" Rendang " Indonesian Food

Rendang or Randang is a typical Indonesian food, rendang is a spicy meat dish that uses a mixture of various herbs and spices. This cuisine is produced from the cooking process which is heated repeatedly with coconut milk. The cooking process takes hours (usually around four hours) to dry and pitch black. In room temperature, rendang can last for weeks. Rendang cooked in a shorter time and not dried coconut milk is called Kalio, golden light brown.

Rendang can be found at Padang Restaurants all over the world. This cuisine is popular in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Thailand. In his native region, Minangkabau, served in various traditional ceremonies and special events. Although rendang is a traditional Minangkabau dish, each region in Minangkabau has different cooking techniques and choices.

Recipes and Cooking Methods

Rendang is a dish that contains rich spices. In addition to the basic ingredients of meat, rendang uses coconut milk, and a mixture of a variety of distinctive herbs that are refined include chili, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, ginger, garlic, shallots and various other herbs commonly referred to as cooking. The uniqueness of rendang is the use of natural spices, which are antiseptic and kill pathogenic bacteria so that they are natural preservatives. Garlic, onion, ginger, and galangal are known to have strong antimicrobial activity. Not surprisingly, rendang can be stored for one week to four weeks.

The process of cooking the original rendang can take hours (usually around four hours), which is why cooking rendang requires time and patience. The pieces of meat are cooked together with spices and coconut milk in the right heat, stirred slowly until the coconut milk and seasonings are absorbed by the meat. After boiling, the flames are reduced and kept stirring until the coconut milk thickens and becomes dry. Cooking rendang must be patient and painstakingly watched, always carefully turned around so that the coconut milk dries and the spices are absorbed perfectly, without scorching or destroying the meat. This cooking process is known in modern culinary art with the term 'caramelization'. Because it uses many types of herbs, rendang is known to have a complex and unique flavor.