TURNIPSEED TRAVEL
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media

Our Fav Foods In Jakarta: Peanut Sauce Edition

27/5/2016

 

There's nothing like great peanut sauce! It's our favourite of all the foods in Jakarta. Here's how you should try it.

Foods in Jakarta: A bowl of creamy peanut sauce.
Great foods in Jakarta start with peanut sauce (in my opinion!) Photo courtesy of www.splendidtable.org under creative commons.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that there are certain foods and flavors I’m obsessed with. I can’t seem to travel anywhere without talking about coffee, nachos, bread, cheese, and peanut sauce. Oh peanut sauce! My first introduction came as a tender traveler at the age of just 20 when I went to Amsterdam for the first time. At first I couldn’t fathom the idea of peanut butter - that classic of the jelly sandwich - as part of a savoury dish but it didn’t take more than a few bites for me to hooked. Amsterdam has a great Indonesian food scene but for the absolute real deal you have to take a journey into the heart of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. In my opinion, the best foods in Jakarta come with peanut sauce - and plenty of it. Here you’ll find everything from bustling street vendors, bicycle vendors, and food carts to world renowned restaurants led by celebrity chefs. No matter what your budget or style, there’s a spicy, succulent peanut dish for you.
Colorful vegetables in a white bowl, covered with peanut sauce
Photo courtesy www.gourmet.com under creative commons.
Gado Gado
 
Translated literally, gado gado means “mix mix” and it takes some serious tossing to combine all the hearty ingredients in this salad dish. Instead of flimsy lettuce leaves you’ll find steamed veggies, tofu, hard boiled egg, rice, and much more, all topped with a peanut sauce dressing. This is my go-to dish when I want something filling with a good boost of vitamins that’s stick-to-your ribs substantial.
 
Jakarta's residents will hotly debate which chef makes the city’s best peanut sauce and which style is their favourite. The peanut sauce dressing for gado gado includes terasi - aka dried shrimp paste - as a critical ingredient. The results are delicious but vegetarian travelers or those with shellfish allergies should take care.
 
Looking for a few great restaurant recommendations for gado gado? This foodie blog can help!
Grey bowl containing red Sop Buntut
Photo courtesy janetdeneefe.com under creative commons.
Sop Buntut (with a side of peanut sambal, of course!)

Sambal is a thick chili sauce not unlike a chunky whole grain mustard in consistency. Garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, lime, and vinegar come together by mortar and pestle with the signature ingredient: chili peppers! Vegetarians take note: shrimp paste and fish sauce are common sambal ingredients.

There are dozens of different sambal varieties, each one suited to a different dish, and of course my favourites include peanuts in the mix. I love the little bit of crunch it adds, as well as the nice balance between the salt of the nuts, the spice of the chilis, the sour from the lime, and the sweetness from the ginger and palm sugar.

A dollop of sambal is perfectly at home with the city’s most beloved comfort dish - sop buntut. Sop buntut is oxtail soup (though is often made with regular beef as well). The hot, flavorful clear broth is a go-to cure for many of life’s woes (just like chicken noodle soup in other countries.) It’s also a very affordable foodie choice and a great way to get a filling lunch without spending a fortune. ​
Grilled greens with a bowl of red sauce
Photo courtesy foodtaxi.co.id under creative commons.
Otak-Otak

This might be the strangest thing I’ve ever recommended. Otak-otak translates to “brain-brain”. For everyone who remembers my “fickle foodie” posts of the past, take heart! I have not had a personality transplant, nor developed an iron stomach or a brave will. Otak-otak is misleading-misleading! It’s not brain at all, just fish paste seasoned with yummy things like lemongrass and coconut before being wrapped in a banana leaf for cooking. And it’s a no-brainer (see what I did there?) that it’s absolutely delicious dipped in peanut sauce! The addition of peanut sauce seems to be unique just to Jakarta and I’m hoping it catches on throughout the rest of the country.

