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]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).
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