Your stay in Indonesia would not be complete without satay
Satay, juicy slices of marinated meat on thin bamboo skewers grilled to perfection on a charcoal open fire. Indonesian satay is often accompanied with lontong, a type of rice cake, pickled shallots, chilli and peanut sauce.
You can find satay on a push cart on the streets
Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats. Bamboo skewers are often used and satay skewers grilled or barbecued over a wood or charcoal.
There is no satay without kecap manis
Most traditional satay would be marinated with kecap manis. Sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) is a sweetened aromatic soy sauce, originating in Indonesia, which has a darker color, a viscous syrupy consistency and a molasses-like flavor due to the generous addition of palm sugar.
Sweet soy sauce is an Indonesian heritage
The sauce is known in Indonesian daily lives since 1800s. It is made from soybean or black soybean, coconut sugar, salt and water. Soybeans are cooked and mixed with a mold culture of Aspergillus oryzae or commonly known as koji.
