Beef Cheek Rendang
By Akbar Wasisson
What’s your favorite curry? Maybe you will say Jalfrezi and
Dhansak from India? Thinking
further east, there are two wonderfully aromatic curries besides India, the
first is Thai curries fragrant with lemongrass and lime tempered by luscious
coconut and Japanese curries are sweet and fruity. Now if you were to ask me
what my favorite curry is, I would have no doubt in saying Rendang. In various
culinary International festivals, Europeans often look for Rendang as a
culinary to taste. At first, Minangkabau people used to wander everywhere.
Therefore, Rendang was made because people of West Sumatra needed a cuisine
that can be brought wherever they go for more than two months. Besides, it was
used as cuisine stocks of Hajj people because it took for months to go to
Mecca. In addition, many people don’t know that Rendang has some uniqueness
that makes it well-known.
Firstly,
Rendang has a difficult cooking method. Cooking Rendang is quite difficult
because it needs a real acquisition of someone to create the typical taste of
Rendang. If we only cook it with small fire then it will just be a meat curry.
If the cooking process is not completed or half-baked then it will just be a
Kalio, whereas when we cook it a little bit longer then it will be a Rendang.
Because of that, cooking Rendang needs a long time, it is around 3-4 hours to
make the flavors soaked out perfectly. In cooking Rendang, we must use coconut
milk in order to get the tasty taste that is made by the fat that is contained
in the old coconut. One thing that should be prioritized in making Rendang is
stirring the coconut milk which is done continuously until the Rendang blackish
colored.
Secondly, Rendang has a special characteristic of
its taste. As we know, Rendang is a typical food from West Sumatra. So, it is
made with Indonesian traditional flavors such as onion, ginger, salt, etc. But
most of the people don’t know that Rendang is also made with Indian flavors such
as red chili, coriander, and garlic that were gotten from Gujarat sellers. This
kind of collaboration brings a unique taste that differentiates Rendang and other
Sumatran traditional foods. Europeans also love Rendang because its taste has a
particular combination between Eastern Europe and Indian special taste. Because
of its unique taste, Rendang can be served with any side dishes, especially
eggs and omelets. Rendang is usually mixed with sweet potato, that is cut into
small pieces and dried. By its special characteristic of taste, Rendang is
claimed as the most delicious traditional food in Indonesia.
Thirdly, Rendang has a uniqueness that is not
owned by other foods because Rendang can last up for 2 months without having
heated anymore. It is really suitable for overseas students or students who are
eager to save money. The longer Rendang is stored, the better Rendang we
will have. Rendang can be that long-lasting because it is cooked with natural
herbs that consist of an antiseptic essence such as garlic, red onion, ginger, and
galangal. Therefore, they can kill pathogenic bacteria and become a natural
preservative. No wonder, Rendang can be stored for months. That’s why Rendang
is unique and different from other traditional food in Indonesia.
From all those explanations, we know that its
difficult cooking method, its special characteristic of taste and its
long-lastingness are the reasons why Rendang is an unique food from West
Sumatra. Those also the reasons why many people around the world love Rendang
and claim it as one of the delicious foods in the world.
