Padang Warung Staple · Chili-Fried Beef Jerky
Dendeng Balado
Photo: Midori / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Minang cooks make two main styles: dendeng balado, thin crisp-fried beef under a red chili sauce, and dendeng batokok, beef pounded flat before it is grilled or fried.
Thin slices of beef are dried, deep-fried until crisp at the edges, and tossed in a bright red sauce of ground chilies, shallots, and garlic. Padang-style warungs pile it onto rice alongside other dishes displayed buffet-style in the window.
Why it's made this way: Minangkabau traders and travelers relied on dried, spiced beef as a shelf-stable food they could carry on long journeys, and dendeng balado is the version of that travel food that became Padang cuisine's most popular export nationwide.
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