Nasi Goreng

[NapTown Jim]

The first and only time I've had Nasi Goreng (sp?) was on a Holland America cruise. I loved it. We're booked on a 11 day Panama Canal cruise on the Zuiderdam on Nov. 9 and we're planning on eating dinner one or two nights at the Pinnacle Grill but I don't want to make reservations there and miss out on the Nasi Goreng. My question is, when we board the ship who can we talk to that can tell us if they will serve that and if so, what night?

[DocF]

The maitre d is your friend in this case. He/she/it should have the menus for the whole cruise and be able to help you.

 

Doc:D

[frankc98376]

You will probably find it at the Asian station in the Lido at times. The front desk or MDR Manager would have the week's dinner menus.

 

I've been complaining for years that Nasi Goreng should be on the breakfast menu. I have extended family that is Dutch/Indonesian and Nasi Goreng with an egg was always my favorite breakfast food. Don't forget to ask for Sambal if you like a little heat. :)

[POA1]

You will probably find it at the Asian station in the Lido at times. The front desk or MDR Manager would have the week's dinner menus.

 

I've been complaining for years that Nasi Goreng should be on the breakfast menu. I have extended family that is Dutch/Indonesian and Nasi Goreng with an egg was always my favorite breakfast food. Don't forget to ask for Sambal if you like a little heat. :)

That's an excellent idea. Thanks, Frank.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our last cruises -- including the Zuiderdam this past spring - there was no Nasi Goreng on the dinner menu.

[indokiwi]

Nasi goreng is Bahasa Indonesia for fried rice. My husband is Indonesian and is quick to point out that ANY fried rice is nasi goreng, even that which does not contain the more traditional Indonesian spices/ingredients – like the fried rice you get from your supermarket at the Asian counter….it’s nasi goreng J. That being said – when we cruise, we talk to the Dining Room manager and Lido Manager and they are quick to help. Especially if you are on a “regular” cruise – like the Alaskan cruises or Caribbean cruises where they repeat the same menus all season for 6 months, they will know when the Indonesian food day is coming. Usually there is a lunch offering in the Lido (either as a special side buffet or it happens to be the rice offered in the Asian station one day) and of course it is usually at least one time a menu selection in the dining room.

Our trick though is to ask about Sundays. On Sundays the Indonesian version of nasi goreng is served in the crew mess, cooked by the cookie satu. He’s the first cook for personnel and is from Indonesia and knows how to make real Indonesian nasi goreng as opposed to the Filipino and Indian cooks in the galley who are also wonderful cooks, but it’s not authentic according to my husband). At lunchtime they can request that some be brought up to you in the Lido. They are typically so excited to have an Indonesian guest sailing with them that they get him all of his food requests….and also tell us how everything works in food service, which is why we know about cookie satu. They usually also send up ayam goreng with it (fried chicken done in the Indonesian style). It’s worth a try! Selamat makan.

[cruz chic]

I love the Nasi goreng. I haven't seen it on the dinner menu for years. I have seen it on the lunch menu but not very often. Love eating it with sambel.

Edited August 10, 2015 by cruz chic

[frankc98376]

I love the Nasi goreng. I haven't seen it on the dinner menu for years. I have seen it on the lunch menu but not very often. Love eating it with sambel.

 

Way back in pre-Carnival days I could always get it in MDR for breakfast. Sigh...

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our longer cruises -- like the 21 day repositioning cruises, a version of it has been offered to suite guests as a special lunch.

Also on a couple of Collector Cruises, it was offered to those staying on for the second cruise.

On our Zuiderdam cruise a version of it was offered for Neptune and PS passengers for lunch.

[sail7seas]

I'm not a big nasi goreng fan but I love bami goreng and miss it. I always looked forward to having bami goreng at least once each crise.

[sppunk]

On some cruises you get a special Indonesian / curry lunch in the MDR and it is there along with a lot of other staple Indonesian dishes.

 

It's reallllly hit-or-miss though apparently, we only saw it on Eurodam.

[VermeulT]

in my last (March 2014) Caribbean cruise - there was an Indonesian late night snack in the lido.

[JohnKen3]

I suppose it would be too much to expect a Dutch Colonial Rijstafel. I travel to Amsterdam once a year to get my fix. Will look out for the nasi goreng. Will brush up on my Bahasa as well which i have not spoken on 30 years. I speak Bahasa Melayu. It is rather like British and American acccents when compared with Bahasa Indonesia.

Edited August 10, 2015 by JohnKen3

[sail7seas]

Back in the 'old days' of sailing HAL, Chefs made some of us Rijstafel as a great treat. We, too, had it in Amsterdam. :) I don't think the Chefs on the ships now have enough staff/time to do that today.

[catl331]

In the early days of the Tamarind we had this special meal one night. You had to sign up for it ahead of time. I guess it wasn't popular. We enjoyed it though.

[laurmac]

My (dutch) mother used to make a Rijstaffel on special occasions. Our first 2 Hal cruises were collectors cruises and we were invited to Rijtaffel lunches which were wonderful. Our last cruise was not, but I sent a note to, I think it was, the Hotel Director, asking him if there was going to be one on this cruise. At dinner that night, the staff at the podium told us to give them 24 hours noticed and they could make us a Rijstaffel for dinner. I

t was wonderful and much appreciated!

[rkacruiser]

A couple of posters have mentioned "sambal". I assume this is a condiment. A spicy type. Are there different types or levels of spiciness for sambal?

 

Heading to Singapore on the Statendam and I am trying to do some learning about the cuisine.

[aliaschief]

A couple of posters have mentioned "sambal". I assume this is a condiment. A spicy type. Are there different types or levels of spiciness for sambal?

