You know nasi padang, right? A traditional food from Padang, West Sumatera, Indonesia. Minangkabau etnic's food.
Now, we will talk about traditional food from Minangkabau, too. It calls nasi boko or nasi baka . What is nasi boko?
As you see in the picture, it is a food combaining of rice, fried chilli sauce and other fried side dises. Fried chilli sauce is an important thing in Minangkabau food like this. It feels like not perfect when the people eat rice without fried chilli sauce or this thing called samba lado.
Nasi boko such a packed meal that usually prepared by a married women in Minangkabau for her husband to work or her children or other family member when they go to somewhere farther.
Because it is as packed meal, nasi boko should be durable. It never consists of food material with coconut milk. It can make the food stale.
Nasi boko usually consist of fried side dises like fried salted fish, fried chicken, fried fish or fried egg. Every frying food with fried chilli sauce, include jengkol or pete, a smelly food from Indonesia.
The other uniqueness of this food is it is packed by banana leaf. The leaf that has dried with sun shine or be incinerated over fire just until it becomes wither. So, when we open the packed, the rice will be fragrant. Its smells will be good and raise our appetite.
Nasi boko is a traditional food and also a tradition since last ancestors. Since long time ago, the women in Minangkabau, prepared packed meal for her husband before going to the rice field or hunting. Nasi boko also bought by travellers as provision in the journey, such as when someone go to other country or usually called merantau. It is a must for Minangkabau people bring this nasi boko.
Now on, this tradition still survive and commonly used by Minangkabau people. But nowaday, it is not only made by Minangkabau women at home, but they can buy it instantly at food stall or kadai nasi. Therefore, many food stalls in Minangkabau provide nasi boko in their menu. Not only because it is a tradition but because it is loved by many people since the taste is delicious and fit with Minangkabau people's tongue.