“Jin-gu” was Fafa’s answer to my question of what is his current favourite Indonesian food. Of course, he meant Nasi Jinggo, a Balinese rice-based dish that has been part of our monthly meal rotation throughout the lockdown.
Even though Nasi Jinggo is an iconic Balinese dish, it was first sold by a Javanese family as supper on the roadside in Denpasar, Bali. And Nasi Jinggo became so popular among the locals that it became a part of the Balinese culture, from birthdays to Ngaben, the traditional Balinese funeral ceremonies.
Also, even though I was born and brought up in Indonesia, I had my first Nasi Jinggo together only three years ago. Together with Fafa, on the last night of our second wedding, in Bali. I UberEats it past midnight, and we ate it in the dark (there was a power outage) by the pool in the villa. Good times 🧡
What’s Inside The Banana Leaf?
Nasi Jinggo is commonly eaten as breakfast in Bali (we Indonesian love some rice for breakfast — and lunch, snack, dinner also supper). And like other rice-based dishes in Indonesia, it contains white rice (albeit a smaller serving), several side dishes and chilli paste wrapped in banana leaves. However, what sets it aside from the others is the side dishes. The typical side dishes for Nasi Jinggo includes shredded omelettes, sautéed grated coconut and pork meat which is not the common meat of choice in Indonesia outside of Bali. Egg noodle is another usual side dish of Nasi Jingo, which happens to be my favourite of eating rice – – with noodles because there is nothing better than carbs on carbs.
The Best Nasi Jinggo
Well, you will find the best Nasi Jinggo in Bali. And my best bet would be by the roadside. But I have to eat a few more Nasi Jinggo in Bali to recommend you. Meanwhile, in Melbourne, you can get Nasi Jinggo (for 10x the original price, still it’s cheaper than a flight to Bali) from YOI. The best pair for Nasi Jinggo is a slightly sweet hot tea (for me) and additional red chilli paste (according to Fafa).
I’d say Nasi Jinggo would be an easier introduction to Indonesian cuisine than the curry-abundance Nasi Padang or the coconut-milk-based Nasi Uduk. So yeah, try Nasi Jinggo when in Bali or its’ sister Nasi Kucing in Central Java.
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