Otak-otak is a classic Indonesian street food. For those who are giving street food a try for the first time, chose a cart or stall with a long, fast moving line. Local residents rarely get it wrong and wouldn’t return to a vendor whose dishes are below par. Plus, the busier the stall, the less time the uncooked food spends sitting around unrefrigerated. ​
A plate of spicy noodles sitting on a green banana leaf
Photo courtesy dapuranda.net under creative commons.
Ketoprak
 
It would be wrong, wrong, wrong of me to describe ketoprak as a kind of Indonesian pad Thai but for a rough description the comparison helps you imagine the wonderful combination of flavors. Vermicelli noodles, tofu, and vegetables are bathed in a pool of garlicy, peppery peanut sauce. This is a go-to dish when you’re craving a heaping dose of carbohydrates.
 
Even if you haven’t tried ketoprak before but the word sounds vaguely familiar, you’re not alone. The word, coincidently, also refers to a style of theatre in Java. There’s no connection to the noodle dish but if you ask me this is the perfect inspiration for dinner and a show!
 
Asinan Betawi (or Asinan Sayur)
 
I’m going to be honest - this is not my kind of dish and I think asinan is one of those ‘love it or hate it’ kinds of items that divides a dinner table. If you like pickles and if you love kimchee, chances are you will love asinan betawi. But I am not a pickle fan - and nor do I like kimchee. Sorry!
 
A combination of different kinds of cabbage, bean sprouts, cucumber, carrot, and tofu (and sometimes fruit like mango and papaya), asinan is topped with a vinegary peanut sauce. It you like dishes with a lot of salt and tangy flavors, this is the dish for you!
 
I never thought there’d be a dish with peanut sauce I didn’t like but crazy things do happen! If you love it, please let me know in the comments. 
Two chicken kebabs covered with peanut sauce.
Photo courtesy tastykitchen.com under creative commons.
The classic: Satay.
 
You didn’t think I’d leave this one off the list, did you? Satay (sometimes spelled sate) is traditionally marinated, skewered beef that’s grilled over charcoal and served with a smooth, spicy peanut dipping sauce. You’re likely to find it on Asian inspired menus all around the world but Indonesia did it first - and Jakarta does it best.
 
Recipe variations include briefly boiling the beef first and then using the stock as the base for the peanut sauce but I’ve never encountered any boiled meat versions (that I’m aware of). Chicken is almost as common as beef and other varieties include lamb, goat, and even tofu/veggie versions. It’s a hot, filling, protein packed dish that can be enjoyed as a quick street snack or as the base for a full dinner.
 
If you can only try one peanut based dish in Jakarta, this is the one. It’s not too spicy or strong and there’s a nice balance between the slight smokiness of the grilled meat and the flavor of the sauce.


If you enjoyed this piece, you'll also like:
Why We Love Bangkok's Second Best Pad Thai 
What We Really Think About Singapore's Free Airport Tour

The Cheese Lover's Guide to Norfolk County
The Best Sandwich Shops in Ottawa

Tales from the Anti-Adventurist: Exploring the Grand Canyon 
​
linda cassidy link
3/6/2016 11:06:02 pm

looks so yummy

Vanessa
6/6/2016 12:12:23 pm

It all is!

Meg Jerrard link
12/6/2016 12:39:44 am

Love Indonesian food! Great tips ... highly recommend eating at a restaurant chain called Sate Khan Senayan. They have locations across Jakarta and serve fantastic Indonesian food :)

Vanessa
13/6/2016 10:21:27 am

The best lists are lists of places that do great food! Will have to check them out for sure.

Mar Pages link
13/6/2016 12:37:07 am

I've never had peanut sauce in Indonesia but its common here in Singapore as well! Its usually served with satay and is a delicious complement to the grilled meat.

