10 Delicious Local Dishes in Riau & Riau Islands You Must Try!

Have you ever heard about Riau? Or Riau Islands? These are two different places. Riau is located in Sumatra, with the capital city being Pekanbaru. Moreover, Riau Islands comprise more than 1,700 islands scattered between Borneo, Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra. The capital city is Tanjung Pinang.

These two destinations have plenty of tourist attractions. Tourists love to come there to enjoy culinary tours. Riau’s food type is similar to West Sumatra dishes, and some are similar to Malaysian food. Some foods tend to be spicy.

Mouth-Watering Foods in Riau and Riau Islands 

For those of you who are planning a vacation to Riau or the Riau Islands, spend some time eating these culinary delights! Check out the recommendation below.

Special Foods in Riau, Pekanbaru

1. Catfish Curry

A mandatory dish you must eat when visiting Pekanbaru is catfish curry. The supply of catfish in Pekanbaru is plentiful since there are many rivers like Indragiri river, Kampar river, and Rokan river. If you like spicy and sour soup, you’ll love this dish! 

If you want to try this special dish, you can stop by HM Yunus Patin Pondok in Pekanbaru. With less than 50,000 IDR*, you can get a portion, enough to make your belly full!

2. Gulai Tunjang 

This food is a typical Padang cuisine that you can find everywhere in Pekanbaru. Gulai Tunjang is made of coconut milk, shallots, garlic, turmeric, galangal, and coriander. The main ingredient of this local dish is cow gravel. It has a chewy texture. 

If you are interested in trying out Gulai Tunjang, you can stop by Ketupat Gulai Tunjang dan Gulai Kambing CeLOK. It’s yummy!

3. Sago Noodles

At first glance, these noodles look like regular noodles. However, this dish is unique because it is made using sago starch. The noodles are boiled and mixed with various ingredients such as shrimp, chicken and eggs. With a mixture of shrimp paste, oyster sauce, and fish sauce, the taste of sago noodles is unique and flavorful.

You can find sago noodles in several restaurants in Pekanbaru. If you still don’t have any idea where to go, visit Mie Sagu Bu Tuti.

4. Es Laksamana Mengamuk

This fresh drink called Es Laksamana Mengamuk is made from mango fruit, shaved ice, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk. This iced drink has become a favorite drink for local residents to quench their thirst.

If you want to enjoy the freshness of this drink, you can visit Pondok Yurika in Pekanbaru. You can find this drink at many restaurants in Pekanbaru.

5. Roti Jala 

Roti jala is a traditional Malay food. This food is quite popular during Ramadan as well as during Eid. It is usually served during family and social gatherings, such as weddings, festivals, and thanksgiving for the Malay community.

You can also find this famous snack in Pekanbaru. Usually, roti jala is used as a side dish for heavy meals such as chicken curry or other dishes. In addition, roti jala can also be consumed as a sweet food with a variety of toppings, such as durian broth and sarikaya broth. To enjoy sweet roti jala, you can stop by Roti Jala Sifa in Pekanbaru. 

6. Bolu Kemojo

After a heavy meal,you may try the kemojo sponge cake for your snack. This cake is many people’s favorite! Unlike other regular cakes, this cake has a softer and chewy texture.

This unique texture is obtained because the ingredients used are different, namely thick coconut milk and pandan leaves. If you are interested in trying, you can stop by Bolu Kemojo Mini MIMIE in Pekanbaru.

Special Foods in Riau Islands, Tanjung Pinang

1.  Laksa 

Laksa or spicy noodle soup can be found in various regions, such as Bogor, Betawi, and Palembang. However, this typical Riau Islands laksa has its own uniqueness. This dish contains noodles made from sago flour. There are two different types of laksa which are fried laksa and laksa soup.

For Laksa soup, the typical ingredients used are anchovies, shrimp, cloves, galangal, to cayenne pepper. This spice-rich sauce is a special pleasure for those who enjoy it.

You can try eating laksa soup at Melayu Square, an open food court on the beachfront of the city of Tanjung Pinang. You can eat laksa soup while enjoying the beautiful sunset. What a heaven on earth!

2. Mie Lendir (Slime Noodles)

The name might sound weird for you, but the taste is exceptional! This noodle is called slime noodles because of the texture of the sauce. The noodles used are wet yellow noodles. Looks good, huh?

Slime noodles are very easy to find in Riau Islands. One of the recommendations for a place to eat this type of noodle in Tanjung Pinang is Mie Lendir Pak Man.

3. Cincalok

Cincalok is a typical food originating from Malaysia and also popular in West Kalimantan and the Riau Islands. Cincalok is usually served with chili sauce. Unfortunately, cincalok is hard to be found nowadays. Even so, there are still some sellers who sell it, one of which is the Wan Hua Shop at Mitra Raya Market, Batam.

4. Tarempa Noodles

Tarempa Noodles is one of the most popular dishes in Riau. The basic ingredients of this dish are yellow noodles mixed with eggs, bean sprouts, shrimp, bird’s eye chilies, and soy sauce. There are two types of tarempa noodles, namely soup and fried.

You can eat tarempa noodles at various restaurants in Riau Islands, one of the recommendations is RM Mie Tarempa in Tanjung Pinang. 

Eat Good Foods, Explore the Beauty of Riau and Riau Islands

Traveling to Riau and Riau Islands is indeed interesting. Not only the foods, but you can also enjoy attractive tourist attractions there. If you want to plan for a vacay, you can order flight tickets to Pekanbaru or Tanjung Pinang via tiket.com.

While having fun exploring the culinary delights, don’t forget to comply with the health protocols! Always wear a mask, wash your hands regularly, and keep a safe distance from other people. Stay safe and have a happy vacation!

 

going anywhere? tiket.com!

 

*The information is valid at the time of writing. Price and other policies are subject to change at any time without prior notice.