Telur pindang or pindang eggs are hard boiled
eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
cooked in the ''
pindang
Pindang refers to a cooking method in the Indonesian and Malay language of boiling ingredients in brine or acidic solutions. Usually employed to cook fish or egg, the technique is native to Sumatra especially in Palembang, but has spread to Jav ...
'' process, originating from
Javanese cuisine
Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.
Definition
Javanese cuisine refers exclusively to the cuisine of Javanese peop ...
,
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 ...
, and popular in
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
as well as
Palembang cuisine
Palembangese cuisine is the cuisine of the Palembangese people of the city of Palembang in the South Sumatra province of Indonesia. It is the second most well-known cuisine from Sumatra after Padang.
Ingredients
Palembang cuisine primarily u ...
. The eggs are boiled slowly in water mixed with
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
,
soy sauce
Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...
,
shallot
The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with ''Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the d ...
skins,
teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...
leaf and other spices. Due to its origins, it bears striking similarities with Chinese
tea egg
Tea egg is a typical Chinese savory food commonly sold as a snack, in which a boiled egg is cracked slightly and then boiled again in tea, and sauce or spices. It is also known as marble egg because cracks in the egg shell create darkened ...
s. However, instead of
black tea
Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...
, this version uses leftover
shallot
The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with ''Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the d ...
skins,
teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...
leaves
or
guava
Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...
leaves
as dark brownish
coloring agents.
Terminology
The term ''pindang'' refer to the cooking process of boiling the ingredients in
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
together with certain spices that contains
tannin
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...
,
[ usually soy sauce, shallot skin, guava leaves, teak leaves, tea or other spices common in Southeast Asia. This gives the food a dark brown color and lasts longer compared to plainly boiled eggs, thus ''pindang'' is an Indonesian traditional method to preserve food, usually employed for fish and eggs.][ The technique is native to Java and Sumatra. Other preserving method includes ''asin'' or cured and dried in salt, and '']dendeng
Dendeng refers to thinly sliced dried meat in Indonesian cuisine. It is preserved through a mixture of sugar and spices and dried via a frying process. It is similar to jerky. The creation of dendeng is commonly credited to the Minangkabau peopl ...
'' which is cured and dried in sugar, ''acar
Acar is a type of vegetable pickle of Maritime Southeast Asia, most prevalent in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is a localised version of Indian '' achar''. It is known as atjar in Dutch cuisine, derived from Indonesian ''acar' ...
'' (pickling
Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called a ...
), and also ''asap'' ( smoked).
Variations
Indonesia
Today, the ''telur pindang'' is widely spread throughout Indonesian archipelago
The islands of Indonesia, also known as the Indonesian Archipelago ( id, Kepulauan Indonesia) or Nusantara, may refer either to the islands comprising the country of Indonesia or to the geographical groups which include its islands.
History ...
, however it is found more prevalent in Javanese cuisine
Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.
Definition
Javanese cuisine refers exclusively to the cuisine of Javanese peop ...
of Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and East Java
East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...
, and also South Sumatra
South Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The pro ...
. Despite sharing similarities with Chinese tea eggs that employs tea leaves, this Indonesian version favours the use of teak leaves, guava leaves or spared shallots skin instead. The use of teak leaf as coloring agent might suggest its Javanese origin, since Java is famous for its teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...
wood for centuries. The teak leaf is also used to give reddish color in Yogyakarta's ''gudeg
Gudeg is a traditional Javanese dish from Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. Gudeg is made from young unripe jack fruit ( Javanese: ''gori'', Indonesian: '' nangka muda'') stewed for several hours with palm sugar, and coconut milk. Additio ...
'', or even as dyeing material in traditional Javanese batik
Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth. This technique originated from the island of Java, Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a ''ca ...
-making. Indonesian cuisine favour the use of shallot
The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with ''Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the d ...
s than common onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...
, and subsequently the peeled shallot skins are usually collected and spared as key ingredient to make pindang eggs later.
The ''telur pindang'' is often served as part of ''tumpeng
Tumpeng ( Javanese: ; Balinese: ) is an Indonesian cone-shaped rice dish with side dishes of vegetables and meat originating from Javanese cuisine of Indonesia. Traditionally featured in the '' slamatan'' ceremony, the rice is made by using a co ...
