Hello everyone and all members of Foodies Bee Hive Community, how are you today? May we all always be healthy and happy in carrying out all these jobs and routines. This time, I want to share a story about the culinary riches of Indonesia.
I live and was born in Indonesia, more precisely in North Sumatra Province. North Sumatra has many cultures and creates many culinary variations. Every ethnicity and culture in Indonesia makes Indonesian cuisine very authentic and specific. Some time ago, I went to Padang Sidimpuan City, which is administratively located in South Tapanuli. South Tapanuli is an area in North Sumatra and is about 10 hours from Medan City, where I live. At that time, I went with some of my family to eat together. We stopped at one of the authentic restaurants there. The restaurant is called Batu Na Dua Restorant, which specifically sells several South Tapanuli specialties and dishes.
Sinyarnyar Grilled Fish
The name of this food may sound strange and difficult to read. But, believe me this food is very delicious and has a very authentic taste. Ikan Bakar Sinyarnyar is different from other grilled fish dishes. You can see this grilled fish smothered in a reddish oily spice. If you pay attention, there are black spots in this grilled spice sauce.
The black spots in the grilled fish sauce are part of the very delicious “Sinyarnyar” seasoning. “Sinyarnyar” is a chili sauce, which uses andaliman as the main spice. Andaliman is a kind of spice that is one type with pepper. We often refer to andaliman as “Batak Pepper”, because andaliman only grows in Tapanuli Land.
When we taste this food, taste becomes the most dominant taste that we can feel. For those who can not stand spicy food, should try to eat slowly and not in a hurry. After tasting spicy, we will feel a very strong spicy taste from andaliman. Andaliman is indeed a spice that has a very dominant spicy taste. We will be made not to stop to eat it. I got a very large portion of fish, and it can be shared for several people.
Holat
Holat is one of the most popular and famous foods in South Tapanuli. Basically, holat is a kind of fish soup cooked using some special spices and seasonings. Unlike other fish soups, Holat uses grilled fish, and some fish that are often used such as carp, carp and tilapia.
In the past, holat was a luxury food that was served specifically for traditional events and the royal family in South Tapanuli. Currently, we can enjoy prayer for anyone, but unfortunately we can only find this dish in South Tapanuli and its surroundings. Holat uses wood shavings called "balaka", this type of wood can only be found in South Tapanuli. This wood is used to strengthen the taste of this food. Besides grilled fish, there are young rattan shoots which we usually call “pakkat”. These rattan shoots have a bitter taste, but make us hungrier to eat them.
In addition to using balaka wood shavings, the soup from holat uses several spices such as lemongrass, galangal, shallots, and garlic. In addition, holat usually uses roasted rice powder, this powder is what makes the gravy a bit cloudy than soup in general. Oh yes, don't forget to add chili sauce for those of you who are fans of spicy taste.
Buffalo Soup
Soup is the most common food we can find anywhere. The way to make it is easy and the spices used are very simple, so anyone can make soup. However, unlike most soups, this Buffalo Soup has a delicious taste and you should try it.
Buffalo Soup from South Tapanuli is made with a clear sauce. The taste of this soup is dominantly salty, if we only taste the broth. But when eating buffalo soup, you have to use rice to get the right and delicious taste. To get the ideal soup, buffalo soup is cooked over low heat for a very long time. As I recall, it can take around 3-4 hours to cook buffalo meat to get the ideal texture and taste.
Various Other Menu
In addition to the three foods I mentioned above, there are a number of side dishes that you can try as additional food menus. Like urab and pickled pineapple. Both of these foods are very delicious when eaten together with the three menus above.
Okay, this is my culinary story this time. See you in my next story.
Call me Isdarmady, because I have a full name that is very long, namely Isdarmady Syahputra Ritonga. I am a head of the family who work as Farmers Vegetables Hydroponic and Consultant Hydroponics, sometimes I also sell coffee from various regions in Indonesia.
I have expertise dispensing coffee with a variety of techniques and tools brewing, because I have the desire to make a coffee shop with hydroponics as centerpieces. Help me realize that dream.
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