Indonesian traditional food is known for its simplicity and diverse flavors, including sweet, salty, and savory. Traditional dishes are renowned for their simple appearance and taste. Now, many people are beginning to transform them into more contemporary dishes. Traditional foods are being modernized as we live in a more modern era.
Traditional foods are being left behind due to the influx of modern and foreign foods into Indonesia. It’s undeniable that the current younger generation understands modern food more than traditional choices. This has prompted some parties to strive to preserve traditional food while also informing the younger generation about it.
Indonesian Traditional Foods
Indonesian culture is diverse, including its unique traditional foods in each region. Indonesian traditional food is also delicious due to the availability of a wide range of spices. Each region has its own taste and characteristics.
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Innovations in Indonesian Traditional Food
Honestly, innovations in traditional food are not aimed at changing or eliminating existing traditions; instead, they aim to add variety to the available food for the community. These innovations might be one of the ideas to start your culinary business.
Examples of Innovations in Indonesian Traditional Food
Here are some examples of innovations in traditional food:
Pancong Cake
Since the early 1980s, pancong cake, originating from Betawi, has become very popular. This food is usually served at major events such as weddings or circumcisions. This simple cake is made from flour and young coconut with granulated sugar toppings.
Now, the pancong cake you commonly see in the market is wrapped in a more attractive appearance. Usually, this cake is served simply without toppings or frosting.
However, now many restaurants serve modern-style pancong cakes that are cooked halfway to make them softer. Many modern flavors, such as oreo, melted chocolate, fruit jam, various types of fruit, cheese, green tea, ice cream, green tea, Nutella, and even boba, can be incorporated into this cake.
Tempe Steak
American steaks are usually made from expensive beef like wagyu. However, by substituting meat with tempeh, you can make an affordable steak that is easy to prepare.
Because the basic ingredients are cheaper than premium beef, tempeh steak is also more affordable.
Gethuk Swiss Roll
Javanese cuisine, especially from Central and East Java, like gethuk, is now becoming more popular. There is now a food called gethuk Swiss roll.
Gethuk is usually square-shaped with granulated sugar or grated coconut toppings. Gethuk roll, on the other hand, is round like a Swiss roll cake and has various toppings.
There are milo, cheese, macchiato, taro, and date flavors, as well as melted chocolate toppings, white chocolate, mocha chocolate, cheese slices, almonds, and dates. Very interesting.
Es Teler Parfait
Es teler is a traditional sweet and refreshing Indonesian drink. We will present it in parfait form this time. Place fruit slices, such as avocado, grass jelly, young coconut, and jackfruit, in a transparent glass. Then, pour thick coconut milk over it, then add coconut ice cream on top. A beautiful and delicious dish to enjoy.
Fried Banana
Fried bananas now have a more popular face. Bananas are made like nuggets, fried, and topped with various modern toppings.
Many people start this business with the name Banana Nuggets, and Kaesang also runs it under the name Sang Pisang.
Cassava Cheese
Who would have thought cassava and cheese could not be combined? Now you can increase the price of your cassava by covering it with parmesan or cheddar cheese.
Fry the cassava as usual, then sprinkle grated cheese on top, and your cassava is ready to be sold.
Nasi Uduk Macarons
Traditional Betawi nasi uduk is usually served with cucumber, fried crackers, fried tofu, slices of fried eggs, dried tempeh, shredded beef, fried chicken shreds, and peanut sauce. Nasi uduk is usually savory with spices.
After adding an innovative touch, the savory nasi uduk is mixed with macaron flavors that tend to be sweet. It turns out, macaron desserts are also delicious and tasty.
Sate Taco
One popular Indonesian dish, satay, can be turned into tacos. Use satay skewers filled with seasoned chicken or beef pieces, grill until cooked, then serve in taco shells with peanut sauce, cucumber slices, and cilantro leaves. Enjoy the savory satay flavor with the fresh and crunchy taco shell.
Block Cake
People still love the block cake known since the colonial era of the Netherlands. The inside of this cake will feel melted when cooked halfway. Now, block cakes are served with various toppings such as cheese or chocolate.
Rice Burger
Burgers are certainly no longer unfamiliar. The original food from Hamburg, Germany, consists of bread, meat, cheese, vegetables, and other ingredients.
