A magnificent spread of steamed rice surrounded by a dazzling array of Minangkabau dishes — rendang, curried vegetables, fried chicken, sambal, and more — served in towering stacked tiffin carriers.
Ingredients
4 cups steamed jasmine rice
500g beef rendang (see rendang recipe)
4 hard-boiled eggs in chili sauce
300g cassava leaves, slow-cooked in coconut milk
200g long beans, stir-fried with chili
Fried chicken (ayam goreng)
Sambal hijau (green chili sambal)
Fried tempeh
Cucumber slices
Kerupuk (crackers)
Instructions
1Prepare rendang: slow-cook beef in coconut milk and spices for 2-3 hours until dry and deeply caramelized.
2Slow-cook cassava leaves in coconut milk with turmeric, galangal, and chili for 2 hours until silky and dark green.
3Fry chicken pieces until golden and crispy. Stir-fry long beans with red chili and shrimp paste.
4Make sambal hijau by grinding green chilies, shallots, and lime juice.
5Hard-boil eggs, then simmer in a spicy coconut sauce until deeply flavored.
6Mound rice in the center of each plate and arrange all dishes around it. Serve with kerupuk and cucumber.
Did You Know?
In traditional Padang restaurants, servers carry dozens of small plates stacked up their arms in towering columns — you only pay for the dishes you eat.