Cheese

Not part of traditional Indonesian cuisine, it was Dutch colonial rule that brought a taste for mild and melty cheeses. You might find it used at kaki lima stalls with favourites like bakso meatballs given an oozing cheese centre. It is also found in desserts, where cheese has really been embraced for those after a sweet-salty fix. A night market treat is bananas fried in butter and topped with chocolate sprinkles, a grating of cheese and a slick of condensed milk (see also Bright Moon). Choose something like a very mild cheddar or grated mozzarella as you are after salt and goo rather than a pronounced cheese taste.