Nasi padang


Nasi padang, sometimes referred to as Padang rice, is a Minangkabau dish of steamed rice served with various choices of pre-cooked dishes originating from West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is named after the city of Padang, the capital of the West Sumatra province. A miniature banquet of meats, fish, vegetables, and spicy sambals eaten with plain white rice, it is Sumatra's most famous export and the Minangkabau people's primary contribution to Indonesian cuisine.
A Padang restaurant is usually easily distinguishable with its Rumah Gadang-style facade and typical window display. Usually, such displays consist of stages and rows of carefully arranged, stacked bowls and plates filled with various dishes. Padang restaurants, especially smaller ones, will usually bear names in the Minang language.
Nasi padang is a vital part of the Indonesian workers' lunch break in urban areas. When nasi padang prices in the Greater Jakarta area were raised in 2016, municipal civil servants demanded the uang lauk pauk to be raised as well.
Nasi padang is found in various cities in Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, and Papua as well as neighboring countries Malaysia, Singapore, East Timor and Australia.

Serving

In Padang restaurants, there are two methods of serving: pesan and hidang methods.
Pesan, the most common method, usually employed by small restaurants with one or two customers ordering at a time, involves the customer examining the window display and choosing each desired dish, ordering directly from the attendant.
In larger restaurants, the festive hidang method is usually employed. This mini banquet is most suitable for dining in a group. After being seated, patrons are served a set of dishes by waiters whose arms are stacked with plates. The dishes, usually numbering a dozen, typically includes beef rendang, curried fish, stewed greens, chili eggplant, curried beef liver, tripe, intestines or foot tendons, fried beef lung, fried chicken, and sambal, the spicy sauces ubiquitous at Indonesian tables.
Nasi padang served this way is akin to an at-your-table, by-the-plate buffet. Customers only pay for what they have consumed from this array.
In Minang food establishments, it is common to eat with one's hands. Kobokan, a bowl of tap water with a slice of lime, is provided for washing hands before and after eating. If a customer does not wish to eat with bare hands, it is acceptable to ask for a spoon and fork.

Dishes

Steamed rice is usually served with gulai cubadak and boiled cassava leaves. Nasi padang dishes are quite similar to nasi kapau from Bukittinggi. The differences mainly lie in the method of serving. Dishes offered include:Gulai cubadak, unripe jackfruit gulaiSayur daun ubi kayu or sayur daun singkong, boiled cassava leavesRendang, chunks of beef stewed in spicy coconut milk and chili gravy, cooked well until dried. Other than beef, rendang ayam and rendang itik can be foundDaun ubi tumbuk, cassava leaves in coconut milkKalio, similar to rendang; while rendang is rather dry, kalio is watery and light-coloredGulai ayam, chicken gulaiGulai cancang, gulai of meats and cow internal organsGulai tunjang, gulai of cow foot tendonsGulai babek, gulai babat or gulai paruik kabau, gulai of cow tripesGulai iso or gulai usus, gulai of cow intestines usually filled with eggs and tofuGulai limpo, gulai of cow spleenGulai ati, gulai of cow liverGulai otak, gulai of cow brainGulai sumsum, gulai of cow bone marrowGulai gajeboh, cow fat gulaiGulai itiak, duck gulaiGulai talua, boiled eggs gulaiGulai kepala ikan kakap merah, red snapper's head gulaiGulai jariang, jengkol stinky bean gulaiDendeng batokok, thin crispy beefDendeng balado, thin crispy beef with chiliParu goreng, fried cow lungAyam bakar, grilled spicy chickenAyam balado, chicken in chiliAyam goreng, fried chicken with spicy granulesAyam lado ijo, chicken in green chiliAyam pop, Minang-style chicken, boiled/steamed and then friedIkan bilih, fried small freshwater fish of the genus MystacoleucusBaluik goreng, crispy fried small freshwater eelUdang balado, shrimp in chiliRajungan goreng, crispy fried crabTerong balado, eggplant in chiliPetai goreng, fried green stinky bean Ikan asam padeh, fish with spicy-sour tasteItiak lado mudo, duck in green chiliPeyek udang, shrimp rempeyekKerupuk jangek, cow's skin krupukSambal balado, sambal with large sliced chilli pepperSambal lado tanak, chili/shallot condimentLele goreng, fried catfish

In popular culture

  • In 2016, Norwegian singer Audun Kvitland Røstad created an ode for Padang rice to describe his love for this food. The music video subsequently went viral.