Nasi Padang
When I first arrived in Indonesia, the first Indonesian food I tried was Nasi Padang. Translated simply as Padang Rice, Nasi Padang is the name for various mixed rice dishes originating from Padang, the capital of Sumatra island in Indonesia. Known for its colourful dishes and fragrant spice combinations, it is undoubtedly one of the most famous cuisines in Indonesia.
If you eat Nasi Padang in a restaurant, likely you will be greeted by a scene similar to the one above right after you sit down. The servers will welcome you with many little dishes of almost everything available in their restaurant, and you choose what you want to eat and leave the rest. It's like a buffet at your table. If you are curious to try Nasi Padang in a restaurant, the two best chains in Jakarta are Rumah Makan Padang Sederhana (RM Sederhana) and Restoran Padang Garuda, both of which are delicious, although RM Sederhana is a little cheaper overall, so that's the one I go to if I want to eat Padang at a restaurant.
Nasi Padang is also easy to find on the street, but since there are so many dishes involved, it will often be sold from either a smaller storefront as takeaway, or perhaps even from the back of someone's van (as pictured above). It is a longstanding tradition in Indonesia that you will get a far bigger portion of rice if you order Nasi Padang to takeaway ("di bungkus") rather than in a restaurant, because traditionally people might buy a few portions of Nasi Padang, take it home, and feed their whole family with it. So if you order Nasi Padang to go, don't be surprised if they send you away with an exceptionally large portion of rice.
There are many delicious dishes that make up Nasi Padang. Some of my favourites include rendang (curried beef), gulai nangka (jackfruit curry), both sambal merah and sambal cabe ijo (red and green chili sauces), daun singkong (blanched cassava leaf), and one of my favourite toppings for various Indonesian dishes, tempe orek (stir fried tempe).
If you eat Nasi Padang in a restaurant, likely you will be greeted by a scene similar to the one above right after you sit down. The servers will welcome you with many little dishes of almost everything available in their restaurant, and you choose what you want to eat and leave the rest. It's like a buffet at your table. If you are curious to try Nasi Padang in a restaurant, the two best chains in Jakarta are Rumah Makan Padang Sederhana (RM Sederhana) and Restoran Padang Garuda, both of which are delicious, although RM Sederhana is a little cheaper overall, so that's the one I go to if I want to eat Padang at a restaurant.
Nasi Padang is also easy to find on the street, but since there are so many dishes involved, it will often be sold from either a smaller storefront as takeaway, or perhaps even from the back of someone's van (as pictured above). It is a longstanding tradition in Indonesia that you will get a far bigger portion of rice if you order Nasi Padang to takeaway ("di bungkus") rather than in a restaurant, because traditionally people might buy a few portions of Nasi Padang, take it home, and feed their whole family with it. So if you order Nasi Padang to go, don't be surprised if they send you away with an exceptionally large portion of rice.
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