A guide to Dutch-Indonesian food and the rijsttafel
By Terri Sturman
Before arriving in the Netherlands, many people have very little knowledge of the colonial history of the Dutch in Indonesia, and the prevalence of Indonesian food in the Netherlands often comes as a surprise.
Even the smallest town high street will usually feature a spot for Indonesian dishes, be that a fancy restaurant, a takeaway, or one of the ubiquitous Asian speciality grocery stores known as tokos. Indonesian dishes such as saté and rendang have also become standards on Dutch pub menus, and stalls selling loempia are common at markets.
Here’s a guide to Dutch-Indonesian food in the Netherlands, the concept of the rijsttafel, the best dishes, and the top places to try them.
Indos and how Indonesian food came to the Netherlands
The Dutch East India Company arrived in Indonesia in the 1600s, and Indonesia remained a colony of the Netherlands until 1949, following four years of civil war. In that time, both cultures had an impact on the other, with Dutch words and foods making their way into Indonesian life, and Indonesian words and food finding their way back to the Netherlands.
The majority of Indonesian food in the Netherlands is actually Indo food, rather than strictly Indonesian food. Indo is the term given to those with mixed Dutch and Indonesian heritage, and it is these people who have had the most impact on Dutch cuisine. The dishes are usually clearly based on traditional Indonesian dishes, but often with a different serving method or some changes to their ingredients.
The rijsttafel
One of the most famous features of Dutch-Indonesian food is the concept of the rijsttafel, which isn’t a particular dish, but a style of eating.
Not dissimilar to a buffet, a rijsttafel features a wide array of dishes that you serve yourself from. It differs from a buffet in that it is more formal, and all the dishes are laid out on your table. You help yourself to a small amount from each dish, so it operates rather like a tasting menu for Indonesian cuisine.
While Indonesians typically only have two or three dishes alongside rice, a rijsttafel can consist of up to 40 different foods! The origins of the rijsttafel are unknown, but that it comes from the Dutch colonisers in Indonesia is undisputed. One theory is that it is an excellent way to show off the country’s wide range of foods and spices to visiting dignitaries and merchants.
Rijsttafel restaurants can be found all across the Netherlands, and are a particular favourite for occasion meals, such as birthday celebrations.
Typical Dutch-Indonesian dishes
With the large number of Indonesian grocery stores, takeaways and restaurants in the Netherlands, there is a wide range of Indonesian food available, from sweet to sour to spicy. Here are some of the most common:
Atjar
Atjar is a tangy side-dish of pickled vegetables. Typical vegetables are cucumber, carrots, cabbage and shallots, and lime or chilli is often added to the vinegar for extra flavour.
Babi Ketjap
A staple of the rijsttafel, babi ketjap is chunks of pork belly braised in a sweet soy sauce.
Bami
Bami literally just means noodles, but almost always means bami goreng, or fried noodles, in the Netherlands. Standard additions include garlic, bell peppers, onion, ginger and soy sauce, and often a meat of your choice.
Bamischijf
Made by taking cooked bami goreng and squashing it into a dough-like consistency, before breading and deep-frying it, bamischijf is a staple of snack bars across the Netherlands.
Gadogado
A very common side-dish in the Netherlands, gadogado is a salad of raw or lightly blanched vegetables, served in or with a peanut sauce, and usually topped with a boiled egg, tofu and crumbled kroepoek.
Kroepoek
Kroepoek is a type of light and crispy cracker that has been fried in oil, and is served both alongside main courses or eaten as a snack. While Indonesia has dozens of varieties of kroepoek, in the Netherlands, they are almost always made from tapioca flour and shrimp.
Loempia
The Indonesian version of spring rolls, loempia are a mix of vegetables (usually bamboo shoots, cabbage, onion and bean sprouts) and sometimes meat, enveloped in dough and deep fried. These are a super popular snack food in the Netherlands, and most outdoor events will feature a loempia stall.
Nasi
Along with bami, nasi is one of two staples of Indonesian food. Again, nasi just translates as rice, but tends to stand in for the longer term nasi goreng, or fried rice. The rice is usually fried with soy sauce, onion, garlic and chilli.
