Joanna James
No trip to Indonesia is complete without sampling the street food in Batam, which is also known as warung food.
Not only does Indonesia have its own culture and history but the island's cuisine is a big part of its heritage. Trying the food at the hotels in Batam is an adventure in itself. One of the favourites is skewered meat, known as sate. Indonesia has many different combinations and varieties of this on-the-go treat but Sate Lilit deserves a special mention. The chunky paste is shaped around a skewer of bamboo, sugar cane or lemongrass for added flavour, then grilled over hot coals. There are varying degrees of spice added to this dish.
Though not a type of street food that originated in Indonesia, Martabak belongs on this list because it is the best-loved of all Indonesia's street food, according to popular local accommodations like Travelodge Batam. You can find this delicious treat anywhere in the country and at most hours of the day or night. The name Martabak means 'folded'. It is made by first flattening out a stretchy ball of dough into a large thin pancake and adding a filling that can be either sweet or savoury. The savoury filling usually consists of eggs, diced shallots and ground chicken that is packed with seasoning. The pancake is then folded over and fried on an oily flat surface. The sweet version takes more of a crumpet like an appearance, only about five times the size. Inside is a sweet chocolate mixture.
Lawar is a combination of minced meat, vegetables and coconut with generous quantities of herbs and spices mixed in. Again there are many varieties of this popular dish, Pork Lawar and Jackfruit Lawar are the most common but if you are feeling daring you can sample a Dragonfly Lawar. If you do want to order this unusual option, there may be a wait time involved until an adequate number of dragonflies can be caught. The dish is often accompanied by steamed rice and Babi Guling, suckling pig.
Nasi Campur is an Indonesian favourite that comes wrapped in a banana leaf. Batam does its own take on this special food parcel. Inside you will find a dollop of steamed rice with accompaniments like grilled tuna, tofu, spinach, spicy sambal, a sate of some kind and a crunchy poppadum like a cracker.
Jaja Bali is a selection of sweet treats or 'kue' that are inventions of the Balinese people. Different food vendors sell different selections. Laklak is a muffin type baked item, made from rice flour and grated coconut. It is finished with a drizzle of palm sugar caramel. Steamed banana with grated coconut is known as Pisang Rai, Bubur Injin is a black rice pudding with a thick sauce of coconut milk. The Balinese version of sweet crepes is made with pandan, filled with a mixture of palm sugar and coconut. Ask for Anddadar, which is the name for these delicious crepes.
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