 

Heading to Singapore on the Statendam and I am trying to do some learning about the cuisine.

 

Quite a few years ago, on a repo cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal, on the MS Maasdam, I requested Sambal on our late upper dining venue. Well, it became a contest with our wait staff if they could concoct a Sambal that they tried their best to get me to call it quits and succumb to the by now fiery Sambal. By the time we we got to Bar Harbor the Sambal concoctions made by the crew were getting hotter and hotter every night.

 

When we finally arrived in Quebec City and our last night before disembarking in Montreal the Sambal was hotter than hell!:eek:

 

The last night in Quebec City the Indonesian Wait Staff finally admitted they had tried their best to get me to back down on the spiciest Sambal. They said, "you must have Indonesian blood in you!"

 

One of my all time favorite cruises because of CC table mates and the battle of Sambal concocted in the Crew Kitchen.

 

Sambal link. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambal

Edited August 11, 2015 by aliaschief

[boscobeans]

A couple of posters have mentioned "sambal". I assume this is a condiment. A spicy type. Are there different types or levels of spiciness for sambal?

 

Heading to Singapore on the Statendam and I am trying to do some learning about the cuisine.

 

There are dozens of different sambals in each country and the ingredints vary greatly. The most common or at least the one you will always find on a ship is SAMBAL OLEK. It is basically like relish or topping made from ground up hot chili peppers and is pretty hot. I always have small dish set at my table by the wait staff. It not only is an excellent dip for breads but adds a bit of heat to most fish, rice, vegetable or rice dishes. It is sold in many supermarkets in my area and I always have a jar in the fridge as well as a back up in the pantry. The brand found on HAL, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean is the same sold in my local Hannaford.

 

bosco

Edited August 11, 2015 by boscobeans

[rkacruiser]

Quite a few years ago, on a repo cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal, on the MS Maasdam, I requested Sambal on our late upper dining venue. Well, it became a contest with our wait staff if they could concoct a Sambal that they tried their best to get me to call it quits and succumb to the by now fiery Sambal. By the time we we got to Bar Harbor the Sambal concoctions made by the crew were getting hotter and hotter every night.

 

When we finally arrived in Quebec City and our last night before disembarking in Montreal the Sambal was hotter than hell!:eek:

 

The last night in Quebec City the Indonesian Wait Staff finally admitted they had tried their best to get me to back down on the spiciest Sambal. They said, "you must have Indonesian blood in you!"

 

One of my all time favorite cruises because of CC table mates and the battle of Sambal concocted in the Crew Kitchen.

 

Thanks, Chief, for the information! I think I had better take a fresh bottle of Pepcid AC with me.

 

How does one use Sambal as a conditment? Do you mix it with the food (like soy sauce)? Do you dip the food into the sauce (like an egg roll in Sweet n' Sour or Chinese Mustard sauce)?

 

If I am buying food at a hawker stand in Singapore, how will I know what level of "heat" the sauces are?

[aliaschief]

Thanks, Chief, for the information! I think I had better take a fresh bottle of Pepcid AC with me.

 

How does one use Sambal as a conditment? Do you mix it with the food (like soy sauce)? Do you dip the food into the sauce (like an egg roll in Sweet n' Sour or Chinese Mustard sauce)?

 

If I am buying food at a hawker stand in Singapore, how will I know what level of "heat" the sauces are?

 

I use it in lieu of butter on bread, in or on omelette and dishes like Nasin Goreng and other exotic dishes.

 

In Singapore anything with the words Szechuan probably will be spicy.

Edited August 11, 2015 by aliaschief

[boscobeans]

Thanks, Chief, for the information! I think I had better take a fresh bottle of Pepcid AC with me.

 

How does one use Sambal as a conditment? Do you mix it with the food (like soy sauce)? Do you dip the food into the sauce (like an egg roll in Sweet n' Sour or Chinese Mustard sauce)?

 

If I am buying food at a hawker stand in Singapore, how will I know what level of "heat" the sauces are?

 

Lots of sambals (local) will have stuff like shrimp paste, onions, garlic or the like but on a ship just fresh ground hut chilis with a little salt and vinegar. If you like heat you can put it on, in or around just about anything...

 

bosco

Edited August 11, 2015 by boscobeans

[cruz chic]

Thanks, Chief, for the information! I think I had better take a fresh bottle of Pepcid AC with me.

 

How does one use Sambal as a conditment? Do you mix it with the food (like soy sauce)? Do you dip the food into the sauce (like an egg roll in Sweet n' Sour or Chinese Mustard sauce)?

 

If I am buying food at a hawker stand in Singapore, how will I know what level of "heat" the sauces are?

 

I usually mix it in with my food because I like it hot. It seems like some prefer it on the side so they can control it. I've tried the sambel from the crew but it has a weird aftertaste to me. I prefer the "normal" stuff from the bottle.

[rkacruiser]

I use it in lieu of butter on bread, in or on omelette and dishes like Nasin Goreng and other exotic dishes.

 

In Singapore anything with the words Szechuan probably will be spicy.

 

"Szechuan": I am quite acquainted with that. (I well remember those peppers!)

 

In the Italian cuisine, dishes such as Shrimp Fra Diavolo are memorable for my gastrointestinal system, but I still enjoy them.

[boscobeans]

"Szechuan": I am quite acquainted with that. (I well remember those peppers!)

 

In the Italian cuisine, dishes such as Shrimp Fra Diavolo are memorable for my gastrointestinal system, but I still enjoy them.

 

If Fra Diavolo is memorable you might want to be cautious with sambals when you start. Imagine a paste made of reconstituted dried hot chili pepper flakes seeds and all. Enjoy your adventures in heat. LOL

 

bosco