Ambal is a specialty Satay from Ambal, Kebumen, Central Java. It is actually just like Sate Ayam, but with different sauce. The sauce is made from crushed tempeh and chilies that it mixed with other spices. Usually this Satay is consumed along with ketupat. 

Sate Usus

 Sate Usus This Satay is also not grilled, but sautéed in spices and then skewered using bamboo skewers. Just like its name, it is made from usus (chicken’s intestines). Sate Usus also comes in form of boiled one, and then it is fried before serving.

 Sate Buntel Sate Buntel

 Sate Buntel is famous in Solo or Surakarta, Central Java. It is made from minced beef or lamb (especially the belly or ribs area). The fatty meat then wrapped in a meat’s membrane before being wrapped around bamboo skewers. It is then grilled on fire charcoal, and removed from the skewers before serving. The sauce is made from the mixture of sweet soy sauce and ground pepper. 

Sate Bandeng 

Sate Bandeng It is dubbed as a unique Satay from Banten. Sate Bandeng is made from boneless bandeng (milkfish). The milkfish meat is minced and mixed with spices, and then inserted into the milkfish’s skin. It does not use skewers but a tongs made from bamboo, and grilled on fire charcoal.

Read More

Rendang

It is public knowledge that Nasi Padang (literally translates to Padang rice, but meaning Padang food) has become the country’s most famous contribution to Indonesian cuisine. When you pay a Padang restaurant a visit, you will enjoy a very unique dish. Instead of going to the counter for a direct order, you simply sit down and waitresses will bring various dishes to the table. Padang Restaurants are spread across Indonesia; no matter which city you go, there is always a Padang restaurant around.

One of the most delicious Padang foods is rendang, a dry beef curry cooked with coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid has been evaporated. Every Padang restaurant is based around this dish, and families love to cook it at home, especially during the holidays. There’s a deep philosophical connection to the food. The beef is a symbol for the ninik mamak (tribal leader), coconut is connected to cadiak pandai (the intellectual), chilli relates to the alim ulama (spiritual leader) and condiments represent society as a whole. In the past, rendang was only for the aristocratic. Now everyone eats it.

One might say that I make overstatements. You have my word! Many Padang people favour it. Despite their extensive network and lengthy journey of life, Minangnese are still dependent on Padang cuisine for breakfast and lunch, let alone a great meal like dinner. Some of my friends—particularly those with Javanese or Sundanese backgrounds—often shake their heads and are astonished by my seemingly tacky culinary behaviour.As a true Minangnese, who was born and grew up in Ranah Minang, I dare say that I really rely on nasi Padang for breakfast, lunch and even for dinner. I will always go for nasi kapau (made from young jackfruit mixed with other vegetables), ayam balado (spicy fried chicken) and sate Padang (spicy satay) over imported fast foods.

Let me tell you, this is not about a blind love for local food. Rather it deals with the Padang gastronomy. Having shared with other Padang food lovers, the Minangnese rely much on their local cuisine by reason of three major things: cabe (chilli), gulai (curry) and beras (rice). On many traditional functions, such as weddings and thanksgiving ceremonies, the three—spicy chilli sauce, thick curry and perfectly steamed rice—should be served to the guests.

Spicy chilli is instrumental in increasing one’s appetite. How could you eat a meal if it doesn’t give you a good appetite? In addition, not simply do spicy dishes make you eat more and more, but they also make your lunch and dinner more ritual. Though food served is not much, Padang people would have a delicious meal so long as there is chilli in it. They believe that dishes without spicy chilli sauce are not real dishes. Yet Padang chilli sauce is not the same as various chilli sauces found in Java, called sambal, since it is made of curly red chillies.

What about gulai? This turns out to be the next essential element as we take our tour around Padang cuisine. In Padang, smart cooking means the capability of preparing gulai (curry). Rendang, asam padeh (sour and spicy stew dish), kalio (watery and light-coloured gravy), to mention just a few, are variations of Padang gulai. You are not ‘good at cooking’ for making fried chicken, griddling pancakes or stir-frying vegetables. When someone excels at cooking gulai, he or she is knowledgeable about spices. That is why, to many Padangnese, ingenuity in cooking is identical with gulai cooking skills.

Last but not least, rice should be taken into account. The majority of Indonesians consume it as their staple food, however, it is so unique that Padang people can only enjoy steamed rice. They would never eat sticky rice like their Javanese brothers and sisters. No matter how poor they are, Padangnese never shift to corn, potato or sweet potato as an alternative to rice. For Padang people, a meal without rice is like a day without sunshine.

Padang food is not only made of meals, but also traditional snacks. While organizing functions and events, for example, I resort to serving and mixing modern cakes with local snacks. Along with brownies or muffins, kelamai (a sweet coconut palm sugared snack), kue talam (sweet glutinous rice cake) and lapek (banana pudding) are dished up as well.

Asam Padeh

A small change has begun to occur in recent years, thanks to the development of information-technology and burgeoning young people who are always interested in learning something new. In the past few years, Javanese food and beverages have failed to attract Minangnese customers because they are too sweet for the taste of Padang people. Noted restaurants in Java, like Wong Solo and Ayam Goreng Nyonya Suharti were unable to survive in West Sumatra.

Now, restaurants and cafes serving dishes of the archipelago such as ayam penyet (chicken with tempe and sambal) and pecel lele (fried catfish and rice with a side of sambal) are welcomed in many cities around Ranah Minang. The key lies in their ability to adapt to the taste of consumers in Padang. Like it or not, Padangnese culinary traditions are truly extreme. While Javanese, Sundanese or Jakartans can enjoy different meals without effort across the country, Padangnese still have trouble finding ‘foreign dishes’ suitable for their palates.

Read More