Sei's Popularity Starts from Kampung Baun

The legendary kitchen in Kampung Baun village has sent aromas to foreign countries. Sei has grown into a culinary specialty for the City of Kupang.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

The process of processing Sei in Baun village, West Amarasi District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara at the end of December 2022. The worldwide movement of Sei started from this place.

The legendary kitchen has been open for more than two decades. The stove is rectangular in shape using charcoal from kesambi food (Schleichera oleosa). The hot steam grills the meat that is spread out on the wood. There is stuffed meat as well as a mixture of fat and ribs.

On top of the meat, wet kesambi leaves are laid out so that the processed meat becomes more fragrant and tasty. The meat is ready to eat when the color turns red and the oil is no longer dripping. After being removed from the stove, the meat, which is still releasing hot steam, is immediately served.

One afternoon at the end of December 2022, a number of employees from Kupang city, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), were waiting. The center of Kupang city is about 25 kilometers from Kampung Baun village, West Amarasi district, Kupang regency.

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The visitors wanted to enjoy the sei prepared directly by the hands of Gasper Tiran (52), manager of the legendary sei.

“There are sei stalls in town, but the taste is different. Here everything is still natural. The meat is grilled with wood fire. The grill is also made of wood and covered with kesambi leaves. Don't use an iron grill. Sei here makes us addicted,” said Mercy (35), a resident of Kupang city who has been there dozens of times.

Processed sei meat is nothing new for the people of Timor, a tribe that inhabits Timor, the largest island in NTT. Traditionally, beef and pork were made in the form of sei in one to two weeks.

Gaining popularity

Sei is also a method of preserving meat, especially those obtained from hunting that cannot be finished in one day. Over time, the processed method was abandoned after people became familiar with refrigeration.

Gasper, son of Timor, tried to popularize sei from home-cooked food to a culinary business. The man who is fondly called Uncle Bai used to be a meat seller.

In 1997, he tried to make sei from leftover meat, which did not sell well. He displayed the preparations near the road and slowly attracted interest from passers-by.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

A visitor enjoyed Sei meat in Baun village, West Amarasi District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara at the end of December 2022. The place is now a culinary tourism destination.

He then decided not to sell raw meat anymore. In his culinary business, he usually buys pigs or cows that are ready to be slaughtered. Pigs that are about one year old and cows that are three years old can give maximum results in terms of meat quality.

The process from slaughtering the animal to adding natural seasonings to finishing the roasting of the meat takes about 12 hours.

Uncle Bai was reluctant to reveal the recipe for processed sei spices. "One of them uses salt," said Uncle Bai laughing.

Some time in 2003, sei began to rise in prestige from village food to urban food. A number of food stalls in Kupang city bought sei from Uncle Bai, then sold them to consumers who did not have time to go to Kampung Baun. On weekends or holidays, the streets of Kampung Baun are crowded with vehicles that take people to enjoy sei.

Sensation

Eating sei in the kitchen gives a different sensation. There is an aroma of grilled meat and special chili sauce processed with a mixture of meat oil, chili, basil and small kaffir lime. Uncle Bai's kitchen can sell up to 100 kilograms of sei in a day. This does not include special orders to be sent outside the region and some even to neighboring countries.

In the midst of a scarcity of pork supply due to the African swine fever virus and rising prices for other necessities, now the price of sei has increased. As of the end of 2022, the price reached Rp 300,000 (US$20) per kilogram. In 2021, the price per kilogram was about Rp 250,000.

Uncle Bai also mentioned that at his shop the minimum purchase was half a kilogram. During busy weekends, each person can buy a maximum of 1 kg so that others can also get their share.

Kampung Baun has become a culinary tourist destination.

After being cooled and then packaged, sei can last up to one month, even longer if stored in the refrigerator. Just heat it up and cook it. There is no need to wash it because the seasoning will be lost.

Director of the Circle of Imagine Society Timor, Haris Oematan, said the existence of Uncle Bai's sei kitchen helped popularize the name of Kampung Baun, the seat of the Amarasi Kingdom. The existence of sei also promotes the traditional culinary delights of the Timorese people who are slowly being pushed aside from the city of Kupang.

Kampung Baun has become a culinary tourist destination. For fans of this processed food, it is not satisfying to eat sei in Kupang unless you eat it straight from Uncle Bai's stove in Kampung Baun. It is truly a different taste and it is really addicting.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi