Regional highlights
Ikan kuah asam
Sour fish broth — a whole fish (tuna, mackerel, flying fish or coral trout) simmered in a clear broth soured with bilimbi fruit (belimbing wuluh) or tamarind, with turmeric, lemongrass, galangal, tomato and fresh ginger. The broth is bright yellow and sharply sour; the fish cooks gently and remains moist. Served over steamed rice. Found at warungs throughout Flores, from Ende to Maumere to Labuan Bajo; the bilimbi sour note is distinctive and more assertive than the tamarind-based versions of Lombok or Java.
Sayur kelor
Moringa (kelor) leaf soup or stir-fry — young leaves of the moringa tree stripped from their stems and cooked with shallots, garlic, chili, dried fish flakes and a little coconut milk into a soupy vegetable dish. Kelor is an everyday ingredient in Eastern Indonesia and Flores; it is eaten daily by many families as a nutritious green vegetable. The flavour is mildly bitter, slightly grassy and deeply savoury from the dried fish. The fresh leaves are most tender in the morning; older leaves are tougher and more bitter.
Nasi jagung
Corn rice — cooked dried corn kernels mixed with steamed rice in roughly equal proportions, sometimes with a little sweet potato added for sweetness and texture. The everyday starch of Flores's interior and eastern communities where corn grows more reliably than rice at higher altitudes. Denser and more filling than plain rice, with a mild corn sweetness and a slightly rougher texture. Eaten alongside all the same accompaniments — grilled fish, sambal, stir-fried greens — as plain rice.
Mie goreng
Stir-fried noodles — the Indonesian standard, cooked at every warung from Labuan Bajo to Maumere. On Flores, the version typically uses egg noodles stir-fried with kecap manis (sweet dark soy), garlic, shallots, chili, egg, a protein (chicken, prawn or pork at Catholic warungs) and fresh cabbage, topped with fried shallots and prawn crackers. Cheaper and simpler than Bali versions; the pork mie goreng at Catholic warungs in Ende and Bajawa is distinctive and unavailable at Muslim establishments.
Ikan bakar
Charcoal-grilled whole fish from the Flores Sea — the daily catch at Maumere, Ende, Labuan Bajo and Riung fishing villages includes tuna, mahi-mahi, grouper, barracuda and flying fish. Marinated with turmeric, shallots, garlic and chili, grilled over coconut husks, basted with a tamarind or lime glaze. Served with rice, sambal and the raw vegetables of the day. The fish quality in Flores's smaller harbours is exceptional because the boats go out each night and sell at dawn.
Babi bakar
Grilled pork — pork (ribs, belly or shoulder) marinated with garlic, lemongrass, ginger and palm sugar, then grilled over charcoal. Available at Catholic warungs and roadside stalls throughout Flores — Ende, Bajawa, Ruteng and Labuan Bajo all have pork specialists. Not as elaborately spiced as Balinese babi guling; the Manggarai preparation is simpler and centres on the quality of the pork and the smoke of the charcoal. Particularly good at night-market stalls in Ende.
Jagung bose
A traditional Flores porridge or stew — dried corn kernels slow-cooked with black-eyed peas or mung beans until the corn splits open and everything becomes thick and slightly sticky. Seasoned with shallots, garlic and sometimes coconut milk. A ceremonial and everyday dish of the Ngada people of Central Flores (Bajawa region); eaten as a main meal with grilled fish or at community gatherings. Unusual in texture — denser than rice porridge — and deeply sustaining.
Sate (Flores-style)
Bamboo-skewered meat grilled over charcoal — on Flores, sate includes pork (at Catholic establishments), chicken, goat and fish. The marinade uses the local base of shallots, galangal, turmeric, palm sugar and dried chili; the peanut sauce is made with coconut milk rather than water, giving it a richer consistency than Javanese versions. Sold at night markets in Ende and Bajawa from late afternoon; also found at street stalls along the Trans-Flores Highway between towns.