Experience a tasteful journey through the land of Minang, guided by chefs and culinary experts from Tastemade Indonesia and KAUM Jakarta.
Local cuisine is typically one of the most memorable elements of travel, where exploring new and local foods provides insight into a place’s culture, history, and even its landscape. The flavours and unique ingredients surely create lasting impressions and connect travellers to a destination on a deeper level. Tastemade Indonesia’s journey with KAUM Jakarta to West Sumatra was no exception.
As a modern media company that aspires to connect everyone through ‘taste’, Tastemade Indonesia and KAUM, a restaurant operated by the Potato Head family, have collaborated to explore and document Minang cuisine. The result has been anything but ordinary.
The book, Hei Minang: Catatan Perjalanan Lidah di Ranah Minang, is more than just a cookbook—it is a vibrant celebration of Indonesian heritage through one of its most iconic cuisines, chronicling a culinary journey across West Sumatra, where a group of chefs, culinary enthusiasts, photographers, and illustrators immersed themselves in the heart of Minang food culture.
The book skillfully intertwines food with history, geography, and local traditions, showing how each Minang dish—often misunderstood as just “nasi Padang”—is steeped in ancestral knowledge and regional uniqueness. Divided into the four traditional Luhak (territorial divisions of the Minang people), the book uncovers culinary gems like Gulai Ayam Itam with the rare galundi spice, Rendang Lokan (clam rendang), and Bika Bakar, which are largely absent from Padang restaurants outside Sumatra.
What makes this book, published by Pear Press in 2023, shine is its sensory storytelling. Readers are not only introduced to rare recipes and ingredients, but also to the passionate Uni and Uda (aunties and uncles) who preserve these traditions. The journey, collected through evocative writing, rich photography, charming illustrations, and documentary video, invites readers to see beyond the plate—to understand the soul of Minang cuisine.
Beautifully packaged and thoughtfully curated, Hei Minang is a must-have for culinary explorers, storytellers, and anyone yearning to discover the true depth of Indonesian flavours.
