What a pot of rendang teaches about tradition | Ariff Zin | TEDxSingapore Youth

Beef rendang, a dish once voted the world's best, is the starting point for this TEDxSingapore Youth talk by Ariff Zin, third-generation member of the family behind Rumah Makan Minang, a heritage nasi padang restaurant in Singapore. He describes how the family has automated the long hours of stirring and reimagined how the dish is served, including wrapping it in a tortilla. Drawing on merantau, the Minangkabau tradition of leaving home to learn and returning to give back, he argues that tradition does not fade when it changes, but when it stops being reinvented. Ariff Zin trained at the Culinary Institute of America and is modernising the family kitchen.

• Beef rendang as a dish and its origins
• Automating the stirring and reinventing how rendang is served
• Merantau: the Minangkabau tradition of leaving home and returning
• Modernising a third-generation Singapore nasi padang kitchen

Beef rendang was once voted the world’s best dish, yet few people know where it comes from or what it stands for. From automating its hours of stirring to wrapping it in a tortilla, Ariff Zin has reinvented how his family’s rendang is made and served. Drawing on merantau, the Minangkabau tradition of leaving home to learn and returning to give back, he makes the case that tradition doesn’t die when we change it, but when we stop reinventing it. Ariff Zin is part of the third generation behind Rumah Makan Minang, one of Singapore’s most enduring heritage nasi padang establishments. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America, he is modernising the family kitchen. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx