A rainy day reminds Indonesians of something tasty and comforting. Warm gorengan and spicy instant noodles are Indonesians' comfort foods that almost everyone craves during the wet season. In some ways, it has already become culture in Indonesia. This article will bring you on a delicious journey amid the homey atmosphere when the rain starts to pour.
Rainy Weather Boosts Snack Cravings
Cold and damp weather naturally makes people long for something warm and satisfying. In Indonesia, where high humidity is consistent throughout the year, rainy days create the perfect excuse for indulging in snacks that are fried, spicy, or carb-heavy.
It begins from the Indonesians’ slang term “mager” ("males gerak" or lazy to move). This type of feeling is commonly increased in the wet season, which leads them to have the ideal setting for quick and tasty bites that are easy to grab or make at home. Here, gorengan and instant noodles come to fulfill this wish.
Gorengan: The Undefeated Rain Snack
Fried snacks or fritters, Indonesians call them “gorengan”, might be the go-to snack during rainy days. It is affordable and can be made from any leftover ingredients available in the refrigerator.
If you have ripe bananas, you can easily turn them into warm banana fritters by dipping in into flour-sugar-water batter and frying in the hot oil. If there are some vegetables left, you can also make them into vegetable fritters, also known as “bakwan” or “ote-ote”—other regions might have different terms. You can mix any vegetables, including corn, carrots, bean sprouts, spring onions, and cabbage that have been chopped into the batter to turn them into tasty vegetable fritters.
Another ingredient that you can make into fritters is tofu. Rather than eat this protein-source ingredient in a mainstream way, Indonesians often fill it with rice noodles mixed with some vegetables and deep fry it. Not take a long time, it can turn out to be the comfy food to accompany Indonesians with the sound of the rain.
It is not culturally Indonesian if it is not spicy. So, they usually eat these fried snacks by dipping them into a simple chili dip or just biting them together with bird's eye chili.
For the full experience, they’re often shared with family while chatting in front of the TV, turning each bite into a nostalgic moment. This homey situation later makes these snacks bring a sense of home for the eater.
Instant Noodle: The Ultimate Rainy Day Bowl
One of the most well-known instant noodle brands is from Indonesia, which also shapes the consumption habits of Indonesians. Most Indonesians' homes always have a stock of this instant noodle. Affordable, easy-to-make, and, most importantly, tasty, are the reasons why instant noodles cannot be separated from Indonesians.
Both fried noodle and noodle soup, Indonesians often enjoy them with a little bit of a spicy touch. Because of Indonesians’ love for spicy foods, chilli sauce in the noodle packaging sometimes does not satisfy them. So, they chop some bird's eye chili and mix it with the noodles. The cold and humid atmosphere outside makes the hot slurp of a rich-flavored bowl of noodles a perfect rainy day companion.
Seeing this situation, street food vendors take this situation as an opportunity to indulge people outside their homes. If you visit Indonesia, it will be easy for you to find street food vendors selling fried snacks or noodle stores, which we call Warmindo or “Warung Makan Indomie”.
For most Indonesians, rain does not only mean wet streets and soggy clothes, but also it's time to get some comfortable yet tasty treats. So, next time the clouds roll in, try checking your kitchen and try to make Indonesians' comfort food, gorengan or something rich-flavored from instant noodles, to indulge yourself like Indonesians.
