Nasi padang, sometimes referred to as Padang rice, is a

Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...

dish of

steamed rice Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Asian rice (both Indica and Japonica varieties), African rice or wild rice, glutinous ...

served with various choices of pre-cooked dishes originating from

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5, ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It is named after the city of

Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...

, capital of the West Sumatra province. A miniature banquet of meats, fish, vegetables, and spicy

sambal Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients, such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an Indo ...

s eaten with plain white rice, it is Sumatra's most famous export and the

Minangkabau people Minangkabau people ( min, Urang Minang; Indonesian or Malay: ''Orang Minangkabau'' or ''Minangkabo''; Jawi: منڠكبو), also known as Minang, are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesi ...

's primary contribution to

Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 popula ...

. A Padang restaurant is usually easily distinguishable with its Rumah Gadang-style facade and typical window display. Such displays usually 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 The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

demanded the ''uang lauk pauk'' (food allowance, a component of civil servants' salary) 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 Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Serving

In Padang restaurants, there are two methods of serving: ''pesan'' (ordering) and ''hidang'' (serve) method. ''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 (without prompt) a set of dishes by waiters whose arms are stacked with plates. The dishes, usually numbering a dozen, typically includes beef

rendang Rendang ( ; ) is a Minang dish originating from the Minangkabau region in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has spread across Indonesian cuisine to the cuisines of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and th ...

, curried fish, stewed greens, chili

eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mos ...

, curried beef liver, tripe, intestines or foot tendons, fried beef lung, fried chicken, and

, 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 A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for ...

and

fork In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from la, furca 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tines with which one can spear foods ei ...

Dishes

Steamed rice is usually served with ''gulai cubadak'' (unripe

jackfruit The jackfruit (''Artocarpus heterophyllus''), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, ...

gulai ''Gulai'' is a class of spicy and rich stew commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The main ingredients of this dish are usually poultry, goat meat, beef, mutton, various kinds of offal, fish and seafood, as well as vegetables suc ...

) and boiled

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

leaves. Nasi padang dishes are quite similar to

nasi kapau ''Nasi kapau'' is a Minangkabau steamed rice topped with various choices of dishes originated from Nagari Kapau, Bukittinggi, a tourism and culinary hotspot town in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is often describes as Minang version of '' nasi ramas ...

from

Bukittinggi Bukittinggi ( min, Bukiktinggi, Jawi: , formerly nl, Fort de Kock) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010 and 121,028 in 2020, and an area of 25.24 km2. It is in the Minangkabau Highlands ...

. The differences mainly lie in the method of serving. Dishes offered include: * ''Gulai cubadak'', unripe jackfruit gulai * ''Sayur daun ubi kayu'' or ''sayur daun singkong'', boiled cassava leaves * ''

Rendang Rendang ( ; ) is a Minang dish originating from the Minangkabau region in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has spread across Indonesian cuisine to the cuisines of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and th ...

'', chunks of beef stewed in spicy coconut milk and chili gravy, cooked well until dried. Other than beef, ''rendang ayam'' (chicken rendang) and ''rendang itik'' (duck rendang) can be found * ''

Daun ubi tumbuk Daun ubi tumbuk (Indonesian for "pounded cassava leaves") is a vegetable dish commonly found in Indonesia, made from pounded cassava leaves. In Indonesian, ''daun'' means leaf, ''ubi'' refers to cassava, and ''tumbuk'' means pounded. The cassava ...

'', cassava leaves in coconut milk * ''

Kalio Kalio (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: كالياو) is a type of rendang that is cooked for a shorter period of time and much of the coconut milk liquid has not evaporated. Kalio has quite abundant liquid sauce acquired from Cooking, cooked coconut milk t ...

'', similar to rendang; while rendang is rather dry, kalio is watery and light-colored * ''

Gulai ayam ''Gulai'' is a class of spicy and rich stew commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The main ingredients of this dish are usually poultry, goat meat, beef, mutton, various kinds of offal, fish and seafood, as well as vegetables suc ...

'', chicken gulai * ''Gulai cancang'', gulai of meats and cow internal organs * ''Gulai tunjang'', gulai of cow foot tendons * ''Gulai babek'', ''gulai babat'' or ''gulai paruik kabau'', gulai of cow tripes * ''Gulai iso'' or ''gulai usus'', gulai of cow intestines usually filled with eggs and tofu * ''Gulai limpo'', gulai of cow spleen * ''Gulai ati'', gulai of cow liver * ''

Gulai otak ''Gulai'' is a class of spicy and rich stew commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The main ingredients of this dish are usually poultry, goat meat, beef, mutton, various kinds of offal, fish and seafood, as well as vegetables suc ...