'', ''nasi kuning
Nasi kuning ( Indonesian for: "yellow rice"), or sometimes called nasi kunyit (Indonesian for: "turmeric rice"), is an Indonesian fragrant rice dish cooked with coconut milk and turmeric, hence the name ''nasi kuning'' (yellow rice).
In the ...
'' or ''nasi campur
Nasi campur (Indonesian for 'mixed rice'), also known as nasi rames or sega campur (; ) in Java, refers to an Indonesian dish of a scoop of ''nasi putih'' (white rice) accompanied by small portions of a number of other dishes, which includes me ...
''. In Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
, ''telur pindang'' often served with ''gudeg
Gudeg is a traditional Javanese dish from Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. Gudeg is made from young unripe jack fruit ( Javanese: ''gori'', Indonesian: '' nangka muda'') stewed for several hours with palm sugar, and coconut milk. Additio ...
'' or just 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 ...
. It is also part of Chinese Indonesian ''lontong cap go meh
Lontong cap go meh ( jv, ꦭꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦛꦺꦴꦁꦕꦥ꧀ꦒꦺꦴꦩꦺꦃ, lonthong cap go mèh) is a Chinese Indonesian cuisine, Chinese Indonesian take on traditional Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian dishes, more precisely Javanese cuisine ...
''. Those dishes, the ''tumpeng'', ''nasi kuning,'' and ''lontong cap go meh,'' are important ceremonial dishes for each respective cultures, since eggs are traditionally symbolize fertility, regeneration and luck.
Malaysia
''Telur pindang'' in Malaysia is most popular in Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...
, the southern-most state in Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
. The true origins of the dish is unclear, however the cuisine most likely originated from Chinese merchants and settlers who came to the country in the 19th century through the once independent sultanate, having significant similarities to tea egg
Tea egg is a typical Chinese savory food commonly sold as a snack, in which a boiled egg is cracked slightly and then boiled again in tea, and sauce or spices. It is also known as marble egg because cracks in the egg shell create darkened ...
s.
Another possible theory suggests that it was probably brought by Javanese immigrants instead, that settled in Johor about a century ago. The recipe might have caught on due to its preserved nature. With Johor being a hub of international trade, it would be useful to the many merchants at sea who can benefit from such an easily stored food item that lasted for weeks.
The common ingredients of ''telur pindang'' are shallot skins, tamarind
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs ...
, fennel
Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...
, , soysauce, and various leaves such as guava leaves or mangosteen
Mangosteen (''Garcinia mangostana''), also known as the purple mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to tropical lands surrounding the Indian Ocean. Its origin is uncertain due to widespread prehistoric cultivation. ...
leaves, although different recipes have different mixes of these ingredients or even additional ingredients, giving it a unique flavor. The notable difference between Malaysian and Indonesian ''telur pindang'' is the use of teak leaves, which are replaced with other leaves in most traditional Malaysian ''telur pindang'' recipes.
''Telur pindang'' has a deep cultural heritage within Johorean, and in turn Malaysian, society. However, the daily use of ''telur pindang'' is now far more uncommon today due to its complicated and time-consuming method of cooking, restricted to mostly festivities or commercial sale. In turn, this creates an appreciation for the cuisine, regarded as an important part of Malay tradition.
See also
* Javanese cuisine
Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.
Definition
Javanese cuisine refers exclusively to the cuisine of Javanese peop ...
* Nasi ambeng
Nasi ambeng or Nasi ambang is an Indonesian fragrant rice dish that consists of - but is not limited to - steamed white rice, chicken curry or chicken stewed in soy sauce, beef or chicken rendang, sambal goreng (lit. fried sambal; a mildly spicy ...
* Balado
References
External links
Indonesian Marbled Hard Boiled Eggs or Telur Pindang recipe
(from Food.com)
Telur pindang recipe
(in Indonesian)
{{Indonesian cuisine
Javanese cuisine
Malay cuisine
Palembang cuisine
Indonesian cuisine
Egg dishes
id:Telur pindang