Beef Rendang (Indonesian Style)
Beef Rendang has a unique & complex taste - spicy, piquant & appetising. The beef is super tender and flavoursome, having absorbed all the spices during the slow cooking process. It goes really well with steamed rice.
Rendang is a dish originated from Indonesia. Apparently, it was once voted one of the world's 50 most delicious food ! The meat is cooked with spices and coconut milk over a low flame until all the liquid is evaporated. This allows the meat to absorb all the spices and become tender. The slow cooking process takes time & occasional stirring so as not to burn the meat.
Rendang is also popular in Malaysia. They use the same technique but with slightly different spices such as star anise and cinnamon. The recipe below is based on the Indonesian style.
V*DEO LINK: https://youtu.be/cUmhf4CaAe0
INGREDIENTS
600 gm beef chuck (cut into 2 inch chunks)
1 onion (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 inch ginger (chopped)
2 chillies (de-seeded, chopped) - I used dry chillies
1/3 tsp chilli powder
2/3 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
2/3 tsp lemongrass powder
2 tablespoons Canola oil
2/3 tsp tamarind puree
10 curry leaves
1 tsp salt
100 ml coconut milk
2/3 tsp caster sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
METHOD
1. Put onion, garlic, ginger, chilli into a food processor and process until smooth.
2. Stir turmeric powder, chilli powder, ground coriander, ground cumin and lemon grass powder into the processed mixture.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of Canola oil in a saucepan and fry the spice mixture till fragrant. Add beef chunks and coat meat well with the spices. Cook until beef is brown.
4. Add tamarind puree, curry leaves, salt and coconut milk and bring the beef mixture to the boil.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer the beef for 50 mins or until tender, stirring occasionally to prevent the beef from sticking to the saucepan. By now, the sauce would have thickened and almost dry and the oil starting to separate out.
6. Add caster and brown sugar and stir well with the meat. Let the meat cook in the oil until the meat turns dark brown. This should take another 10 to 15 mins.