Индонезиялық қытайлар асүйі: Қытай және Индонезия дәстүрлерінің үйлесімі

Cuisine of the people of Chinese Indonesians

Chinese Indonesian cuisine (, ) is characterized by the mixture of Chinese with local Indonesian style. Chinese Indonesians, mostly descendant of Han ethnic Hokkien and Hakka speakers, brought their legacy of Chinese cuisine, and modified some of the dishes with the addition of Indonesian ingredients, such as kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), palm sugar, peanut sauce, chili, santan (coconut milk) and local spices to form a hybrid Chinese Indonesian cuisine. Some of the dishes and cakes share the same style as in Malaysia and Singapore, known as Nyonya cuisine by the Peranakan.

Chinese influences are evident in Indonesian food. Popular Chinese Indonesian foods include bakmi, mie ayam, pangsit, bakso, lumpia, kwetiau goreng and mie goreng. Chinese culinary culture is particularly evident in Indonesian cuisine through the Hokkien, Hakka, and Cantonese loanwords used for various dishes. Words beginning with bak ([[wikt:肉) signify the presence of meat, e. g. bakpau ("meat bun"); words ending with cai ([[wikt:菜) signify vegetables, e. g. pecai ("Chinese white cabbage") and cap cai ("mixed vegetables"). Also mi or mie ([[wikt:麵) signify noodle as in mie goreng ("fried noodle"). Most of these loanwords for food dishes and their ingredients are Hokkien in origin and are used throughout the Indonesian language and vernacular speech of large cities. Because they have become an integral part of the local language, many Indonesians and ethnic Chinese do not recognize their Hokkien origins. Some of popular Indonesian dishes such as nasi goreng, mie goreng, bihun, kwetiau, lumpia and bakpia can trace their origin to Chinese influence. Some food and ingredients are part of the daily diet of both the indigenous and ethnic Chinese populations as side dishes to accompany rice, the staple food of most of the country. Chinese influence is so evident in cities with large Chinese settlements since colonial era, especially in Jakarta, Cirebon, Semarang, Surabaya, Medan, Batam, Bangka, Palembang, Singkawang and Pontianak. As the result numbers of mi (noodle) and tahu (tofu) recipes were developed in these cities. Chinese influence is so evident in Betawi people (native Jakartans) cuisines that basically was formed as peranakan culture, as the result Betawi people held Chinese Indonesians dishes such as asinan and rujak juhi as theirs. To a certain extent, Javanese in Semarang, Solo, and Surabaya also willingly absorbs Chinese culinary influences, as the result they also considered Chinese influenced dishes such as mie goreng, lumpia, bakso, and tahu gunting as theirs. Because food is so prevalent in Chinese culture as Chinese families often allocate their quality time to go eating out—just like banquet customs commonly found in Chinese communities worldwide—many Pecinan (Chinatowns) in Indonesian cities are well known as the culinary hot spots of the city, with rows of shops and restaurants. As Chinese and also native Indonesians establishing their food business, many eating establishments sprung up, from humble street side cart hawker to fancy restaurants offering their specialty. Areas such as Glodok, Pecenongan, and Kelapa Gading in Jakarta, Kesawan, Pusat Pasar, Jalan Semarang, Asia Mega Mas, Cemara Asri and Sunggal in Medan, Cibadak and Gardujati / Gardu Jati in Bandung, Kya kya Kembang Jepun in Surabaya, and Pecinans in Cirebon, Semarang and Solo teem with many warungs, shops and restaurants, not only offering Chinese Indonesian dishes, but also local and international cuisines.

Most of the times, the name of Chinese Indonesian foods are preserved from its original Chinese Hokkien name (e. g. bakmi, bakpau, locupan, lumpia, swikee). However, sometimes the name are derived from the translation of its meanings, ingredients or process in Indonesian (e. g. babi kecap, kakap asam manis, kembang tahu, nasi tim).

Bakpia (肉餅), sweet mung bean filled pastry from Fujian origin. In Indonesia, it is also widely known as bakpia Pathok, named after a suburb of Yogyakarta which specializes in the pastry. Cincau (青草), grass jelly drink served with shaved ice, coconut milk and sugar. Kembang tahu (豆花), soft tofu pudding in sweet ginger and sugar syrup. Kuaci (瓜子), edible dried and salted watermelon seed or sunflower seed. Kue bulan or tiong chu pia (中秋餅), the local name for Chinese mooncake. Kue keranjang or dodol cina; the local name for nian gao (年糕), the sweet treat of glutinous rice with palm sugar cake is locally known as dodol. Kue ku (龜粿), Chinese origin cake of sticky rice flour with sweet filling. The same as Chinese "Ang ku kueh" (Red Tortoise Cake). Kue moci (麻糬), glutinous rice filled with the peanut paste and covered with sesame seeds. Nopia, palm sugar filled pastry smaller size than bak pia. In Indonesia it is associated with the town of Purbalingga and Banyumas in Central Java. Onde onde, a fried glutinous rice ball filled with the peanut paste and covered with sesame seeds, local name for jin deui. Ronde, plain white or coloured sweet dumplings made from glutinous rice flour stuffed with peanut paste, floating in hot and sweet ginger and lemongrass tea. Sekoteng (四果湯), a ginger based hot drink which includes peanuts, diced bread, and pacar cina, can be found in Jakarta, West Java, and Yogyakarta.