Edo

Posted Thursday, January 4, 2024

5mo

ESFJ

Pisces

4

5

Rendang

Rendang is a traditional food originating from West Sumatra, Indonesia and prepared by Minangkabau people. Rendang is commonly made with beef (especially tenderloin) with special sauce containing a high amount of coconut milk. In the past, Minangkabau people prepared rendang in such a way that it has long shelf life and could be stored during long journeys. The long shelf life of rendang is thought to be contributed by the spices used during the cooking process. Nowadays, rendang is known worldwide The word rendang originated from the word of merandang or randang, which means “slowly” as it takes a long time to complete the cooking process. Philosophically, rendang is a treasured and honored food. The Minang people believe that rendang has three philosophical meanings : patience, wisdom, and persistence. Cooking rendang requires patience, persistence in stirring, and wisdom in setting the fire. Wisdom is needed in choosing the ingredients such as meat, chili, and other spices that are required to achieve the desired taste. Many aspects, such as patience and experience, are needed to achieve perfection. Originally, Rendang was made out of buffalo meat and was only served on special occasions or traditional ceremonies. But now, buffalo is substitute by beef as one of popular ingredients for rendang and can be enjoyed anytime. There are many types of rendang. Beef rendang is the best-known variety of rendang and can be found easily. The other kinds of rendang are made with chicken, fish, egg, squid, and shrimp. Beef rendang has its own varieties such as rendang paru, rendang limpa, and rendang babat. Based on the type of occasion, rendang is classified into two categories; the rendang prepared for a special occasion requires one kilogram of whole beef and the rendang prepared for a daily meal is made out of beef that’s been divided into 20 parts. It takes 7-8 hours for cooking rendang and there are three important stages to cook rendang. The first stage is gulai in which the coconut milk is still in liquid form. The second stage is kalio in which the coconut milk thickens and becomes oily. This usually requires 4 hours of cooking. In the third stage, kalio is cooked on a low flame till it dries and becomes rendang. The complex cooking process gives rendang a very unique and delicious taste. And that is why, on 14th April 2021, CNN highlighted Rendang as the 11th spot in their list of World’s 50 Best Foods. On 9 April 2018, Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism choose rendang as a national dish, along with soto, nasi goreng, sate, and gado-gado. Usually beef rendang also using "rendang potato" (small potato that suitable for rendang usually with skin or peeled).