Rendang
 Authentic Padang rendang is dark in color and rather dry, served with ketupat |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Alternative name(s) | Randang (Minangkabau dialect) |
| Place of origin | Indonesia |
| Region or state | Minangkabau, West Sumatra |
| Details | |
| Course | Main course |
| Serving temperature | Hot or room temperature |
| Main ingredient(s) | meat (beef, lamb or goat), coconut milk, chili, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemon grass, garlic, shallot, chilli pepper |
| Variations | Chicken rendang, Itiak (duck) rendang, liver rendang |
Rendang is a spicy meat dish which originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia,[1] and is now commonly served across the country.[2] One of the characteristic foods of Minangkabau culture, it is served at ceremonial occasions and to honour guests.[3] Also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the southern Philippines and southern Thailand, rendang is traditionally prepared by the Indonesian community during festive occasions. Culinary expert often describe rendang as: ‘West Sumatra caramelized beef curry’.[4] Though rendang[5] is sometimes described as being like a curry, and the name is sometimes applied to curried meat dishes in Malaysia, authentic rendang is nothing like a curry.[1] In Malay classical literature, rendang is mentioned in Hikayat Amir Hamzah[6] as early as the 1550s.[7]
In 2011 an online poll by 35,000 people held by CNN International chose Rendang as the number one dish of their ‘World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods’ list.[8]
Contents |
[edit] Composition and cooking method
Rendang is rich in spices; next to main meat ingredient, rendang uses coconut milk (Minangkabau: karambia), and mixture of ground spices paste, which include ginger, galangal, turmeric leaves, lemon grass, garlic, shallot, chillies and other spices. These spices are called pemasak in Minangkabau language. Spices used in rendang are known as a natural antimicrobial substances and serve as natural organic preservatives. Garlic, shallot, ginger and galangal are known to have strong antimicrobial properties.[9] That is why dry rendang if cooked properly could last for as long as one to four weeks.[4]
The authentic Padang rendang took hours to cook (usually four hours), that is why cooking rendang is time-consuming and requires patience.[10] The pieces of meats slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices in perfect heat until almost all the liquid is gone, allowing the meat to absorb the spicy condiments. The cooking process changes from boiling to frying as the liquid evaporates. The slow cooking process allows the meat to absorb all the spices and to become tender.[11] During the process, the meat in spicy coconut milk should be slowly and carefully stirred and turned over without burning or ruining the meat — well until all the liquids evaporated. This process is known as caramelization in culinary technique, in rendang case is not using sugar, but caramelizing coconut milk instead. Because of using numerous and generous amount of spices, rendang is known to having a complex and unique taste.
Rendang is often served with steamed rice, ketupat (compressed rice cake), or lemang (glutinous rice barbecued in bamboo tubes), accompanied with vegetable side dishes of boiled cassava leaf, cubadak[12] (young jackfruit gulai), cabbage gulai, and lado (red or green chilli pepper sambal).
-
The early process of cooking rendang, the coconut milk is still abundant
-
Mid process of rendang cooking, coconut milk start to evaporate and become oily
-
Rendang almost ready, coconut milk almost evaporated completely and the meat darken
-
Rendang ready to serve
-
Nasi ramas rendang served with steamed rice, cabbage gulai, green sambal, and gulai sauce
[edit] Cultural significance
Rendang is known as one dish to be delivered to elders during Minangkabau traditional ceremony
Rendang is revered in Minangkabau culture, as it contains their philosophy,[13] musyawarah; traditional discussion and consultation to the elders. The four main ingredients symbolize the wholeness of Minangkabau society:
- Dagiang (meat), symbolize “Niniak Mamak“: traditional clan leaders; such as datuk, nobles, royalties or revered elders.
- Karambia (coconut), symbolize “Cadiak Pandai“: intellectuals such as teachers, poets and writers
- Lado (chilli), symbolize “Alim Ulama“: clerics, ulama and religious leader. The hotness of chilli symbolize the strict sharia
- Pemasak (spices), symbolize the rest of Minangkabau society.
In Minangkabau tradition, rendang is pre-requisite dish during special occasions in traditional Minang ceremonies and served to honor a special guest. From birth ceremony to circumcision, marriage, and Al Quran recital.
In Malay tradition such as those in Riau, Jambi, Medan in Sumatra or Seremban and Kota Bharu in Malay Peninsula, rendang is a special dish served in various traditional ceremonies; circumcision, marriage, and religious festival such as Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha.
[edit] History
Padang restaurant found across the region has spread the popularity of rendang
The origin of rendang could be traced to Sumatran Minangkabau region. For Minangkabau people, rendang has been part of their daily life and traditional ceremony beyond historical records. The rendang making spread to regional Malay culture, to Mandailing, Riau, Jambi, across the strait to Malacca and Negeri Sembilan where large numbers of overseas Minangkabau resides. Today rendang is considered as local dish in both Sumatra and Malay peninsula.
