🤯 Vegan Indonesian food that will blow yer' mind!

According to the government (yep, they made it official 🙄), these are the five crowned kings of Indonesian cuisine:

Soto (especially soto ayam)
Rendang (a slow-cooked spicy beef dish)
Nasi goreng (fried rice, but way more exciting than it sounds)
Satay with peanut sauce
Gado-gado (because vegetables + peanut sauce = instant win)

These Indonesian dishes show up on tables from homes to roadside restaurants, and they all hit different in the best way. The thing is, since my site is vegan, I am sharing with you veganized versions because I am 100% not gonna turn a cow into rendang, that's word to your mother.

Most Indonesian food starts with nasi (rice) and builds from there. Whether it’s nasi goreng (aka fried rice), soto ayam (a fragrant chicken soup), or street-style mie ayam (chicken noodles), Indonesian cuisine is all about flavor, balance, and comfort. You’ll find peanut sauce playing a major role too, especially in gado-gado, the country’s famous veggie salad. Don't freak out though, the recipes I share contain no chicken, fish, egg, or animal products of any kind!

Ask anyone on the street, and they'll probably say nasi goreng. Nasi means rice, and goreng means fried. This iconic fried rice is customizable, comforting, and found everywhere from high-end cafes to warung stalls. It's usually made with medium grain white rice, but it's also pretty bangin' with jasmine rice.

These cooking style share some similar DNA, like chili heat, herbs, and layers of flavor, but Indonesian food tends to be richer, more savory, and heavier on coconut and fermented stuff. While Thai recipes love lime, basil and fish sauce, Indonesian cuisine leans on tamarind, peanut sauce, and spice pastes. Thai dishes often go sweet-sour, while Indonesian dishes hit with spice and depth.

Honestly, I think Indonesian and Malaysian recipes have wayyyy more in common.