“Dessert” is probably popular term in Western world, where people are familiar with three-course meals: appetizer, main course, and dessert. In Indonesia, three-course meal is not common, not all people continue to refreshing, sweet menu after their meals.
However, Indonesia has many foods that can be perfect dessert after meals. Some are served cold with shaved ice or ice cubes, some are served warm. Not only for dessert, they are also good for snack!
Here are our picks of top cold, delicious Indonesian so-called desserts that you can find easily on the roadsides:
COLD DESSERTS
These cold desserts are perfect for hot and sunny day!
- Es Campur
Roughly translated, Es Campur means “mixed ice” in English. Just like its name suggests, it is made by mixing various ingredients in sweet syrup. Usually, a bowl of Es Campur consists as kolang kaling (sugar palm fruit), cendol or dawet (cornstarch-based doughy droplets), avocado, jackfruit, pineapple, bread chunks, and grass jelly. All is topped with shaved ice and sweet condensed milk. - Es Doger
The main part of this dessert is sugared sweet coconut milk-based ice in pink syrup, served with pacar cina merah delima (red tapioca pearls), avocado, tapai singkong (fermented cassava), tapai ketan hitam (black glutinous rice), jackfruit, diced bread, and sweet condensed milk (plain or chocolate flavored). Es Doger gains its pinkish color from rozen (rose) syrup, cocopandan syrup, or pink food coloring. - Sop Buah
If you translate “Sop Buah” into English, you will find that it says “Fruit Soup”. No its not chunks of fruits in chicken broth. The cold, sweet dessert consists of diced fruit like apple, pear, grape, strawberry, melon, avocados, dragon fruit, and jellies; all topped with ice cubes, sugar syrup, and sweet condensed milk. When the ice cubes are melted it resembles soup—fruit chunks in gravy, so it pretty much explains why it is named Sop Buah. - Es Cincau
Es Cincau is a refreshing drink, with cincau or grass jelly as main ingredient. The diced cincau is served with syrup (cocopandan syrup or palm sugar syrup), coconut milk (or plain milk), and shaved ice. Not only as refreshing drink, cincau is also believed as natural antioxidant and has ability to cure sore throat.
Do you have favorite Indonesian desserts? Share with us!
