Javanese Side Dishes

This quintessential Southeast Asian condiment is usually made only with spicy chili peppers and salt. It is occasionally adapted with lime juice, onions, sugar, ginger, shrimp paste, or vinegar. Traditionally prepared in a mortar, it is characteri... READ MORE

This traditional Indonesian dish consists of rice cooked in coconut milk that is usually seasoned with turmeric, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Even though yellow rice is the star of nasi kuning, the dish is assembled out of other Indonesian ... READ MORE

Lontong is a traditional Indonesian rice cake, made by boiling tightly packed rice in banana leaves until it forms a firm, compact texture. The result is a mildly fragrant, chewy, and slightly firm rice cake, which is... READ MORE

Tempeh mendoan is a variety of fried tempeh that hails from Purwokerto. Thin slices of tempeh—fermented soybean product—are dipped in batter that is enriched with ground coriander, sliced scallions, and garlic before they are ... READ MORE

Nasi timbel is a traditional Sundanese dish from West Java that features steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves and served with a variety of savory accompaniments. The name "timbel" refers to the method of rol... READ MORE

Krupuk udang is a type of traditional Indonesian shrimp cracker, made from a mixture of ground shrimp, tapioca flour, garlic, and seasonings, which is then sun-dried and deep-fried until it puffs up into a light, cris... READ MORE

Tumis kangkung is a traditional dish originating from Java. The dish is usually made with a combination of kangkung (water spinach), shallots, garlic, galangal, hot chili peppers, sugar, salt, oil, and roasted shrimp paste. The garlic, shallots, h... READ MORE

Urap or urap sayur (Bali) or urab is a traditional salad that's commonly associated with Java. The salad is made with a combination of steamed or boiled vegetables and spiced grated coconut topping. The vegetables included in ura... READ MORE

Lalap or lalab is a traditional salad originating from West Java. Although there is no set recipe for the salad, it's often made with raw vegetables such as tomatoes, lemon basil, green eggplants, cucumbers, cabbage, and long beans, along... READ MORE

Kuluban is a traditional salad originating from Jepara, Central Java. The salad is made with a combination of vegetables such as jackfruit, bean sprouts, spinach, garlic, galangal, string beans, orange leaves, and kencur ginger, along with shredde... READ MORE