Indonesian recipe
How to make Rendang
The Minangkabau people of West Sumatra (also loved in Malaysia and Singapore)
Beef slowly cooked for hours in coconut milk with ginger, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric and chilli, until the liquid has gone and the dark, spicy paste clings to the meat. Traditional rendang is almost dry, which helped it keep for a long time; it is served at weddings, festivals and Eid.
Ingredients
- 1 kg stewing beef (chuck or brisket), cut into 4 cm pieces
- For the spice paste: 8 shallots, 5 cloves garlic, a 5 cm piece each of ginger and galangal, a 3 cm piece of fresh turmeric (or 1 teaspoon ground), 6 to 10 dried red chillies (soaked) or fresh chillies
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
- 4 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves and 1 turmeric leaf or bay leaf
- 800 ml coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons desiccated coconut, toasted in a dry pan until golden, then pounded or blended
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar and 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
Method
- Blend all the spice paste ingredients with a splash of water until smooth.
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot and fry the paste for 5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
- Add the beef, lemongrass and leaves and stir well to coat the meat. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
- Turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, stirring from time to time, until the sauce has thickened and the meat is tender.
- Add the toasted coconut, sugar and salt. Keep cooking over low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours more, stirring often so it does not stick, until the sauce is thick, dark brown and the oil starts to separate. Serve with steamed rice.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
In a 2011 worldwide online poll by CNN International, rendang was voted the most delicious dish in the world.
Take the trip to Indonesia
