Minangkabau cuisine

Minangkabau cuisine, also known as Padang cuisine or Padang food, is the traditional cuisine of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is among the most popular food in Maritime Southeast Asia. It is known across Indonesia for its rich taste of succulent coconut milk and spicy chili.

Overview

Minangkabau cuisine puts a heavy emphasis on the three main ingredients: coconut milk, chili, and meat, especially beef. The cuisine is famous for its spicy and rich taste, with a generous use of herbs and spices. The cooking method commonly used in Minangkabau cuisine is rendang, a technique of stewing that allows the food to absorb the spices.

Dishes

Some of the most famous dishes in Minangkabau cuisine include:

• Rendang: A spicy meat dish slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices. It is often described as caramelized beef curry.
• Sate Padang: A variant of satay, it is made from beef, chicken, mutton, or offal, skewered and grilled, then served with a thick yellow sauce.
• Gulai: A type of food containing rich, spicy and succulent curry-like sauce. The main ingredients might be poultry, goat meat, beef, mutton, various kinds of offal, fish and seafood, and also vegetables such as cassava leaves and unripe jackfruit.
• Asam padeh: A sour and spicy fish stew dish. The main ingredients are usually seafood or freshwater fish, cooked in asam (tamarind) fruit juice with chilli and spices.

Eating customs

Minangkabau cuisine is often served in a Padang restaurant, which is a restaurant that serves Minangkabau food in a buffet style. The dishes are served in small plates, and customers take what they want. The cost is calculated based on the number of dishes taken.

See also

• Indonesian cuisine
• Javanese cuisine
• Sundanese cuisine
• Malay cuisine