Adaptation of ‘Rendang’, from ‘Lokan’ to Foliage

Rendang (a traditional Minangkabau dish gone global), is not only served with meat as its main ingredient. Rendang adapts to the geographical conditions of the surrounding areas.

KOMPAS/YOLA SASTRA

Jusdahniar (57) cooks rendang leaves at his home in Nagari Batu Bulek, North Lintau Buo District, Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Saturday (28/5/2022). Lintau's signature rendang uses ingredients from the 50's to 100's of types of leaves and eels..

The dried eel pieces were bubbling in the kuali, a cooking pan. Flashes of fire from the firewood seemed to be licking it from below. The smell of coconut milk wafted from the food being cooked in the iron stove, near the house's garage.

Slowly, Jusdahniar (57) put the fresh leaves he brought into the kalio, half-cooked rendang. Not long after that, the leaves were soon fried by the oil appearing from the coconut milk. Gradually, the dish turned black into rendang.

"There are 55 types of leaves for leaf rendang today," said Jusdahniar, or familiarly called Jus, at his home in Nagari Batu Bulek, North Lintau Buo, Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Saturday (28/5/2022). Jus cooked with his brother-in-law, Nur Asyura (57), and was documented by the Pusaka Rasa Nusantara team.

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Leaf rendang is a variant of Lintau's rendang. The main ingredients are at least 120 types of leaves around the house up to the forest. Some of them are surian leaves, asam jati, and lidah kucing leaves, plus dried eel.

Rendang or randang in the Minangkabau language is the result of a process of cooking until dry. The process is called marandang.

The recipe for leaf rendang, said Jus, was passed down from generation to generation during economic hardships in the past. Residents look for leaves of the forest to be cooked into rendang.

Besides being delicious in rendang, some leaves are beneficial for health. Sungkai leaves are a medicine for fever; puluik-puluik leaves for internal heat.

The process of cooking leaf rendang is similar to that of beef rendang. However, leaf rendang is richer in texture. The leaves and eel combined with the rendang seasoning create a crunchy, moist and soft texture. It also has a lovelier scent.

Eel rendang

However, for those who want to taste the typical eel rendang, Kinari in Solok Regency can be their main destination. There, rendang eel is cooked with pieces of nutmeg and sliced tapak leman leaves.

Asniarti (54), a member of the Kinari Rancak Tourism Awareness Group, Nagari Kinari, Bukit Sundi District, said on Thursday (26/5) that the sour flesh of nutmeg can neutralize the fishy smell and high cholesterol in eels.

“Randangbaluik [eel rendang] has been passed down from generation to generation,” said Asniarti.

Kinari and its surroundings are agricultural areas. Rice-field eels are an alternative to making typical rendang. "Eel nutrition is no different from [other] meat," Asniarti said.

KOMPAS/YOLA SASTRA

Leaf rendang typical of Nagari Batu Bulek, North Lintau Buo District, Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Saturday (28/5/2022).

‘Rendang lokan’

The South Coast also has its characteristic lokan rendang. Lokan is a type of shellfish that lives in the mud around the nipah forest at the mouth of the river.

On Wednesday (25/5), Okvina Juita (38) cooked rendang lokan at her home in Nagari Pasar Baru, Bayang District.

Scallop meat that had been boiled and cleaned was put into a bubbling curry. The curry continued to be stirred for hours until it became kalio, before it was cooked into rendang.

Rendang lokan made by Vina, as she is called, was chewy and soft. Lokan meat is ideally enjoyed with spicy-sweet rendang seasoning.

Vina said rendang lokan is special because not all areas in West Sumatra have lokan. The South Coast and West Pasaman are the main producers.

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According to Vina, rendang lokan is a form of adaptation of rendang in the pasisia (coastal) area, which is none other than the outsider area. Darek (land/inland) people who used to cook beef rendang migrated to pasisia.

The three types of rendang are only a few of the variations in West Sumatra. There are several other names, such as rendang ayam with tuber shoots to rendang pakis. The diversity is an adaptation and shows the longing of certain local residents for the pleasure of rendang.

"Those produced there [Kinari, South Pesisir, etc.] are rich in protein; that's the main ingredient. The ingredients are according to the geographical areas,” said chef Ragil Imam Wibowo, a culinary expert from Pusaka Rasa Nusantara.

However, the existence of various variants of rendang are threatened. One of the triggers is changes in the conditions of nature. As a result, the stock of raw materials is running low. The changing professions of citizens also has an effect.

Now the eels are caught with stun guns. Many eels die. Some were poisoned too

Nur Asyura said that in recent years it has become increasingly difficult to find the right leaves. Parts of the forest have turned into farming areas. “The most difficult thing is to find kambuik-kambuik leaves in the forest. Yesterday I only got one," said Nur.

Eels are also increasingly difficult to find in the fields. Atrial (27), a resident of Kinari, said that eels are now increasingly rare. Now with 35-37 bubu traps a maximum of only 3.5 kilograms of eels are caught. In the past, the results were much greater.

"Now the eels are caught with stun guns. Many eels die. Some were poisoned too," said Atrial. He added that chemical fertilizers and plow engine fuel also pollute the rice fields.

Lokan gatherers are also reduced due to high risk. The estuary of the lokan habitat is often a nest of estuarine crocodiles.

The wealth of rendang variations is certainly something to be proud of. However, the threat of loss due to time must also receive attention.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.