List of Indonesian condiments facts for kids

Indonesian food is famous for its amazing flavors, and a big reason for that is the many condiments they use! Condiments are special sauces, pastes, or toppings that you add to your food to make it taste even better. In Indonesia, these extras are super important and come in all sorts of flavors, from spicy chili sauces to sweet soy sauces and crunchy crackers. They really complete a meal!

Acar served with sambal, common Indonesian condiments.

Spicy Sambals: Chili Power!

Sambal rica-rica

Sambal ulek

Sambal is a super popular chili sauce in Indonesia. It's usually made by crushing chili peppers with other ingredients. There are so many different kinds!

• Sambal balado – This sambal mixes chili peppers (red or green) with garlic, shallots, tomatoes, salt, and lime juice. Then, it's lightly fried in oil. Sometimes, it's mixed with eggs, eggplant, or shrimp to make a dish.
• Sambal colo-colo – From the Maluku islands, this sambal has chili, tomato pieces, shallots, and lime. It tastes quite sour and is great with grilled fish.
• Sambal dabu-dabu – This fresh sambal uses roughly chopped tomatoes, calamansi lime, shallots, bird's eye chilies, and basil. Hot oil is poured over it, along with salt.
• Sambal roa – A hot sambal from Gorontalo and North Sulawesi. It's made with chili, tomatoes, spices, and smoked roa fish. It goes well with rice or fried bananas.
• Sambal goreng – This sambal is made by quickly stir-frying crispy fried shallots, red and green chilies, shrimp paste, and salt in coconut oil. You can also add other ingredients to make it a full dish.
• Sambal kacang – This one is a mix of chili, garlic, shallots, sugar, salt, crushed fried peanuts, and water. It's often used with dishes like nasi uduk (coconut rice) or otak-otak (fish cake).
• Sambal matah – A unique raw sambal from Bali, made with lots of finely chopped shallots, bird's eye chilies, lemongrass, cooking oil, and a splash of lime juice. It's fresh and zesty!
• Sambal petai – This sambal features red chili, garlic, shallots, and petai (stinky beans) as its main ingredients.
• Sambal petis – Made with chili, shrimp paste, peanuts, young banana, herbs, and spices.
• Sambal rica-rica – A hot sambal that uses ginger, chili, lemon, and other spices. It's perfect for grilled meats and chicken.
• Sambal tempoyak – This sambal is made from fermented durian, called tempoyak. The durian ferments for 3 to 5 days. You can mix the chili and tempoyak together or serve them separately.
• Sambal tuktuk – From North Sumatra, this sambal uses andaliman (a type of Sichuan pepper) and aso-aso fish (dried mackerel).
• Sambal tumpang – This sambal is made from chili peppers, other spices, and semangit (old and strong-smelling) tempeh (fermented soybean cake).
• Sambal ulek – A simple raw chili paste that is bright red, thin, and has a sharp taste.

Sauces and Pastes: Flavor Boosters

Sweet soy sauce and soy sauce

Petis

Belacan

These are often used to add deep flavors to dishes.

• Belacan – A type of shrimp paste made from tiny shrimp called rebon.
• Cuka (palm vinegar) – Vinegar used as a condiment.
• Kecap asin (soy sauce) – A salty soy sauce.
• Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) – A sweet and fragrant soy sauce, very popular in Indonesia.
• Kecap manis sedang (medium sweet soy sauce) – This soy sauce is less thick and sweet than regular sweet soy sauce, and a bit saltier.
• Kecap ikan (fish sauce) – A semi-solid condiment made from fermented fish or krill with salt.
• Kecap inggris (Worcestershire sauce) – A fermented sauce made from anchovies and spices.
• Lengkare – A savory and sweet shrimp paste, similar to terasi.
• Mayones (mayonnaise) – A thick, cold sauce often used in sandwiches, salads, or fritters.
• Minyak wijen (sesame oil) – An oil made from sesame seeds, used for cooking.
• Moster (mustard) – A paste or sauce made from mustard seeds.
• Pasta asam jawa (tamarind paste) – A sour paste made from tamarind fruit.
• Petis or hae ko – A black shrimp paste popular in Java. It's often used in tofu dishes, rujak (fruit salad), or laksa (noodle soup).
• Petis ikan (fish paste) – A salty, dark fish paste.
• Saus kacang (peanut sauce) – A famous sauce made from ground roasted or fried peanuts. It's a must-have for satay, gado-gado (vegetable salad), and ketoprak (noodle salad).
• Saus tiram (oyster sauce) – A dark-colored sauce made from oysters.
• Saus tomat (tomato ketchup) – A sweet and tangy sauce made from tomatoes, sugar, and vinegar.
• Tauco – A paste made from preserved fermented yellow soybeans. It's used in dishes like tahu tauco (tofu with tauco) and swike (frog leg soup).
• Terasi – A dried shrimp paste, usually sold in dark blocks or as a coarse powder. It has a strong smell but adds amazing flavor.
• Tapai – A traditional fermented condiment made from rice or other starchy foods. It's usually used as a topping in sweet desserts like es campur (mixed ice) and es doger (coconut ice cream).
• Tempoyak – Fermented durian flesh mixed with salt. It's left to ferment for three to five days.

