Beef rendang recipe
Beef is slowly braised to get it to that falling-apart stage with huge rich flavour. Like most curries, this develops even more flavour if you cook it the day before serving. You can also add 500g/17.6oz peeled potatoes, cut into large chunks, with the coconut milk, to bulk out the dish more.
Ingredients
For the curry- 4 tbsp desiccated coconut
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 kg boneless beef shin or ox cheek, cut into 5cm/2inch cubes
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 5 makrut lime leaves
- 1 x 240ml/8fl oz can coconut milk
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 x 5cm/2inch piece of fresh galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 x 2.5cm/1inch piece of root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 lemongrass stalks, wood ends removed and stalks roughly chopped
- 2 small red onions, cut into large chunks
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 –6 fresh, medium-hot, red Dutch chillies (depending on personal taste)
- 2 tbsp water
Details
- Cuisine: Indonesian-Singaporean
- Recipe Type: Beef
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 280 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Heat a non-stick frying pan on a low heat and add the desiccated coconut. Dry-fry the coconut, constantly moving it around in the pan, until golden brown. Cool, then grind in a blender to a smooth paste. Tip into a small bowl.
- Grind the ingredients for the rempah in the cleaned blender, adding them in the order listed, to make a smooth paste. Add a splash of water if necessary.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-based flameproof casserole and add the rempah and cinnamon sticks. Fry, constantly stirring, on a low heat for about 5 minutes or until fragrant.
- Preheat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/275°F/gas mark 1.
- Add the beef to the casserole and fry until browned all over and well coated with the spice paste. Add the coriander, cumin, desiccated coconut paste and lime leaves.
- Stir until well mixed, then add the coconut milk followed by the salt and soy sauce. Stir. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Transfer the casserole to the oven and leave to braise for 4–5 hours or until the beef is really tender. Give the mixture a stir every now and then, and you should be left with a rather dry, braised curry with not much liquid other than the oils from the coconut and meat. (You can also use a slow cooker.)
- When ready, give the rendang a good stir and serve with plain steamed rice.
This recipe is from Makan by Elizabeth Haigh (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26). Published 13 May. Photography by Kris Kirkham.
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