'', gulai of cow brain * ''Gulai sumsum'', gulai of cow bone marrow * ''Gulai gajeboh'', cow fat gulai * ''Gulai itiak'', duck gulai * ''Gulai talua, boiled eggs gulai * ''Gulai kepala ikan kakap merah, red snapper's head gulai * ''Gulai jariang'',

jengkol ''Archidendron pauciflorum'', commonly known as djenkol, jengkol or jering is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia, where the seeds are a popular dish.Lim, T. K. "Archidendron jiringa." Edible Me ...

stinky bean gulai * ''Dendeng batokok'', thin crispy beef * ''Dendeng balado'', thin crispy beef with chili * ''Paru goreng'', fried cow lung * ''

Ayam bakar Ayam bakar is an Indonesian and Malaysian dish, consisting of charcoal-grilled chicken. ''Ayam bakar'' literally means "grilled chicken" in Indonesian and Malay. Marination and spices In Java, the chicken is usually marinated with the mixtur ...

'', grilled spicy chicken * ''Ayam balado'', chicken in chili * ''

Ayam goreng Ayam goreng is an Indonesian and Malaysian dish consisting of chicken deep fried in oil. ''Ayam goreng'' literally means "fried chicken" in Malay, Indonesian and also in many Indonesian regional languages (e.g. Javanese). Marination and spi ...

'', fried chicken with spicy granules * ''Ayam lado ijo'', chicken in green chili * ''

Ayam pop Ayam pop is a fried chicken dish commonly found in Indonesia, consisting of chicken deep fried in oil. The dish contains skinless pale fried chicken that has been boiled or steamed prior to frying. Although ayam pop is identified as ayam goreng ...

'', Minang-style chicken, boiled/steamed and then fried * ''Ikan bilih'', fried small freshwater fish of the genus ''

Mystacoleucus ''Mystacoleucus'' is a genus of cyprinid fishes that are found in Southeast Asia. There are currently eight described species in this genus. Species * ''Mystacoleucus argenteus'' ( F. Day, 1888) * ''Mystacoleucus atridorsalis'' Fowler, 1937 * ...

'' * ''Baluik goreng'', crispy fried small freshwater

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

* ''

Udang balado Udang balado or Sambal goreng udang is a hot and spicy shrimp dish commonly found in Indonesian cuisine. It is made of shrimp, either peeled or unpeeled, stir-fried in hot and spicy sambal paste in small amount of cooking oil. Ingredients The '' ...

'', shrimp in chili * ''Rajungan goreng'', crispy fried crab * ''Terong balado'',

in chili * ''Petai goreng'', fried green stinky bean (''

Parkia speciosa ''Parkia speciosa'', the bitter bean, twisted cluster bean or stink bean, is a plant of the genus ''Parkia'' in the family Fabaceae. It bears long, flat edible beans with bright green seeds the size and shape of plump almonds which have a ra ...

'') * ''Ikan asam padeh'', fish with spicy-sour taste * ''Itiak lado mudo, duck in green chili * '' Peyek udang'', shrimp ''

rempeyek Rempeyek or peyek is a deep-fried savoury Indonesian- Javanese cracker made from flour (usually rice flour) with other ingredients, bound or coated by crispy flour batter. The most common type of rempeyek is ''peyek kacang'' ("peanut peyek") ...

'' * ''Kerupuk jangek'', cow's skin ''

krupuk ''Krupuk'' ( Javanese), ''kerupuk'' (Indonesian), ''keropok'' (Malay), ''kroepoek'' (Dutch) or ''kropek'' ( Tagalog) is a cracker made from starch or animal skin and other ingredients that serve as flavouring. Most krupuk are deep fried, w ...

'' * '' Sambal balado'', sambal with large sliced chilli pepper * ''Sambal lado tanak * ''Lele goreng'', fried catfish

In popular culture

* In 2016,

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

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

References

{{Singaporean cuisine Padang cuisine Indonesian rice dishes Rice dishes

Serving

Dishes

In popular culture

See also

References