Joanna James
If you'd like to explore Indonesia from the sweeter side, you are certainly reading the right article! With so many islands in Indonesia all having unique ingredients of their own, Indonesian desserts offer a world of surprises for those who love to venture through food. Here are a few amazing desserts to hunt for when you visit the islands.
Klepon, known as Onde Onde in places like Sumatra and Sulawesi, this dessert is a wonder for your taste buds. It is prepared with coconut, palm sugar, pandan paste and glutinous rice flour and is famously sold throughout Indonesia in little kiosks.
This sweet is also known as Spekkoek and is an Indonesian sweet which is said to have come from the Netherlands. This is a multi-layered, firm cake that includes prunes and cheese in the traditional recipe. However, the cinnamon and chocolate versions are more popular these days. Because the cake has many layers it is sometimes called the thousand-layer cake. This dessert is sure to be available at serviced accommodation and hotels like those by Discover ASR in Indonesia.
This used to be one of the most unique desserts that were popular in the early days. It is a rather simple dessert prepared with shredded coconut, pandan paste, palm sugar and rice flour. What catches the attention of many is the way in which this dessert is prepared. A 5-6cm bamboo is used as the mould into which dough is filled halfway through. Next, palm sugar is added and then more dough to fill up the bamboo. It is then steamed for about 5 minutes.
Kue Lapis is also another layered Indonesian cake which is prepared with different ingredients from Lapis Legit. Kue Lapis is made from glutinous rice flour and coconut milk. Food colouring is added to give this dessert bright colours. Also, the mix for this dessert is steamed and not baked.
Known in Chinese as Ang Ku Ku, this dish consists of tiny red tortoise shell-like eats which represent happiness and prosperity. Bite into this treat and you will be greeted with a pasty texture full of rich flavour. This is the taste of mung beans made into a paste and packed into these treats. This dessert used to be traditionally served at Chinese events, but today you can find it at almost any small wayside eatery.
This yummy, sweet treat is said to date back many many years to the time of the Majapahit Kingdom in Indonesia. Ingredients used to prepare Wajik include coconut milk, palm sugar and glutinous rice. Wajik is a legendary sweet that is very rarely found today, however, if you are travelling in central Java, you may find it being sold. If you are invited to a local wedding Wajik is a sweet you will definitely come across as Indonesians believe in serving items with glutinous rice. This is because glutinous rice is said to stick together no matter what.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
