The spice of Indonesian life

Indonesian Cooking: Satay, Sambals and More
By Dina Yuen
Published by Tuttle Publishing
Available at Asia Books and other leading bookstores

When you think of Indonesian food, the chances are what comes to mind are beef satay, nasi goreng and laksa. “Indonesian Cooking” by Dina Yuen shows that Indonesia’s culinary culture is as vast and complex as its archipelago.
What’s Indonesian food like?
It’s somewhere between Thai and Indian food, says the author, who lived in the US and several other countries before moving to Indonesia in her teens. It’s like Thai food because the Indonesians love their food spicy and a little salty. Indeed, as Yuen’s recipes show, the locals love rich curries, but probably rely on more spices than the Thais.
With 17,000 islands forming the Indonesian archipelago, the country boasts a vast array of indigenous culinary cultures that remain largely unexplored. Each of the islands offers dishes that vary in spiciness and flavour. In eastern Java, people love the spicy salads known as Masakan Jawa and can’t live without old fashioned mocha cakes. In Bali, a meal isn’t complete without sweet and mildly spicy roasted meats. In Western Java, Betawi and Sunda reign supreme.
The dishes in this book range from the familiar to the exotic. Yuen offers easy-to-follow recipes to introduce each of these dishes that celebrate the use of organic products, fresh herbs and spices. The dishes laid out in this book reflect the breadth and depth of Indonesia’s vast culinary culture.
The author starts by introducing sambal dipping sauce, using shrimp paste, peanut, tomato and chilli. She then recommends some of the greatest appetisers and snacks such as pan-friend soybean cakes, chicken satay, fresh spring rolls, spinach tempura and fish cakes. You find a lot of curries using poultry and meat, which tastes sweet and spicy. Nothing beats golden-fried fish and fried seafood. Highlights include crispy fish with chilli sauce, grilled swordfish with fragrant yellow rice and spicy saut