Rendang
This is one of the Indonesian dishes that the Dutch have truly embraced as their own, and you can find it on pub menus or even as a topping for loaded fries. Meat, typically beef, is slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices until almost all the liquid has been absorbed. The spices used vary, but they are often ginger, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, chilli and turmeric.
Sambal
Given the Dutch reluctance to add heat to any of their own meals, their love for this incredibly hot sauce is somewhat surprising. There are lots of types of sambal, but the standard in the Netherlands is sambal oelek, which is made from crushed red chillis, salt and a little sugar. It’s offered alongside Indonesian and Dutch dishes alike, and can be picked up in any supermarket if you want it at home.
Saté
Also known as satay, this is a popular dish and is found on Dutch and Indonesian menus alike. Saté is grilled meat, often chicken (saté ajam), grilled on a skewer and served with a peanut sauce. Dutch saté sauce is much thicker than traditional Indonesian saté.
Seroendeng
Made from grated coconut, peanuts, fried onion, coriander, cumin and shrimp paste, seroendeng is a tasty condiment, generally sprinkled over rice dishes for extra flavour.
Soto Ajam
Soto means soup, and by far the most popular type in the Netherlands is soto ajam (or ayam): chicken soup. It is an aromatic soup that can be served with rice or by itself, and features coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and turmeric. You might also see saoto on menus – this is the Surinamese version of this Indonesian dish.
Spekkoek
The origins of sweet treat spekkoek are long lost to history, with the Portuguese, Germans and Malaysians all claiming to have inspired it. It’s characterised by its alternating layers of dark and light cake. The soft sponge cake is spiced with anise, mace, clove, nutmeg and cardamom, and tastes not unlike speculaas.
Where to eat Indonesian food in the Netherlands
As mentioned before, there are Indonesian restaurants all over the Netherlands, so wherever you live, it shouldn’t be difficult to find somewhere to try this flavourful cuisine.
The Hague is known as the centre of the Indonesian population in the Netherlands, so it also has some of the oldest and best Indonesian restaurants. A typically Dutch way of eating Indonesian food is not to necessarily go to a fancy restaurant, but instead to a takeaway or even a toko that serves hot food.
If you want to try some of the higher-end Indonesian dining, or perhaps a rijsttafel, these are some of the top Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands.
Restaurant Blauw
With restaurants in Amsterdam and Utrecht, Restaurant Blauw has been going for decades already. Known for their stylish rijsttafels, they also have an exciting and adventurous á la carte menu.
Berempah
Helmed by star of YouTube, chef Reza in Holland, this is a low-key place near the Peace Palace in The Hague. Food is available for takeaway, but you’ll feel comfortable and welcome in the cosy restaurant.
Tujuh Maret
This family-run restaurant has been serving tasty Indonesian dishes for 30 years now and shows no signs of stopping. Being on Utrechtsestraat in Amsterdam does mean it gets its share of tourists, but the quality of the food hasn’t changed despite this. Their rijsttafel is very well priced and extensive.
Ron’s Gastrobar Indonesia
With two locations in Amstelveen and Laren, Ron’s Gastrobar Indonesia are self-consciously cool places to eat. The food is extremely high quality, but the restaurants are called bars for a reason. A relaxed atmosphere and good music mean this is a great place for groups of friends to try a whole host of Indonesian dishes.
Minang Kabau
This restaurant stands out mostly for its lakeside location in a suburb of Rotterdam, and striking faux-Indonesian architecture, but don’t worry, they haven’t forgotten to make the food good too! With space in their hall for over 100 people, and the beautiful view of the lake, this is the perfect place to celebrate an occasion with good food.
Try for yourself
Now you're armed with all the information you need to go out and start ordering for yourself. Whether you go for a multi-course gastronomic experience or a takeaway on the sofa, trying Indonesian food is one thing you definitely need to do while you live in the Netherlands.
Editor at IamExpat Media. From Dorset originally, Terri studied Peace, Conflict and Security at the University of Kent in Canterbury before moving to London and then Amsterdam. In her spare time, she loves to plan holidays she'll never have time to go on and writing short plays.Read more