What To Do in West Sumatra Padang Food?

WHAT TO DO IN WEST SUMATRA? - EAT PADANG FOOD

If you ever visit Indonesia, you'll notice that Padang restaurant is everywhere. You can find Padang restaurant easily by see a restaurant which displayed their dishes in the shop window. Padang cuisine or Nasi Padang originally from West Sumatra region, which served you with many dishes on your table so you can choose which dishes that you want. Padang food is famous for its rich taste of succulent coconut milk and spicy chili. If you like a little spice in your food then Padang is the place for you.

Almost all the parts of a cattle, such as meat, ribs, tongue, tail, liver, tripe, brain, bone marrow, spleen, intestine, cartilage, tendon, and skin are made to be Minangkabau delicacies. Seafood is popular in coastal West Sumatran cities, and most are grilled or fried with spicy chili sauce or in curry gravy. Fish, shrimp, and cuttlefish are cooked in similar way. Most of Minangkabau food is eaten with hot steamed rice or compressed rice such as katupek (ketupat). Vegetables are mostly boiled such as boiled cassava leaf, or simmered in thin curry as side dishes, such as gulai (curry) of young jack-fruit or cabbages.

Top 10 Dishes
I personally like to eat these 10 dishes:

1. Rendang, chunks of beef stewed in spicy coconut milk and chili gravy, cooked well until dried. Other than beef, rendang ayam or chicken rendang can be found.
2. Dendeng Batokok, thin crispy beef
3. Dendeng Balado, thin crispy beef with chilli
4. Ayam bakar, grilled spicy chicken
Ikan Bilih, fried small freshwater fish.
5. Baluik goreng, crispy fried small freshwater eel
6. Udang Balado, shrimp in chili
7. Daun ubi tumbuk, cassava leaves in coconut milk
8. Sate Padang, Padang style satay, skewered barbecued meat with thick yellow sauce
9. Gulai Ayam, chicken gulai

Other Dishes
1. Kalio, similar to rendang; while rendang is rather dry, kalio is watery and light-colored
2. Kerupuk Jangek, cow's skin deep-fried crackers
3. Gulai Cancang, curry of meats and cow internal organs
4. Gulai Tunjang, curry of cow foot tendons
5. Gulai Babek, curry of cow tripe
6. Gulai Iso, curry of cow intestines usually filled with eggs and tofu
7. Gulai Limpo, curry of cow spleen
8. Gulai Ati, curry of cow liver
9. Gulai Sumsum, curry of cow bone marrow
10. Gulai Kepala Ikan Kakap Merah, red         snapper's head curry
11. Petai Goreng, fried green stinky bean (Parkia speciosa)
12. Gulai Itiak, duck curry
13. Gulai Talua, boiled eggs curry
14. Gulai Gajeboh, cow fat curry
15. Gulai Jariang, jengkol stinky bean curry
16. Paru Goreng, fried cow lung
17. Rajungan goreng, crispy fried crab
18. Terong Balado, eggplant in chili
19. Gulai Otak, curry of cow brain
20. Peyek udang, shrimp deep-fried crackers

These are some tips for you if you want to eat in Padang restaurant:
You are not gonna pay for all of the food that they served. When you eat in Padang restaurant, they will serve you with more than 10 dishes on your table. Don't be afraid, you wont't be charged for all of those food. If you don't like it, don't touch it.
Wash your fingers before and after you dine. Commonly, they will give you a bowl of water, DON'T DRINK IT, its for washing your fingers.
Some of the dishes won't be serve if you are not ask. If you want to eat fried rice, fried noodle, lotek, gado-gado, or soup, you have to ask the waiter to serve it on your table.
I personally like to combined some curry to make the taste better.
In some restaurant, you also can choose the dishes that you want to serve on your table.
Try eating with your bare hands. Local people prefer to eat their rice and dishes using their hands, because some of the foods will taste better when you combine it with another food. Some of foreigners that I know always failed when they try to eat their rice and dishes using their bare hands. But If you cannot do it, don't be shame to ask for utensils. What you need to do if you want to eat with your bare hand are:
1. Serve a small portion of each main dish and rice on your plate
2. Tear of each main dishes into small piece
3. Using all five fingers work the combined rice and main dish into a ball
4. Let your 4 fingers become a spoon, and place your thumb behind the food, then try to push your food into your mouth by using your thumb.
5. Repeat this process as necessary by mixing a little rice and main dish together. And you can add the side dishes onto your plate.

*Perhaps it will be awkward for you who are left handed. So be be prepare!

If you planned to visit Padang, eat all of those foods, and share your experiences about Padang food in the comment box below ;)

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