Canadian Thanksgiving usually comes with turkey, stuffing, and gravy. Ours came with turmeric rice, sambal, and a plate that was very full.
This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving with our Canadian friends by cooking the food we know best — the food we grew up with in Indonesia. Instead of a roast bird, we built our meal around nasi tumpeng, surrounded by all the dishes that tend to appear when Indonesians cook for people they care about: ayam betutu, tempe orek, bakwan sayur, and a few extras that somehow always sneak onto the table.
It felt festive, comforting, and exactly right.
Thanksgiving in food form: Nasi Tumpeng
If there’s one dish that understands the assignment for Thanksgiving, it’s nasi tumpeng.
Nasi tumpeng features a cone of fragrant yellow turmeric rice surrounded by side dishes. The cone-shaped rice represents gratitude and balance, while the surrounding dishes reflect abundance and togetherness. It’s traditionally served to mark meaningful moments — birthdays, milestones, and moments of thanks.
As a bonus, it also looks great in photos.
The menu
Here’s what showed up on our table:
• Nasi tumpeng – warm, fragrant, and impossible not to love
• Ayam betutu – slow-cooked Balinese chicken, rich with spices
• Tempe orek – sweet, savoury tempeh cooked with palm sugar and garlic
• Bakwan sayur – crispy vegetable fritters that disappeared almost instantly
• Sambal, fresh vegetables, and plenty of krupuk
Some dishes were new to our friends, others were quickly claimed as favourites. Tempe orek, in particular, had a strong showing.
Watching people fall in love with Indonesian food
There’s something really special about sharing the food you grew up with — especially when people are trying it for the first time. There were questions, surprised reactions, and a lot of “okay, I need more of this.”
Tempeh tends to get its moment at meals like this. Sweet, savoury, a little sticky, and deeply comforting, tempe orek often changes minds quietly, one bite at a time.
Same gratitude, different flavours
At the end of the day, Thanksgiving isn’t about sticking to a script. It’s about gathering, sharing, and being grateful for the people around the table.
Whether that table holds turkey or turmeric rice, the feeling is the same.
For us, celebrating Thanksgiving the Indonesian way felt like home — just with Canadian friends, colder weather, and maybe slightly fuller bellies. And honestly? We wouldn’t change a thing. Happy Thanksgiving — from our table to yours.