Makanan Indonesia: A Guide to Keeping off the Fried
So you’ve arrived in Indonesia.You start your day with a morning greeting from the local warung (food stand) owner, along with a tantalising bowl of soto ayam (chicken soup). Servings are small in Indonesia, so it doesn't quite fill you up. You opt to eat a banana for brunch. For lunch, culinary delights of mie goreng (fried rice), gado-gado (boiled vegetables in peanut sauce), ayam geprek (fried chicken) and kue pisang (fried banana) are available front, right and centre. Be sure not to forget the never ending amounts of tempe (fried fermented soy beans), pisang goreng (fried banana) and krupuk (fried crackers) to garnish the dish. Dinner looks like some sate ayam (chicken satay), ikan bakar (grilled fish) or perhaps ayam goreng (fried chicken). Ooh and the klepon (green rice-flour balls with palm-sugar filling) to finish off the day.
You’re perhaps noticing a pattern.
Yes - Indonesians seem to enjoy dripping their meals in oil and frying it it's own salty, fatty goodness. The main island (Java) also tends to enjoy that manis (sweet) flavour, adding at least 3 tablespoons of sugar in your tea, juice or smoothie. A bowl of es telur (a sweet fruit cocktail drink - a dish I would consider a dessert) can easily be served as breakfast, as I found out before a Tuesday morning lecture with some other Indonesian students. Factor in the insanely low price of Oreos, J.Co Donuts and Wafers (70c??), every trip to the supermarket (or even outside of your kos/dorm in general) becomes a struggle to fight the bulge.
As satisfying it is to indulge in these meals, it can take a slight toll on your body weight. Here are some tips to keep your health on track:
Tip 1: Oil content
Try to keep fried meals to a minimum of 1-2 meals a day. Try to avoid meals that have the word goreng (fried) in them if you can. Slightly a hard task given that almost everything is fried in Indonesia. Soups are great, and Indonesians tend to love them, so try to opt for these kinds of meals.
Tip 2: Moderation
Self-explanatory - don't overeat. This is particularly in relation to a famous Indonesian dish called martabak (very very very sweet pancake/crumpet) eat this dish maybe about 1-2 times a month for the safety of your body. Balance all meals with around 2L of water a day. Fruit in Indonesia is also extremely cheap and you can get your nutrients from here.
Tip 3: Do something. Every single day.
Okay so maybe not every single day, but most days. In Indonesia, the Islamic call to prayer (the Azaan) is made 5 times a day, including an early morning call at around 4:30am. It's almost certain that this call will wake you, so why not seize the day whilst you're at it? Make arrangements with friends (shoutout to the coolest group ever, Cool Runnings!) and get on it. Each day, try to change it up between running, cycling and tennis. Even if its just taking the stairs instead of the elevator, everything counts (and helps).
Tip 4: Go for Gold.
If you've read to this point - congratulations! You get to receive the long awaited final tip!
Ignore all above tips.
Eat every martabak you see. Buy that ikan bakar. Devour that durian. You're on holiday/exchange. You're here to learn, try new things. Savour the manis and feel the pedas. And to think you read this article with the intent to lose weight.
You're all quite funny, my 3 readers.
Yes - Indonesians seem to enjoy dripping their meals in oil and frying it it's own salty, fatty goodness. The main island (Java) also tends to enjoy that manis (sweet) flavour, adding at least 3 tablespoons of sugar in your tea, juice or smoothie. A bowl of es telur (a sweet fruit cocktail drink - a dish I would consider a dessert) can easily be served as breakfast, as I found out before a Tuesday morning lecture with some other Indonesian students. Factor in the insanely low price of Oreos, J.Co Donuts and Wafers (70c??), every trip to the supermarket (or even outside of your kos/dorm in general) becomes a struggle to fight the bulge.
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| Dunkin' Donuts and Anastasia are a dangerous(ly good) mix |
Tip 1: Oil content
Try to keep fried meals to a minimum of 1-2 meals a day. Try to avoid meals that have the word goreng (fried) in them if you can. Slightly a hard task given that almost everything is fried in Indonesia. Soups are great, and Indonesians tend to love them, so try to opt for these kinds of meals.
Tip 2: Moderation
Self-explanatory - don't overeat. This is particularly in relation to a famous Indonesian dish called martabak (very very very sweet pancake/crumpet) eat this dish maybe about 1-2 times a month for the safety of your body. Balance all meals with around 2L of water a day. Fruit in Indonesia is also extremely cheap and you can get your nutrients from here.
Tip 3: Do something. Every single day.
Okay so maybe not every single day, but most days. In Indonesia, the Islamic call to prayer (the Azaan) is made 5 times a day, including an early morning call at around 4:30am. It's almost certain that this call will wake you, so why not seize the day whilst you're at it? Make arrangements with friends (shoutout to the coolest group ever, Cool Runnings!) and get on it. Each day, try to change it up between running, cycling and tennis. Even if its just taking the stairs instead of the elevator, everything counts (and helps).
Tip 4: Go for Gold.
If you've read to this point - congratulations! You get to receive the long awaited final tip!
Ignore all above tips.
Eat every martabak you see. Buy that ikan bakar. Devour that durian. You're on holiday/exchange. You're here to learn, try new things. Savour the manis and feel the pedas. And to think you read this article with the intent to lose weight.
You're all quite funny, my 3 readers.
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