Kami mengukus bayam dan terong karena dokter menyarankan makanan yang tidak terlalu berminyak.

Both mean we, but they are not interchangeable.

• kami = we, but not including the person being spoken to
• kita = we, including the person being spoken to

So Kami mengukus bayam dan terong... means the speaker and some other people steamed spinach and eggplant, but the listener was not part of that group.

Mengukus means to steam.

It comes from the root kukus = steam / to steam, with the active verb prefix meN-, which becomes meng- here.

So:

• kukus = steam
• mengukus = to steam something

This is a very common verb pattern in Indonesian:

• masak → memasak = to cook
• goreng → menggoreng = to fry
• kukus → mengukus = to steam

In this sentence, mengukus is transitive, so it takes an object: bayam dan terong.

Indonesian usually does not use articles the way English does.

So nouns like:

• bayam
• terong
• dokter
• makanan

can mean spinach, the spinach, some spinach, a doctor, the doctor, food, or the food, depending on context.

English requires articles much more often; Indonesian usually leaves them out unless there is a reason to be more specific.

For example:

• dokter = doctor / the doctor / a doctor
• makanan = food / the food / foods

It can be understood either way depending on context, but here it most naturally means the vegetables they were preparing: spinach and eggplant.

Indonesian nouns do not usually show singular vs. plural clearly unless needed, so:

• bayam can mean spinach in general
• terong can mean eggplant / eggplants

The sentence is not focused on number, but on the type of food they chose to cook.

Karena means because.

It introduces the reason:

• Kami mengukus bayam dan terong = We steamed spinach and eggplant
• karena dokter menyarankan... = because the doctor recommended...

So the full structure is:

main clause + karena + reason clause

You could also reverse the order:

• Karena dokter menyarankan makanan yang tidak terlalu berminyak, kami mengukus bayam dan terong.

That means the same thing: Because the doctor recommended food that wasn’t too oily, we steamed spinach and eggplant.

Here, menyarankan means to recommend or to suggest.

In this sentence, the object of menyarankan is makanan yang tidak terlalu berminyak = food that is not too oily.

So the doctor recommended that kind of food.

Structure:

• dokter = doctor
• menyarankan = recommended
• makanan yang tidak terlalu berminyak = food that is not too oily

Indonesian often lets the structure stay simple like this. English might say:

• The doctor recommended food that wasn’t too oily or
• The doctor recommended eating food that wasn’t too oily

Both fit the idea.

Yang introduces a clause that describes a noun. In English, this is often translated as that, which, or sometimes nothing at all.

So:

• makanan = food
• yang tidak terlalu berminyak = that is not too oily

Together:

• makanan yang tidak terlalu berminyak = food that is not too oily

This is one of the most common uses of yang in Indonesian: linking a noun to a description.

More examples:

• orang yang baik = a person who is kind
• buku yang menarik = a book that is interesting
• makanan yang sehat = food that is healthy

It means not too oily or not overly greasy.

Breakdown:

• tidak = not
• terlalu = too / excessively
• berminyak = oily / greasy

So this does not mean completely oil-free. It means the food should not be excessively oily.

That matters because:

• tidak berminyak = not oily
• tidak terlalu berminyak = not too oily

The second one is softer and more natural in many real-life situations.

In berminyak, ber- helps form an adjective-like or descriptive word meaning having or containing something.

• minyak = oil
• berminyak = oily / containing oil

So berminyak literally suggests something like having oil on/in it.

Other examples:

• bulu = fur / hair → berbulu = furry / hairy
• warna = color → berwarna = colored
• isi = contents → berisi = containing / full of

Not every ber- word works exactly the same way, but this is a useful pattern to recognize.

Indonesian usually does not have to mark plurals unless it is important.

So makanan can mean:

• food
• foods
• kinds of food

Context tells you what is meant.

If a speaker really wanted to emphasize plurality, they might say:

• makanan-makanan

But that is often unnecessary and can sound less natural if the context is already clear.

In this sentence, makanan yang tidak terlalu berminyak is best understood as food that isn’t too oily in a general sense.

Yes. It is very natural.

The basic order is:

• Kami = subject
• mengukus = verb
• bayam dan terong = object
• karena... = reason clause

So the pattern is:

Subject + Verb + Object + Reason

That is very common in Indonesian.

Inside the second clause, the order is also straightforward:

• dokter = subject
• menyarankan = verb
• makanan yang tidak terlalu berminyak = object

So overall, this is a very standard and useful sentence pattern for learners.