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Plate of memories: Food festival brings piece of home to Minang people in Jakarta
Hanim is Minangkabau -- an ethnic group originating from West Sumatra – a people known for traveling far from their hometown in pursuit of successful lives in other places, including Jakarta. Many of them are attracted to various businesses like jewelry, textiles and clothing, as well as the culinary trade, which contributes to the abundance of Minang food stalls in the capital.
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A seller serves a plate of 'nasi Kapau' at the Food Fest Minangkabau in Thamrin City shopping center in Central Jakarta on Saturday. (JP/Galih Gumelar)
H
aving been living in Greater Jakarta area for the past three decades, Hanim has always had a yearning for a little bit of her hometown of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. The 55-year-old resident of Ciledug, Tangerang, Banten, says that even though places selling traditional Minang dishes are plentiful in the capital and satellite cities, nothing can really beat the authenticity of the aroma of the food from her parents’ and neighbors’ houses back home.
She found some such home cooking on Saturday in a plate of katupek gulai paku (Minang-style fern leaves boiled with coconut milk and served with rice cake). To enhance her dining experience, she added kerupuk merah (red tapioca crackers) to the dish.
“After living for many years in the capital, eating Minang cuisine has always been my remedy to cure my longing for Bukittinggi,” Hanim told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
She was visiting the second Food Fest Minangkabau, a festival that promotes Minang culinary specialties, held in Thamrin City shopping mall in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, from Friday to Monday.
“I used to eat this [katupek gulai paku] when I was a little girl, especially after accompanying my mother to a traditional market. The taste might be a little bit different from what I used to eat, but still, it brings back so many good childhood memories,” she added.
Hanim is Minangkabau -- an ethnic group originating from West Sumatra – a people known for traveling far from their hometown in pursuit of successful lives in other places, including Jakarta. Many of them are attracted to various businesses like jewelry, textiles and clothing, as well as the culinary trade, which contributes to the abundance of Minang food stalls in the capital.
The food festival organizer offered 40 stalls serving a wide array of Minangkabau delicacies ranging from nasi kapau (Kapau-style rice) and katupek pical (rice cake served with vegetables and peanut sauce) to beverages such as cindua langkok (sweet coconut milk ice served with rice flour jelly). To make themselves feel at home, the festival also provided Minangkabau music such as saluang (Minang-style flute ensemble) and tambua tansa (percussion ensemble) performances.