Andalas University historian, Prof. Gusti Asnan suggests that rendang began to spread across the region when Minangkabau merchants and migrant workers began to trade and migrate to Malacca in 16th century. “Because the journey through the river waterways in Sumatra took much time, a durable preserved dry rendang is suitable for long journey.”[14] The dried Padang rendang is known as a durable food. It is well preserved and good to consume for months even left in room temperature, a perfect travelling logistics for a long journey.
The popularity of rendang is widely spread way across its original domain because of the merantau (migrating) culture of Minangkabau people. The overseas Minangkabau leave their hometown to start a career in other Indonesian cities as well as neighboring countries. They work in offices, trade textiles, start their own businesses, and some might open Padang restaurant, a Minangkabau eating establishments that ubiquitous in every Indonesian cities. These Padang restaurants are credited to intoduce and popularize rendang and other Padang food dishes across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, as far as Europe and United States.
[edit] Types
Nasi Ramas Padang, rendang served with steamed rice, cassava leaf, egg, and gulai sauce
In Minangkabau culinary tradition, there are stages on cooking meat in spicy coconut milk. Its category is according to the liquid content in cooked coconut milk, ranges from the soupy most wet to the most dry: Gulai — Kalio — Rendang.[15] The ingredients of gulai, kalio and rendang is almost identical with the exceptions that gulai usually uses less red chilli pepper and more turmeric, while rendang uses richer spices. If pieces of meat cooked in spicy coconut milk and stop the process right when the meat is done and the coconut milk has reached its boiling point, you have gulai. If the process continues well until the coconut milk is partly evaporated with brownish colored meats, then you have kalio. When the process continued hours more until the liquid completely evaporated and the color turns to dark brown almost black in color, then you have rendang. According to this notions, the real rendang is those with less liquid contents. The colors also indicate the differences; gulai have light yellow color, kalio is brown, and rendang is dark brown. However today, there are two kinds of rendangs commonly found: dried and wet.
[edit] Dried rendang
According to Minangkabau tradition, the true rendang is the dry one. Rendang was diligently stirred, attended and cooked for hours until the coconut milk evaporates and the meats absorbs the spices perfectly. It is served for special ceremonial occasions or to honour guests. The dried rendang is dark brown and almost black in color. If cooked properly, dried rendang can last for three to four weeks stored in room temperature and still good to consume.[4] It can even last months stored in refrigerator, and up to six months if frozen.[16] Among cuisine experts, it is widely believe that the authentic Minang rendang (Padang rendang) is the most delicious version, it has rich, succulent and unparalleled taste — quite different than rendang from other Malay realm.[14]
[edit] Wet rendang or Kalio
Rendang in the Netherlads is actually a kalio because it is still wet and runny
Wet rendang, or more accurately identified as kalio, is a type of rendang that cooked in shorter period, where the coconut milk has not completely evaporated. If stored in room temperature, kalio would last less than a week.[3] Kalio usually has light golden brown color, and paler than dark colored dry rendang.
Outside of its native land in Minangkabau, rendang is also known in neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. Malaysian rendang is more like kalio, with lighter color and blander taste compared to its Minang counterpart. Malaysian rendang has several variants, such as Kelantan rendang and Negeri Sembilan rendang that tastes quite different than rendang in Indonesia. Malaysian rendangs cooked in shorter periods, and uses kerisik (toasted grated coconut paste) to thicken the spice,[4] instead of hours of painstakingly stirring and evaporating coconut milk as its Indonesian counterpart. Other ethnic groups in Indonesia also have adopted rendang into their daily diet, which is quite different to authentic Minang rendang. In Java for example, other than Padang rendang sold in Padang restaurants, in their home Javanese cooked wet rendang in slightly sweeter and less spicy to accommodate the Javanese taste. Through historical ties in colonialism, the Dutch also familiar with rendang and often served in the Netherlands — also the wet kalio version — usually served as part of Rijsttafel.
[edit] Variations
Beef liver rendang
Rendang is made from beef (or occasionally beef liver, chicken, mutton, water buffalo, duck, or vegetables like jackfruit or cassava). Chicken or duck rendang also contains tamarind and is usually not cooked for as long as beef rendang.[17] Rendang variatons among other:[14]
- Rendang daging: meat rendang, the most common rendang is made from meat of various cattle product; beef, water buffalo, goat, mutton or lamb
- Rendang ayam: chicken rendang
- Rendang itiak or Rendang bebek: duck rendang
- Rendang hati: cattle liver rendang
- Rendang talua or Rendang telur: eggs rendang, specialty of Payakumbuh
- Rendang paru: cattle lung rendang, specialty of Payakumbuh