Relishes and Pickles: Fresh and Tangy

Acar pickle

These condiments add a fresh, tangy, or sometimes fermented taste to meals.

• Acar – A vegetable pickle made with cucumber, carrots, cabbage, shallots, bird's eye chilies, and vinegar. Sometimes it includes pineapple.
• Budu – A sauce made from fermented anchovies.
• Cincalok – Fermented small shrimps or krill.
• Lalab – Fresh vegetable slices served as a side dish or garnish. Common ones include cucumber, tomato, cabbage, lettuce, and lemon basil. They are often eaten with sambal.
• Nata de coco – A jelly-like food made by fermenting coconut water.
• Tongcai – Preserved salted vegetables, often used in bakso (meatball soup) and mi bakso (meatball noodle soup).
• Urap – Steamed vegetables mixed with seasoned and spiced grated coconut.

Garnishes and Toppings: Crunchy and Flavorful

Fried shallots

Hagelslag

These are sprinkled on top of dishes to add texture, aroma, and extra flavor.

• Abon (meat floss) – A dried meat product that looks like fluffy cotton. It can be made from beef, chicken, or fish.
• Bawang goreng (fried shallots) – Crispy fried onions or shallots. They are sprinkled on many dishes for a lovely aroma and crunchy texture.
• Hagelslag or meses (sprinkles) – Small pieces of candy used to decorate foods like bread, roti bakar (toasted bread), or ice cream.
• Kerisik – A dark brown condiment made from toasted and ground coconut. It's used in Malay dishes like rendang (meat stew) and laksa (noodle soup).
• Kismis (raisin) – Dried grapes, often used as a garnish on nasi kebuli (spiced rice).
• Muisjes – A topping made of aniseeds with a sugared and colored outer layer. It's commonly used on bread.
• Seledri (celery) – Celery leaves used as a garnish, often sprinkled on chicken rice porridge (bubur ayam).
• Serundeng – Grated coconut that is sautéed and spiced. It can be served with beef, sprinkled on soto (soup), or eaten with sticky rice.
• Vlokken – Chocolate flakes, often used as a sandwich topping.

Krupuk and Kripik: Crispy Crackers

Amplang crackers

These crispy snacks are often served alongside meals to add a satisfying crunch.

• Amplang – A savory fish cracker snack, usually made from wahoo or Spanish mackerel fish.
• Emping – Crackers made from flattened Gnetum gnemon seeds. They have a slightly bitter taste.
• Kemplang – Another savory fish cracker snack, similar to amplang, also made from wahoo or Spanish mackerel.
• Keripik – These are chips or crisps, bite-sized snack crackers that can be savory or sweet.
• Kerupuk – Deep-fried crackers made from starch and other ingredients.
  • Kerupuk ikan – A krupuk snack made from starch and fish.
  • Kerupuk kulit – Crackers made from cow, buffalo, or pork skin.
  • Kerupuk udang – A krupuk snack made from starch and prawn.
• Rempeyek – A cracker snack made from flour with other ingredients, coated in a crispy flour batter. It often has peanuts or small fish embedded in it.
• Rengginang – A rice cracker made from cooked glutinous sticky rice and seasoned with spices.

Spreads: Sweet and Savory

Coconut jam

These are often used on bread or as a sweet addition to desserts.

• Selai kacang (peanut butter) – A spread made from ground and dry-roasted peanuts.
• Selai serikaya (coconut jam) – A sweet, creamy coconut spread made from coconut milk, eggs, sugar, and pandan leaf.

Images for kids

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  Nasi goreng with various condiments includes; emping cracker, fried shallots, acar pickles and lalab.

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  Asinan betawi with krupuk as condiment.

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  Emping, lemon basil and bawang goreng on top of laksa betawi as garnishing.

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  Kerak telor with fried shallots on top.

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  Goat nasi kebuli with raisins as garnishing.

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  Mi bakso with tongcai and fried shallots.

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  Soto mi sprinkled with fried shallots and sambal.

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  Mutton satay in peanut sauce.

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  Hagelslag sprinkled on top of sandwiches.

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  Es doger with cassava tapai.

See also

• Indonesian cuisine
• Bumbu (seasoning)
• Condiment
• Cuisine of Indonesia
• Kripik
• Krupuk
• List of condiments
• List of Indonesian dishes
• South Asian pickle
• Sambal
• Sauce