Vanessa
13/6/2016 10:24:36 am

It's common in Thailand and Malaysia too I think. I also had crushed peanuts on tea leaf salad in Myanmar and I really loved it. Great protein boost.

andre jogja
3/1/2018 04:35:17 pm

Hi, an Indonesian born in Jogjakarta here. Thanks for covering the wide application of peanut sauce in Indonesian cuisine but I'd like to add more:
- Pecel = East Javanese salad (from Madiun exactly) with spicy peanut sauce. The main star in the sauce is kencur (lesser galangal/Kaempferia galanga) and it has fewer vegetables than gado2. The pecel I usually eat features spinach, cabbage, bean sprouts, toasted coconut, sweet tempeh, and kemangi (Indonesian basil) leaves. Other variant might include long bean and cassava/rice cracker/rempeyek. Diner can add sunny side up egg or fried tempeh.
- Karedok = West Javanese/Sundanese salad with raw vegetables coated wholly in (coarse) peanut sauce. In appearance it may resemble gado-gado but since it is made up of only raw veggies, expect to find cucumber, lettuce, cabbage, carrot, and some roasted peanut. The dressing somehow tastes a bit refreshingly sour with kaffir lime addition. My favorite!
- Batagor = abbreviated form of BAkso TAhu GOReng. As the name suggests, it consists of fried meatball (bakso) and fried tahu (tofu) smothered in peanut sauce with a dash of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). The sambal is sometimes put on the side so feel free to mix it for spicy kick.
- Siomay = influenced by Chinese fish dumplings but it also features tofu, boiled egg, rolled cabbage, etc. Of course it will not leave the (coarse) peanut sauce.
- Jukut santok = Balinese specialty. Some people say it's the Balinese version of gado gado. Honestly I haven't tried it yet.
Noodle in peanut sauce? It's not limited to Dan dan noodle. When I was a kid in the 1980s I used to buy it from street vendors in East Java. I even ate rice with peanut sauce. In Indoneia peanut sauce is classified in sambal (chili condiment/sauce) category and popularly called sambal kacang (peanut). Some people might call it bumbu kacang, bumbu pecel, or bumbu gado gado. Be aware that the term peanut sauce can be misleading here since in Indonesia each peanut-based sauce for certain food has specific ingredients absent/present in the others. So, satay peanut sauce is of course different from gado gado peanut sauce which is different from pecel and so on. Seeing its wide application in the cuisine, I am 100% sure that peanut sauce was invented in Indonesia and later spread to neighboring countries. Hope this list will motivate you to start food adventure Indonesia as I believe there will be more peanut sauce-based food I miss.

Vanessa
3/1/2018 05:55:47 pm

Andre - you are making my mouth water! Thank you so much for adding in such great information.


Comments are closed.
    Recent Posts
    Posts by Location
    Turnipseed Travel Category Canada
    Turnipseed Travel Category USA
    Turnipseed Travel Category Europe
    Turnipseed Travel Category Africa
    Turnipseed Travel Category Australia
    Turnipseed Travel Category Asia

    Post Categories

    All
    $200 Challenge
    200m Challenge
    Accommodation
    Africa
    Amsterdam
    Anti Adventurist
    Asia
    Australia
    Belgium
    Business Travel
    Camping
    Canada
    Central Counties
    Cozy Travel
    Destinations
    Europe
    Experiences & Activities
    Female Travel
    Food And Drink
    Gear And Packing
    Golf
    Greece
    Guest Posts & Interviews
    Health
    Inspiration
    Making Travel Memories
    Montreal
    Most Popular Posts
    National Parks
    Norfolk County
    Ontario
    Ottawa
    Paris
    Partners
    Pet Travel
    Photo Essay
    Preparation
    Press Trip Portfolio
    Reviews Accommodation
    Reviews Gear Packing
    Round The World
    Saving
    Toronto
    Transportation
    Travel Cooking
    Travel Memories Series
    UK & Ireland
    United States

    Posts by Date

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Disclaimers, Privacy, and Cookie Policy

Top 100 Travel Influencer
As named by the Obama White House in 2014.​
White House Study Abroad Logo 2014
Turnipseed Travel Logo 2019
DMCA.com Protection Status
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media