Mouth-watering delicacies are always on the menu, so feast your eyes on these top 5 must-try Indonesian delicacies and watch out, don't salivate.

Rendang

Rendang, a traditional Indonesian dish from Padang, is often touted as one of the world's most delicious foods. Tender meat cooked to perfection with delicious herbs and spices. The meat is succulent, the spices are rich and the taste is perfectly balanced, making it a favorite with Indonesian tourists!

The Minangkabau are said to carry rendang with them on their long journeys. In the past, Minangkabau villagers used to cook their meat with traditional spices and coconut milk for about 7-8 hours to preserve the meat and its original flavor and texture.

Fish cakes

Fish cakes, made from minced fish and tapioca flour. Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in texture, this delicacy is often served with sweet and sour sauce, sliced cucumber, and noodles.

It is said that this crunchy snack was born in the hands of a villager in Jukang who created this new delicacy by accidentally deep-frying fish wrapped in tapioca flour. When he realized how delicious it was, he rode his bicycle through the village to sell the snack.

Soon after, fish cakes took the country by storm and are still a favorite among Indonesians today. Although there are many places that sell fish cakes, Pempek Candy in Jukang is the most popular place to buy them.

Tofu Assorted

It is said that a man who only ate steamed rice cakes and beans created this delicacy. He mashed up some peanuts, garlic, and chilies, added water to make a thick sauce, and added this peanut sauce to the simple toppings, thus creating Indonesia's famous street food tofu shish-kebab.

Popular on the streets of Jakarta, tofu shish kebab is a tofu salad with fried tofu, boiled egg, tomato sauce, or steamed rice cakes, rice noodles, bean sprouts, cabbage, and cucumber. It is topped with a delicious peanut sauce and sweet soy sauce and sprinkled with fried shallots and sliced shrimp.

The spicy sweetness of the sauce and the saltiness of the fried tofu give this dish a full flavor and are a must-try when you are in Jakarta.

Indonesian Siu Mai

Found almost everywhere in Indonesia, Indonesian siu mai is a simple street food that everyone should try once. It is very popular in Bandung, West Java and is similar to Chinese siu mai. Indonesian siu mai is mainly chewy steamed fish cakes with different toppings including sliced potatoes, cabbage and tofu in a delicious peanut sauce, adding another touch of flavour to it.

Kut Teh

An iconic Yogyakarta sweet, kudzu is made from unripe pineapple honey mixed with thick coconut milk and palm sugar. To preserve its original flavour, it is often cooked in an earthen pot over a wood or charcoal fire. This delicious dish is usually served with chicken, cooked egg, tempeh, tofu, chilli sauce, or crispy meat skin with chilli sauce.

It is common in the streets of Yogyakarta, but the most famous places are Wijilan and Barek.