Coconuts & Sambal. Sure, the name of the book may hint at the type of cuisine to expect within its pages. For those familiar with Indonesian cuisine, you'll know both ingredients are staples. Sambal, in particular, has literally hundreds of variations and is the seasoning of choice in this region - not unlike salt & pepper to us Westereners. Not every dish is bursting with heat, though. Indonesia is vast - boasting over 700 languages, a population of nearly 270 million, and consisting of over 17,000 islands! As a result, it would be impossible to distill a definitive "type" of food into just one cookbook. However, there are some common elements and flavor profiles. We chose a diverse selection of recipes to make - and enjoyed each one. While a few involved some advance prep, nothing was too difficult. Here are the dishes we chose:• Aromatic Chicken Noodle Soto -According to the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism, this is one of five national dishes. With such an important distinction, how could we skip this one? Many variations of this exist. This one, in particular, hails from East Java. Be forewarned: the ingredient list is long. The heat level is mild but can be increased, if desired. Reminiscent of ramen, this is comfort food defined. Our soft-boiled egg game was on point for this meal - producing a perfectly jammy yolk. We also chose to add the optional fried shallots and (also fried) thinly sliced potato for garnish, along with lime wedges and scallion. Because there were several moving parts within this recipe, it would be a good choice if you have assistance - you know, like weightlifting. The accompanying spice paste, while not hot, is definitely assertive.• Stir-Fried Vegetable Cap Cay - This recipe comes to Indonesia by way of China - containing a medley of vegetables. The gravy-like sauce adds some body and depth of flavor. One pot (or, in this case, wok) is all you'll need - making this a great option for a quick, easy weeknight supper. We added the optional chicken to ensure it was a substantial enough meal. This recipe introduced us to another name for garden pea pods - mangetout! And, is there anything in life more adorable than baby corn? Puppies, perhaps, but baby corn is definitely a delicious second. Not a carnivore? No problem. Tofu could stand in nicely for the chicken. Or, just omit it altogether for a tasty vegetarian variation.• Crispy Soy & Ginger Roast Potatoes - Earlier last year, we purchased a Ninja Foodi with an air fryer function. This completely transformed how we now fry items in a recipe. No longer do we battle with the danger (and mess) of a pan filled with hot oil. We simply toss the ingredients in our air fryer and are big winners 15 (ish) minutes later when the lid is lifted. Unfortunately, we weren't certain this method would yield the desired results with our garnish ingredients (scallions, garlic and ginger). Thus, we kept it old-school for those and fried them in an oil-filled skillet. A simple rice vinegar / soy sauce dressing is drizzled over the finished plate. Or, you could do as we did and simply reserve some for a "dipping sauce" - ensuring those gorgeous, crispy potatoes will remain that way.• Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce - We are certainly no strangers to chicken satay. This recipe introduced us to an unfamiliar condiment, kecap manis, a soy sauce / sugar blend. This is used both as a marinade and glaze for the skewers of chicken - which we cooked in our cast-iron skillet. Tofu is is suggested as an alternative to asking your dinner guests to leave because they don't eat chicken. OK, that was our suggestion but you get the point. We enjoyed this with the Roasted Soy & Ginger Potatoes (above).• Egg Crepe Rolls - We once performed a cooking demo for junior high students here in Chicago, showing them how to make crepes. We think they enjoyed it. It's tough to say. Teenagers don't smile much. Anyways. Although this time around, we lacked an audience of stone-faced kids, we still enjoyed this process. This recipe instructs you to create a "filling" of chicken, vermicelli noodles, bok choy, mushrooms, garlic and scallion. Sounds good, right? This gets seasoned with salt, pepper, and (surprise) nutmeg! Soy sauce, lime juice, and the previously mentioned kecap manis ensure you won't be eating a dry crepe roll. We served these with some sambal oelek on the side for dipping. And, the old legend of the first crepe in a batch being sacrificial is totally true. It never turns out!• Banana Fritters - The different varieties of this dish throughout Indonesia is impressive. These became the perfect companion for our Peanut and Banana Ice Cream (below). An obvious, tasty partnership, indeed! In addition to a trifecta of flours (AP, rice and corn), coconut milk, butter, honey, banana and brown sugar are added before frying - ensuring you'll be doing extra sit ups tomorrow at the gym. These are best served immediately.• Peanut and Banana Ice Cream - We've been leaning into ice cream recipes lately. There's not much that is more satisfying than homemade ice cream. This simple no-churn option created a surprising amount of dishes for a recipe with only 5 ingredients! Full dishwasher aside, this came together quickly and had us impatiently waiting until the following day after it had set in the freezer overnight. Placing a scoop (or two) atop a warm banana fritter was a no-brainer. While not the most healthy of dessert options, this was decadent and satisfying.