Rendang, a Meal Laden with Tradition

KOMPAS/ RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

A number of rendang variants from Payakumbuh, West Sumatra.

Rendang is no mere culinary product. Its cooking process is also laden with Minangkabau culture and traditions passed down through the generations.

It is rendang’s unique tradition and taste that attracted celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to visit West Sumatra to try making rendang in the second season of Uncharted that Ramsay hosted for National Geographic Channel.

Culinary expert William Wongso accompanied Ramsay in cooking rendang outdoors against the backdrop of the Sianok Canyon in Bukittinggi. On the occasion, William also guided Ramsay in cooking rendang traditionally with firewood.

When we eat [rendang], our five senses will absorb it. The aroma of rendang cooked with firewood and with a stove is different.

Reno Andam Suri, the owner of Uni Fara rendang brand, said that she still used firewood to cook rendang. Coconut milk mixed with rendang ingredients, including beef, are slow-cooked in a huge pot until they become rendang. “When we eat [rendang], our five senses will absorb it. The aroma of rendang cooked with firewood and with a stove is different,” said the writer of “Rendang, Minang Legacy to the World” on Thursday (2/7/2020).

Cooking with firewood is only one part of the rendang story. Other stories of the world-famous dish are abound, including on the type of coconut used. Reno Andam said that coconuts cultivated along coasts and in hinterlands or mountains would also affect the rendang’s taste. The process of picking the coconuts from the trees also has its own story. In Pariaman, West Sumatra, for instance, coconuts are picked with southern pig-tailed macaques.

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KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Reno Andam Suri (right) cooks beef rendang with two of her workers at the Rendang Uni Farah production house, Ciledug, Tangerang, Banten, some time ago.

Preserving rendang’s taste

Minangkabau restaurants have numerous ways of preserving the taste of their rendang dish. The Sederhana restaurant franchise, for instance, has centralized training for dedicated rendang chefs.

Sederhana Satrio branch operational manager Zaenul Maarif said in Kuningan, Jakarta, that all of the franchise’s rendang experts were trained at the Sederhana Rawamangun branch in East Jakarta, which serves as Sederhana\'s flagship store. Rendang chefs are directly trained by Haji Bustaman, the owner of the Sederhana brand. “They are trained by Haji Bustaman. Before they are deployed to branches, they study [how to make rendang] at Sederhana Rawamangun. It is not just about food, but also about maintaining hygiene and other lessons,” Zaenul said.

He said that, in order to preserve the taste of rendang, the main rendang seasonings are brought in from Haji Bustaman’s house.

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Pagi Sore Restaurant owner Haji Erwin Lismar said that rendang must be made of fresh beef, not frozen. Most of Pagi Sore’s rendang seasonings, such as chili pepper and other dried spices, are brought in directly from West Sumatra. It is similar for rendang chefs. “Most of them have worked for me for decades,” Erwin said.

Busnalinda, 48, of Ekor Lubuk subdistrict in East Padang Panjang, said that she usually cooked rendang ahead of the Ramadan fasting month, Idul Fitri and Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) holidays, as well as for weddings and childbirth celebrations. Sometimes, Linda also receives rendang orders from her neighbors or faraway relatives.

For ingredients, Linda uses beef, coconut milk, chili pepper, shallot, garlic, ginger, galangal, nutmeg, lemongrass, turmeric, lime leaves and bay leaves. Linda also puts in a little coconut water to give a slight sweet taste to the rendang. She also stir-fries the beef with water and spices until it dries before putting it into boiling coconut milk.

One recommendation

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC/ERNESTO BENAVIDES,

Gordon Ramsay

William Wongso told Kompas over the phone on Wednesday (1/7) that Ramsay’s visit to West Sumatra started when he was contacted by the New Zealand-based Global Film Solutions (GFS), the institution that organizes Ramsay’s shootings.

GFS had planned to bring Ramsay to Indonesia. The asked William for destination recommendations. William said that he gave them just one: West Sumatra. “The region has a very interesting culture in cuisine and other aspects,” said William, adding that he always put rendang on the menu whenever he was asked to give cooking lessons abroad.

Through his show, Ramsay wished to delve into traditional ways of cooking. Therefore, other than cooking rendang with firewood, Ramsay also visited traditional markets to find the meal’s ingredients. “There was no need to tidy up the market [before Ramsay’s visit],” William said.

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KOMPAS/IDA SETYORINI

William Wongso, Culinary Expert

As a culinary expert, William has cooked rendang for more than 10 years. He has his own interpretation of rendang cooking traditions. He brings his understanding outside West Sumatra and uses various kinds of production patterns while still maintaining the genuine taste of rendang.

William said that rendang cooks should strive to preserve tradition. Visitors, especially from abroad, are highly curious of the process behind a plate of rendang presented in shops or on the dining table. “For rendang, many of these people have no clue how to grate coconuts. They want to see these processes directly. It is not just about selling premade rendang,” he said.

Reno Andam said that rendang’s appearance in the National Geographic show should serve as an opportunity to fix things. “We must fix so many things. This is not about selling rendang to the world. This is about understanding what rendang is, what its philosophies are and how it varies between regions. We must tell this story to outsiders,” she said.