Padang cuisine or also called Minangkabau cuisine is well known in the world. Very good promotion in social medi; Rendang has once placed the world’s favorite dish (google file). This delicious rendang which is cooked with special spices mixed with thick coconut milk makes this West Sumatran cuisine connoisseur popular not only by Indonesians, but also by foreigners from around the world.
The trip from Jakarta to Painan Nagari in West Sumatra can be reached within 4 to 4.5 hours from the city of Padang, including on the plane. Painan is a village, a small town, and it is the capital of Pesisir Selatan (South Cost) district. The city which is included in the IV Jurai Subdistrict area can be accessed through West Sumatra Trans-Highway. Flanked by two streams of rivers; Batang Pinang Gadang and Batang Pinang Ketek rivers originating from Timbulun which have a seven-level waterfall, it is vivid that we can imagine the beauty of tourism in Nagari. Through Timbulun, the city of Painan can be passed to Alahan Panjang, this river flows into Carocok beach which is the icon of Painan Nagari and Muaro Painan beach. These two beaches lead us to the very calm Painan Bay, flanked by Langkisau Hill and Pincuran Boga.
According to the story of the local ancestors, the name Painan derived from the word ‘paik’ (in Padang language means bitter) and ‘nian’ (meaning very, once), meaning that the life of the people of the South Coast who migrated to Painan at that time was very difficult because Painan area generally consisted of swamps. From historical records, in 1523 a tiny mosque was established in Painan, a religious education institution in Minangkabau. In the 16th century, the island of Cingkuk in Painan already became a successful international shipping port known as the Golden Port of Salido.
In 1660, the Dutch government wanted to move its representative office from Aceh to Padang city considering its better location and air, but this wish was rejected by the authorities of Padang city. It was initiated by Groenewegen which has opened the door for the Dutch to set up a fortress in the city of Padang, in addition to their representative offices in Tiku and Pariaman. The representative office in the city of Padang was moved to Cingkuk Island, but in 1667 it was moved again to Padang. The colonial government-owned building caught fire in 1669 and was rebuilt a year later.
Painan Nagari is located right on the coast and it influences the culture and social life of the people who reside there, including the culinary delights that mostly use fish as basic ingredients because it is easy to find. However, there are Painan people who live in the villages near the mountains so they also have special dishes that use beef as basic ingredient such as Rendang, Dendeng Balado, or Gulai Tunjang. Delicious Padang cuisine is synonymous with the selection of fresh ingredient; such as meat, fish, vegetables, the use of various kinds of fresh spices, coconut milk, and cooking methods that follow the standard.
Then how to satisfy your taste buds with the tasty Gulai Tunjang typical Painan without having to go far there? When I think about Padang cuisine, my mind drifts to the figure of Ms. Sri Wahyu Purana (62) who, although her name is identical to the Javanese name, but half of her blood comes from Painan Nagari. Ms. Sri Wahyu Purana is usually called as Aunty Ina by people who know her, now more involved in the culinary business after entering her civil servant retirement.
Aunty Ina, who likes maroon color, has long been known as an expert in Padang cuisine amongst her big family and friends, especially Gulai Tunjang. When many people are advised to work or do activities from home, Aunty Ina also uses it to process Padang food ingredients into delicious culinary to be enjoyed, cooking is her passion.
Gulai Tunjang is a Padang dish consisting of beef gravel and 16 kind of spices, including candlenut, asam kandis which is also known as asam gelugur in Malaysia and Thailand, or garcinia atroviridis in Latin word, then there are lime leaves, bay leaves, lemongrass, red chilies and gravy thick coconut milk have greatly affect the taste quality of Gulai Tunjang.
Aunty Ina, who likes traveling, explains one by one the spices she uses and how to process beef gravel to avoid bad smell. “Cooking Gulai Tunjang is not a hard work, even for beginners,” said the woman who likes tours to the mountainous area. As long as the beef gravel is of good quality, using fresh spices and proper cooking methods, it is guaranteed to produce a perfect beef gravel curry. We had lunch Gulai Tunjang that day, which was really delicious at Aunty Ina’s home in Central Jakarta.
Now Aunty Ina has begun to be flooded with orders for various Minang specialties through online applications and social media. This plant-loving woman dreams that one day Gulai Tunjang will travel around the world, following Rendang, which is already well-known in cyber and in major cities in the world.
