10-Day Indonesia
Itinerary

Nasi Goreng

Indonesia's national dish and the world's most consumed fried rice: day-old steamed rice stir-fried in a screaming wok with shrimp paste (terasi), sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), garlic, shallot and chilli; topped with a fried egg (the yolk must be runny), prawn crackers and sliced cucumber; eaten from street carts at midnight and hotel restaurants at dawn with equal enthusiasm.

Rendang

Possibly the world's most complex dry-curry: beef simmered for up to eight hours in coconut milk with galangal, lemongrass, turmeric leaf, kaffir lime and a paste of fresh chillies until all the liquid evaporates and the beef caramelises in its own rendered coconut oils; voted the world's most delicious food in multiple CNN polls; the patience required is the point.

Satay (Sate)

Southeast Asia's most celebrated street food in its Indonesian incarnation: skewers of marinated chicken, lamb, pork or offal grilled over coconut shell charcoal and served with a sauce of peanuts, palm sugar, kecap manis, shallot and chilli; Madura's satay is the benchmark; each island has its own version; the smoke of satay carts is Indonesia's signature street perfume.

Babi Guling

Bali's ceremonial roast pig: a whole pig stuffed with a spice paste of shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, chilli, candlenut and bumbu Bali, then slowly rotated over a wood fire for four to five hours until the skin cracks into the most intensely spiced crackling on earth; served at every Balinese Hindu ceremony and at Ibu Oka's famous Ubud warung.

Soto Ayam

Indonesia's most universally beloved soup: a clear, turmeric-golden chicken broth perfumed with galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime and ginger; served over vermicelli with shredded poached chicken, hard-boiled egg, bean sprouts, fried shallots and celery leaves; every region has its version; Soto Kudus uses buffalo, Soto Lamongan adds koya shrimp powder.

Gudeg

Yogyakarta's ancient jackfruit stew: unripe jackfruit (the fruit is used while still starchy and meat-like) slow-cooked in coconut milk with palm sugar, galangal, bay leaves and teak leaves for up to eight hours until it turns a deep amber-brown and develops a sweet, complex flavour unlike any other dish; eaten with rice, fried chicken and krecek (crispy cow skin stew).