“I [really] like it because that means there’s more choice for people and then people are more aware of [Indonesian food],” she says.

She says local interest in Indonesian food has increased over recent years, including from customers who herald from other ethnic communities and Australians, who seem more ready to accept the cuisine — even with traditional levels of spice.

A boom in Indonesian cuisine

He says although Australia has long embraced a diverse mix of cuisines, including popular Asian cuisines such as Thai, Chinese, and Japanese, Indonesian food has historically received far less attention.

A number of Indonesian restaurants have opened in Sydney’s CBD in recent years. Source: SBS News

A 2023 report by Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (found the cuisine to be “conspicuously absent from the country’s [Australia’s] culinary imagination”.

“[We use] the herbs that no other country’s food dishes have … we use a lot of traditional herbs such as ‘ketumbar’, which is what we call here coriander spices,” she says.

“Opening Indonesian restaurants here, we try to bring more [authentic] food because Indonesia has a lot of regions where all of the flavours are different.”

Indonesian food has historically received less attention than other cuisines, according to Siswo Pramono, Indonesia’s ambassador to Australia. Source: SBS News

‘Gastrodiplomacy’

However, the growing success of Indonesian cuisine is also due in part to ‘gastrodiplomacy’ efforts by the Indonesian government dating back to 2021.

Taiwan launched ‘Dim Sum Diplomacy’ in 2010, a program spanning four years that was allocated more than $US34 million ($54 million) in an attempt to boost the nation’s global profile.

Unlike other gastrodiplomacy campaigns, Australia relied on the onshore promotion of its food offerings and invited international influencers to document their eating experiences around the country on a week-long tour.

Meilinda Sari Yayusman, a researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency, tells SBS News gastrodiplomacy is unique due to its ability “to integrate various diplomatic practices, particularly cultural and culinary diplomacy, to capture public attention”.

It also involved promoting Indonesian food through culinary festivals and training programs, increasing the availability of traditional Indonesian foods and education about key dishes.

‘Indonesia Spice Up the World’ was a gastrodiplomacy program launched by the Indonesian government in 2021. Source: SBS News

Nasi goreng, rendang, satay, soto (traditional soup) and gado gado (salad with peanut sauce) were highlighted as dishes to take to the world stage.

Indonesia’s exports to Australia increased by 56 per cent last year from 2023, and food and beverage products were among the main commodities.

Food as a gateway to culture

Melbourne’s Indonesian arts and culture festival Nongkrong Festival (which has not received funding from the Indonesian government) will showcase an array of traditional foods this year, including dishes that may be new to Australian consumers.

Siblings Darryl and Moira Tirtha launched the Indonesian food and culture festival Nongkrong in Melbourne. Credit: Emil Raji

Siblings Darryl and Moira Tirtha launched Nongkrong in 2024 to provide a space for Indonesian Australians to connect and maintain ties with their homeland, as well as introduce Australians to different parts of Indonesian culture and history.

“I think people have this viewpoint of maybe Bali as one place; maybe they’ve been to Yogyakarta but, you know, they only really see it from one particular lens.”

Moira (left) and Darryl Tirtha (right) are showcasing contemporary Indonesian culture at Nongkrong Festival. Credit: Tom Hvala

The siblings are also trying to share different regional cuisines — Indonesia has multiple food regions and over 5,000 traditional recipes. This year, Nongkrong is presenting more food from Sulawesi, rather than relying solely on offerings from Java and Bali, which Australians may be more accustomed to.

“It’s just a really important platform for trying to understand more of it, because everybody’s got to eat and you know, people in Australia love to try new things,” he says.

Darryl and Moira Tirtha say food can act as a “gateway” to culture. Credit: Emil Raji

A lack of ‘fine dining’

“In terms of cultural capital, it [Indonesian food] still sits at the bottom of the food hierarchy. I think it’s still restricted to the ‘cheap eats’ section and I think there’s still a struggle for a lot of Indonesian restaurants to charge more than $15 or $20 for their food,” she says.

However, he remains hopeful that Indonesian restaurants will adapt over time, offering dishes in a more Australian-friendly style, with staggered courses and a more social atmosphere.