Nasi campur: Indonesia’s national dish

Nasi campur (mixed rice) is the most basic dish in Indonesia. That together with nasi goreng (fried rice) are the 2 meals most commonly consumed. Nasi campur is a portion of steamed white rice (nasi putih) together with an assortment of other items, which can be wide ranging. Its guaranteed that no 2 places will serve the exact same nasi campur. This dish has been around for a long time because it enables people to use left overs and small amount of the more expensive items.

Around Kuta / Seminyak are a wealth of small warungs serving nasi campur. Some are oreiented towards tourists / expats, other towards locals. How do you know which are which? Quite simple really, there are 2 ways. First comes the decor of the place. White tiled floor, small cheap tables, plastic stools and bottles of Fanta lining the perimeter, its a local’s joint. Wooden tables, chunkier pieces of meat, better food selection and some attempt to make the place enjoyable, its a foreigner’s joint. The other main factor is price. A good foreign oriented place where you can assemble a nasi campur is Warung Ocha, at the junction of Jl. Seminyak and Jl. Dhyana Pura. A plate of your choice with a black tea will cost around 25,000rp. The place I visited today on Jl. Oberoi, across from the Tuck Shop on the corner, charged me 7,000rp for nasi campur. Both places are good, just different.

Newcomers to Bali can get a decent idea of what nasi campur is like by visiting Made’s Warung, which does a good one for 15,000rp. Items found in nasi campur including tofu (tahu) tempe, chicken (ayam), beef (sapi), fish (ikan), peanuts (kacang), together with a wide selction of cooked vegetables including kangkung, the stringy green plant sometimes cooked with garlic and chili. A dollop of hot sambal might be added to the side of the plate, so treat any red sauce with care.

A teh panas (plain hot black tea) comliments nasi campur well and helps the digestion.