Having lived in the Greater Jakarta area for 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 its 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.

Reminding Minangkabau people about their origins was one of the reasons why sellers wanted to participate in the festival, Buyung Made, a 49-year-old nasi kapau seller said. He explained that the values of the dishes surpassed their delicious tastes as Minangkabau people actually learned many life philosophies from cooking them.

For example, cooking rendang (slow-cooked meat in coconut milk and spices) for up to six hours taught Minangkabau people that patience and perseverance could result in a delicious dish, implying that people should always work hard before they can enjoy the fruits of their efforts.

“And look at rendang now, it has even gained recognition as one of the world’s most delicious dishes. I feel like my food can remind fellow Minangkabau people about the philosophies that have been passed down for many generations,” said Buyung who originally came from Payakumbuh, West Sumatra, and runs a Minang food stall in Kramat Soka, Central Jakarta.

Hanim said she did not come to the festival only for its food, as she also used the opportunity to meet other Minangkabau people and their families in Jakarta.

“It’s very rare for me to speak the Minang language in Jakarta in everyday conversation. But now, as so many Minang people have gathered here, I can use the language to greet sellers and other visitors,” she said.

Risko, a 22-year-old university student in Depok, West Java, also said the taste of Minangkabau dishes always reminded him of his hometown in Padang, West Sumatra. However, he had always found it difficult to get authentic Minangkabau food in Jakarta as its flavors had been modified to adjust to Jakartans’ palates.

At times, he added, many Minangkabau dishes in Jakarta had a sweeter flavor with fewer spices and herbs compared with the food served in his hometown.

“But here, at the festival, I think all the food has lived up to my expectations, especially sate dangung-dangung [beef skewers with yellow sauce], which has a strong taste of cumin,” he said.

The festival also attracted non-Minangkabau people for their love of the cuisine.

Setyo Warjito, a 44-year-old Slipi, West Jakarta, resident, said that he unintentionally visited the festival as he was simply accompanying his wife to shop for clothes at the shopping mall. But as he looked around the stalls, he finally found gulai tambusu (tripe cooked with coconut milk and spices), which was his favorite Minangkabau food.

“Gulai tambusu is really a hidden gem of Minangkabau cuisine. I instantly fell in love with it after my friend at work, who is of Minangkabau descent, introduced me to the dish several years ago and now I’m happy to see plenty of it here,” Setyo said. (glh)

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