Beef Rendang
Try this amazing Indonesian/Malaysian Curry. It is rich, spicy, indulgent and packed full of flavour.
Ingredients
Rendang Spice paste
- 12 fresh red Thai Chillies
- 2.5 onions or 6 shallots
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 stalk lemongrass (white part only)
- 1.5 tbsp minced galangal (rose ginger) or substitute with ginger
- 1.5 tbsp minced ginger
- 2 tbsp oil (any flavour neutral oil, such as sunflower, canola)
Rendang Curry
- 1 kg chuck steak or any stewing beef (cut into 4cm cubes)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- 3 green cardamom
- 3 star anise
- 2 stalk lemongrass stalk plus the top half of the lemongrass stick used in the paste smashed with saucepan
- 600 ml coconut milk (1.5 cans)
- 2 tsp tamarind paste (or tamarind pulp soaked in 1 tbsp of hot water, seeds removed)
- 4 large kaffir lime leaves, very finely sliced
- 1/3 cup kerisik (roasted desiccated coconut) dry fry until colour slightly changed then pound to pestle and morter (add to other ingredients = more intense flavour)
- 1 tbsp palm sugar (substitute with brown sugar)
- 1.5 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place spice paste ingredients in a small food processor and whizz until fine.
- Heat some oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add half of the beef and brown, then remove onto a plate. Repeat with remaining beef.
- Lower heat to medium to low add the spice paste and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, until the wetness has reduced and the spice paste darkens.
- Add remaining curry ingredients and beef, stir to combine.
- Bring to simmer then immediately turn down the heat to low or medium to low so the sauce is bubbling very gently.
- Put the lid on the pot and leave it to simmer for 1 hr 45 minutes.
- Remove lid and check the beef to see how tender it is. You don't want it to be "fall apart at a touch" at this stage, but it should be quite tender. If it is falling apart already, remove the beef from the pot before proceeding.
- Remove dry spices, such as lemongrass stalks and cinnamon. Turn up the heat to medium and reduce the sauce for 30 – 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Stir more frequently when the beef darkens in colour and the sauce reduces to a paste that coats the beef.
- The beef should now be very tender and fall apart at a touch. If not, add a splash of water and keep cooking.
- Serve with Plain Rice, Sambal Oolek and Indonesian Acar