Padang cuisine facts for kids

An array of nasi kapau dishes, Minangkabau Bukittinggi cuisine.

Padang food or Minang food is a delicious type of cooking from the Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It's super popular across Indonesia and even in nearby countries like Malaysia and Singapore. People often call it Masakan Padang (which means Padang cuisine) because Padang is the capital city of West Sumatra.

You'll find Padang food in many restaurants, especially those run by Minangkabau people who have moved to other cities. This food is famous for using lots of coconut milk and spicy chili peppers. The main parts of Minang cooking are gulai (a type of curry), lado (chili), and bareh (rice).

Minangkabau cuisine, like much of Sumatran food, has been influenced by Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. This is why many dishes are cooked in rich curry sauces with coconut milk and lots of different spices.

Padang restaurant waiters are known for their amazing skill of carrying many plates at once when serving the hidang style.

Most Minangkabau people are Muslims, so their food follows strict halal rules. This means the meat is prepared in a special way. They often use beef, chicken, water buffalo, goat, lamb, and fish. Minangkabau people love meat from cattle, including different parts like offal. Almost every part of a cow can be found in their dishes!

If you're near the coast in West Sumatra, you'll find lots of tasty seafood. Fish, shrimp, and cuttlefish are often grilled or fried with spicy chili sauce, or cooked in curry gravy. Most Minang food is eaten with hot steamed rice or special compressed rice called katupek (ketupat). Vegetables like boiled cassava leaves are common side dishes. Sometimes, they're simmered in a light curry, like young jackfruit or cabbage.

What's in a Name?

In Indonesia and nearby countries, people often say "Padang food" to talk about all the cooking from the Minangkabau people. But in Minangkabau cities like Bukittinggi, they prefer to call it Minang cuisine or "Minang food."

This is because many Minangkabau areas are proud of their own cooking styles. Also, there are small differences between Padang rice from Padang city and kapau rice from Bukittinggi.

Eating at Padang Restaurants

When you eat at a Padang restaurant, it's common to use your hands! They usually give you a bowl of water with a slice of lime in it. This water, called kobokan, is for washing your hands before and after you eat. If you prefer, it's perfectly fine to ask for a spoon and fork.

The food is usually cooked fresh once a day. When you go to a Nasi Padang restaurant, you'll see many dishes stacked high in the window. In a special hidang style restaurant, you don't even need to order! The waiter will bring dozens of small dishes to your table. You just pick what you want to eat, and you only pay for the dishes you touch.

One of the most famous Padang dishes is rendang, a super spicy meat stew. Soto Padang (crispy beef in spicy soup) is a popular breakfast. For dinner, you might enjoy sate (beef satay with curry sauce and ketupat).

Nasi kapau food stalls, which are a Bukittinggi style, work a bit differently. You order specific dishes, and they are placed directly onto your steamed rice or on separate small plates.

There are so many Padang restaurants everywhere! In the greater Jakarta area alone, there are at least 20,000 of them. Some well-known restaurant chains include Sederhana, Garuda, Pagi Sore, and Sari Ratu.

• Padang cuisine
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  Some Padang dishes served at Gandoriah Beach in Pariaman. Coastal areas often feature seafood like fish and prawns.

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  The hidang style Padang food at Sederhana restaurant. Many bowls of food are laid out, and you only pay for what you eat.

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  A colorful display of Padang dishes arranged in a restaurant window.

Popular Padang Foods

Minangkabau cuisine

Asam padeh

Ayam pop

Dendeng balado

Gulai

Rendang

Lemang

Udang balado

Roti canai

Roti jala

Keripik sanjay

Dakak-dakak

Teh talua

Main Dishes

The heart of Minangkabau cooking is the gulai method. This involves simmering meat, poultry, vegetables, fish, or seafood slowly in coconut milk, a special spice mixture, and chili peppers. The thick, golden, and spicy gulai sauce is a signature of Padang restaurants.

Being good at cooking gulai is a sign of a great Padang chef! Randang (beef cooked until dry in coconut milk and spices), asam padeh (a sour and spicy stew), and kalio (a lighter, more watery gravy) are all types of Padang gulai.

Here are some popular dishes:

• Asam padeh: A sour and spicy fish stew.
• Ayam bakar: Grilled spicy chicken.
• Ayam balado: Chicken cooked with chili.
• Ayam goreng: Fried chicken with crispy spices.
• Ayam pop: A unique Padang chicken that's boiled or steamed, then lightly fried. It's lighter in color than regular fried chicken.
• Balado: A chili paste, like sambal, often stir-fried with other ingredients.
• Baluik goreng: Crispy fried small freshwater eel.
• Bubur kampiun: A sweet porridge made from rice flour and brown sugar.
• Daun ubi tumbuk: Cassava leaves cooked in coconut milk.
• Dendeng balado: Thin, crispy beef slices with chili.
• Gulai: A curry dish that can have chicken, goat, beef, fish, or vegetables like cassava leaves.
• Gulai banak: A gulai made from cow brain.
• Gulai kepala ikan: Fish head gulai.
• Rendang: Chunks of beef stewed in spicy coconut milk and chili gravy until it's dry and rich. You can also find chicken, duck, or mussel rendang.
• Soto padang: A flavorful beef soup.
• Udang balado: Shrimp cooked with chili.

Snacks and Desserts

A plate of Minang snacks, often served at weddings or family gatherings.

Padang cuisine also has many tasty snacks and desserts:

• Galamai: Sweet treats made from rice flour, palm sugar, and coconut milk, similar to dodol.
• Keripik balado: Cassava crackers coated with a hot and sweet chili paste.
• Keripik sanjai: Sliced cassava chips.
• Kerupuk jangek: Crispy crackers made from cow's skin.
• Kue putu: A traditional green, cylindrical steamed cake.
• Peyek: Deep-fried savory crackers, sometimes with shrimp (Peyek udang).
• Pinyaram: A traditional cake made from rice flour, sugar, and coconut milk.
• Serabi: A traditional pancake made from rice flour and coconut milk.
• Tapai: Fermented sticky rice.

Refreshing Drinks

Es ampiang dadiah, Minang yogurt served with shaved ice and palm sugar.

To cool down after spicy food, try these drinks:

• Dadiah: Fermented buffalo milk, like yogurt.
• Es campur: A cold, sweet dessert with fruit, coconut, and jellies, served with shaved ice and syrup.
• Es tebak: A mix of avocado, jackfruit, and other ingredients, served with shaved ice and sweet milk.
• Teh talua: A unique mixture of tea and egg.
• Teh tarik: A hot, frothy milk tea.

Padang Food in Movies

The Indonesian film Tabula Rasa (2014) tells the story of a Minang family who run a Rumah Makan Padang (Padang food restaurant). They hire a young Papuan football player who is struggling in Jakarta to be their cook.