Melbourne's Best Indonesian Restaurants

Here in Oz, Indonesian food gets a bad rap. This is not, let it be said, down to the quality of the cuisine. Goodies from our neighbour are prepared with a complexity that only 6000 populated islands can produce. The reason, perhaps, we miss it is, drunk and baking on a beach in Bali, we can stomach nothing less ordinary than gloopy gado gado.

It’s time for us to revise our understanding of this diverse and multipart food style. Indonesian food is more than nasi goreng and it doesn’t have to come swimming in a strait of peanut sauce. Although, of course, the peanut has its place. This was one of many ingredients introduced to the nation by merchants and rather, arguably, it is in Indonesia that this humble legume finds its highest expression. If you’ve had it combined with tamarind, palm sugar, chilli, shallot and the other components of a truly great satay, you’ll need little convincing.

The satay comes to us from Indonesia’s most broadly known regional cuisine variety, Padang. It’s from the Minangkabau people we receive rendang and goreng, too. However, even defining this region-within-a-region is terribly difficult. Influenced by Halal practice, middle eastern taste, Chinese technique, European eating practices and spices that have travelled the world for centuries, Padang defies a ready description.

Like the nation itself, the cuisine progresses, changes and adapts. A true “fusion”, Indonesian food takes in a buffet of cultural influence and an archipelago of ingredients. From the Dutch “rice table” method of serving to the Babi Guling, or ground-roasted suckling pig, of Bali, there’s an archaeological dig of influences for you to try with your spoon.

There’s only one thing for it: get eating.

SM King, Citysearch