However, for Indonesians who mostly consume rice as a staple food, they would not feel full just by eating burgers with carbohydrates from bread. Rice burgers that use bread as a source of carbohydrates are a unique innovation that combines Western food with the portion size of Indonesians.
Spicy Anchovy Nigiri
The Suntiang restaurant in Thamrin, Jakarta, transforms local food into international cuisine. Therefore, spicy anchovies are combined with Japanese sushi to create a new dish called spicy anchovy nigiri.
Soto Ramen
Ramen is a typical Japanese noodle, while soto is a traditional Indonesian soup. Combine the two by adding ramen noodles to the richly spiced soto broth.
Add slices of chicken or beef, bean sprouts, and sprinkle with fried shallots. Enjoy the delicious soto flavor and the taste of ramen noodles in one bowl.
Serabi
One of Solo’s specialties, serabi is usually sold in markets with various flavors such as chocolate, strawberry, green tea, etc. Previously, serabi was only served without frosting or toppings.
Klepon Cake
Since the 1950s, klepon, a typical Indonesian snack, has been a small light green ball made from a mixture of glutinous rice flour and sago flour with brown sugar filling. It is coated with grated coconut. Onde-onde is the name of a wet cake in Sumatra and Malaysia.
However, at some point, klepon was combined with sponge cake and transformed into klepon cake. Klepon cake is an example of a unique and innovative culinary business. This unique sweet dessert was initially made with the primary purpose of preserving traditional cakes from extinction, especially because these snacks are starting to become difficult to find in big cities.
While the taste of klepon cake is similar to pandan cake with klepon topping, the unique feature makes it highly favored.
Rendang Burger
Delicious Indonesian traditional food is rendang. However, this time we will transform the idea into a rendang burger.
Cook rendang meat with traditional spices, then put it into burger buns along with rendang sauce, slices of fresh vegetables, and cheese. Enjoy the strong taste of rendang in a contemporary burger.
Pempek Roll
A typical food from Palembang is pempek, which is made from fish. The pempek dough is shaped into thin sheets, then rolled, add slices of eggs, tofu, and vegetables, and grilled or steamed to give a
modern touch. Serve with cuko sauce and sweet soy sauce.
Rangi Cake
This Betawi typical cake is now packaged in a more modern style. Now, rangi cake is available with various toppings, such as sausage slices, chocolate sauce, mozzarella cheese, and even shredded meat, rather than just simple toppings like granulated sugar.
Pinch Cake
Its small and cute shape is the hallmark of this Betawi snack. It has been around since the colonial era of the Netherlands, made from flour, sugar, and eggs. Because of its shape and texture, Betawi people may have adapted poffertjes, Dutch snacks.
Pinch cakes are usually yellow and have no toppings or are original. Then there is innovation, and pinch cakes now come in various colors and flavors, such as green tea, taro, bubblegum, and others.
The toppings are also diverse, with cereals, biscuits, marshmallows, cheese, and chocolate bars. Its appearance is very cute. The packaging of pinch cakes also supports its modern appearance.
Mixed Ice Parfait
Mixed ice is a traditional refreshing dessert from Indonesia. We will present it in parfait form this time. In a glass, stack fruits such as agar-agar, grass jelly, young coconut, and jackfruit.
Then, pour brown sugar syrup over it and add vanilla ice cream on top. A beautiful and delicious dish to enjoy the sweet and refreshing mixed ice flavor.
Fried Rice Sushi
Fried rice sushi is an interesting innovation. Cold fried rice is used as the base; then, place nori on top, then add carrot slices, green beans, scrambled eggs, and slices of chicken or shrimp. Cut and roll into delicious sushi. Cook with soy sauce and spicy sauce.
Ketoprak Salad
A traditional Betawi food called ketoprak consists of rice cake, tofu, tempeh, and vegetables drizzled with peanut sauce. We will make it in salad form this time. Use rice cake, fried tofu and tempeh slices, then add lettuce, cucumber, green beans, and sliced boiled eggs.
Drizzle with peanut sauce and sprinkle fried shallots on top. Enjoy the savory and fresh ketoprak in healthy salad form.
That was a summary of healthy and affordable innovations in traditional food!
