Telur pindang is a traditional Johor dish? Eggs have been a food staple for many households. This humble ingredient is versatile in its ways. It can be used in savoury dishes and is also one of the most important components when baking! Let it be the classy meringue or the traditional kuih seri muka, almost every recipe in this world uses eggs as the ingredient. No wonder it has been high-on-demand since forever.
Also, eggs are high in protein. But beware of eating too many eggs because it’s also rich in cholesterol! (The yolk, the most delicious part, that is.)
So, speaking about eggs, have you ever heard of this traditional dish called telur pindang?
What is telur pindang?
Originally, telur pindang was a dish from China. The merchants that came to our country in the 19th century brought this recipe here. Why? Because it’s similar to their famous telur teh (tea egg)!
Another theory of its origin was from the Jawa immigrants that lived in Johor. The recipe helped preserve the egg so it could be eaten for a long time.
Previously, Johor was known to be the hub for dealers and traders to trade ingredients like black pepper and other spices. Also, they stayed in Johor before they travelled to other ports like Singapore or Penang.
A must-have in weddings in Johor
If you’re not a Johorean, you’re probably unfamiliar with telur pindang. It’s not a seasonal food eaten during celebrations like Hari Raya. But it’s a must-have menu whenever there’s a wedding ceremony commencing!
Telur pindang is one of the basic door gifts at any wedding in Johor. Usually, the host will pack the eggs in cute packages and give them to everyone that attends the ceremony.
Although it’s a Johor tradition, not many are practising it because the process of making telur pindang is long and tedious. Maybe because we don’t have much time these days, the enjoyable process isn’t too enjoyable in the end.
TikTok user Nur Qistina (@qisssssssskot) shared a video of telur pindang making for her sibling’s ‘bertandang’ event (to welcome the son/daughters-in-law).
How to make telur pindang?
As easy as it looks, don’t be deceived! Meticulous steps are taken to make this delicious and unique dish!
What you need
The leaves
- Mangosteen
- Senduduk
- Guava
- Pandan
- The skin of shallots
The spices
- Lemongrass
- Galangal
- Ginger
- Fennel
- Cumin
- Corriander
- Cardamom
- Star anise
- Dried chillies
- Cinnamon
The egg gets its famous colour from the soy sauce. Don’t forget this important ingredient!
The eggs are boiled for three to seven days. And this process will preserve the egg so it won’t spoil quickly!
This is the end product!
Many presumably Johoreans flooded the comment section by saying they miss the taste of it.
Yet, some also don’t like the taste. And it’s okay! Some Johoreans don’t like it too.
If you ever want to try telur pindang but don’t have time to make your own, ask around if any of your friends are marrying a Johorean. Surely, you’ll get to taste and bring some of them home too!
Sources: TikTok Nur Qistina, Website Telur Pindang Tradisional