I’m excited to share this month’s topic, which is Bento or known as a ready-to-go or home-packed meal, in Indonesian version. Here, we called it nasi kotak (lunch box). Indonesian usually serves nasi kotak when holding various events, such as office gathering, workshop, meeting, and birthday party. Serving nasi kotak has a special meaning. It’s an appreciation from the event holder to the guests who are coming to the event.
So, this is my homemade version of nasi kotak, made by me and my mom.
Rendang Rendang is an Indonesian spicy meat dish, usually made with beef simmered in spices and coconut milk. The word rendang originated from the word merandang or randang, which means “slowly” as it takes a long time to cook until the color becomes darker and the meat absorbs the sauce.
Ayam Bumbu Kuning (Indonesian Yellow Chicken)
The chicken is simmered in a flavorful mixture of spices and coconut milk until completely absorbed. Tinted in a rich kuning (yellow) color that comes from turmeric, this chicken dish is one of the most popular in Indonesia. It can also be fried until the color becomes gold and the skin is crispy.
Sayur Lodeh Sayur lodeh is an Indonesian vegetables dish in coconut milk soup. The yellow color broth comes from the turmeric we add during the cooking process. Basically, you can use various types of vegetables you have at home to make sayur lodeh. I like to use labu siam (chayote), kacang panjang (yardlong bean), and tahu (tofu).
Sambal Goreng (Fried Chili Sauce) Sambal (chili sauce) is a much-loved dish in Indonesia, as for most of us, a meal is not complete without it. Sambal goreng (fried chili sauce) is a dish where we can be creative by using a variety of ingredients to cook together. I like to add shrimp, telur puyuh (quail egg), and ampela ayam (chicken gizzard) in my sambal goreng.
I often receive nasi kotak when attending an event. And my favorite one comes from Dapur Solo Lunch Box Sunter.
Have you ever tried Indonesian cuisine? What Indonesian food do you wish to try? Let me know in the comments below.
Hi @SarveswarB we like spicy food because it tastes great! We like to put chili and coconut milk in almost every dishes. How about you? Do you like spicy food?
Halo Kak @iorikun301 terima kasih sudah mampir membaca Ya, semuanya masak sendiri bersama mama. Masakan Indonesia memang selalu istimewa! Ditambah acar dan kerupuk pasti lebih enak.
Wow this is bento looks amazing! I won’t mind having this everyday and its awesome that you cook everything yourself. I agree that Indonesian food are very special and delicious.
Maybe next time you can share the recipe of your favorite dish!
Thank you for reading my post. I’m sure you will love to eat them. Actually, my mom is very good at cooking. I still have a lot to learn from her.
Sure! I love sharing recipes. I recently posted Homemade Strawberry Pudding it’s our favorite dessert at home. Maybe you can try it. Very simple and easy.
By the way, what Indonesian food do you miss the most?
Mas @iorikun301 Ayo collab masak memasak bareng kak @Lusianaa , aku bagian review makannya ja ya hahaha masakannya kelihatan enak banget cocok buat program naikin berat badan . Tapi selama ini mau enak gak enak aku pasti kasih nilai bagus kok makanan kan harus dihabiskan gak boleh mubazir
Aku kalo masakan yang susah-susah begini belum bisa, Mbak @Nyainurjanah . Tapi kalo ngebantuin Kak @Lusianaa ngupas kentang atau telur puyuh, sih, kayaknya bisa. Sama masukin tisu. Wkwkk…
Kalo ga salah, bento tuh artinya bekal makan siang, Mbak @Nyainurjanah . Nasi sama lauk dibungkus dari rumah untuk dimakan di perjalanan. Kalo di Jawa namanya “bontot.” Bontotan. Mbontot.
Nah, coba aja itu makan siang dari kantinnya dibawa pulang sama kaleng-kalengnya. Kalo si ibu kantinnya ga nyariin, berarti bener itu namanya bento cc. @Velvel
Dalam konteks makanan, bontot/bontotan berarti bekal makanan (umumnya dalam kuantitas besar/cukup mengenyangkan). Kata kerjanya: mbontot.
Sedangkan bekal dalam kuantitas kecil (misal setangkup roti tawar) atau bahkan bekal tapi bukan dalam bentuk makanan (misal bekal uang) umumnya disebut sangu (dalam bahasa Sunda, sangu berarti beras/nasi. cc. Mbak @Nyainurjanah ).
Lalu dalam konteks urutan (misal anak), bontot bisa diartikan yang terakhir/bungsu. Tapi umumnya disebut ragil, sih. Kalau anak sulung disebutnya mbarep. Kalo Kak @Velvel anak bontot, kah?
Ini kenapa jadi pelajaran bahasa daerah, ya? Hahaa…
