food during the b.padang reception

ayam panggang - grilled chicken

Having been to may receptions here, I'm aware of the fact that a chicken dish is a 'must'.

Most common is the 'semur ayam' (chicken cooked in soy sauce) and twice I've had the luxury of encountering the 'ayam goreng bumbu' (deep fried chicken with spices) where there are crunchy crumbs made up of 'kemiri' (candle nuts), 'serai' (lemongrass), ginger, shallots, gallangal and tumeric.

And now, the grilled version, which I totally savour. These free-range chickens were nicely marinated before being put on the fire. I picked out those with the more charred edges on purpose. Mmmmm...!

Now, now.. Don't go on telling me about carcinogens and stuff. I ate these kinds of grilled stuff like once in a blue moon, ok? What's wrong with indulging once in a while...?

sup sayur campur & ayam - clear chicken soup with mix vegetables

It's a simple dish, just chicken soup with leek, potatoes, french beans, carrots and tomatoes. But it taste soo gooood!

With every occasion that happened here, this dish seemed to be a norm. I guess, their use of the free-range chickens really gave the soup a more robust chicken taste.

gulai kambing - goat stew

The hosts of this reception, aside from having their own tofu factory, are also known to rear a decent herd of goats (kambing kacang). It's been said that they had 3 goats slaughtered for this occasion and I very much look forward to the dish that that's made out of their meat.

Not surprisingly, they made the 'gulai' (stew), a dish that I'm extremely fond of, especially since enjoying them in Lombok, not once but twice.

The one prepared here had a gravy with a more thicker consistency most likely due to coconut milk being added, making the dish much reminiscent to the 'rendang'.

I never bat an eye-lid to the people around me and used my hands (after washing) to grab and the ribs and later the shank, finding the little bits of pinkish meat still stuck there.

Oh, fresh goat meat never tasted sooooo good! I told my dad that upon the birth of my child (Insya-Allah), I wanna have the 'kekah' done here and I want that black goat with the shiny fur, which I saw at the enclosure.

condiments - chili to accompany grilled chicken

In the foreground is cut red 'cili padi' (bird's-eye chili), onions and tomato dunked in sweet soy sauce. Ooooh..... Quite lethal on the tongue, this one.

In the background is the 'sambal balado' which is red chili fried in oil with shallots and tomatoes before being grounded into a paste with a squeeze of lime juice. More native to the 'Minang' people.

mendoan sayur - veggie dough fritters

These came out piping hot.. Served as an afternoon tea snack during the reception.

'Mendoans' are usually flat but here, my mum told me that they people in the kitchen had been overzealous with the baking powder so they puffed up into these balls when fried, not unlike the 'Cucur'.

These 'mendoan' come in various forms. There's the one with the 'tempe' , 'tauhu' and mixed vegetables like these - with grated carrots, sometimes 'tauge' (bean sprouts), even corn and cilantro. The locals tend to bite on these alternately with green 'cili padi' but we (Singaporeans) are contented just to be able to dip them into chili sauce.