MALAYSIAN BEEF RENDANG

Rendang is among the most iconic East Asian dishes - widely associated with Malaysian cuisine though its origins are Indonesian. The dish - which resembles a curry, but is not generally thought of as one - involves slow cooking meat until it is meltingly tender, while reducing the coconut milk and spice sauce until it is caramelized and rich in flavor. It is most commonly made with beef, though versions with other meats are not unheard of.

The word rendag originates from the verb ‘merendang’ – referring to a style of slow cooking where meats are cooked over a fire for a long period until the coconut milk has almost evaporated and a rich, flavorful dish remains.

Here at the Juicy Meat Company, we are passionate fans of slow-cooked product - and rendang is a dish where slow cooked beef comes into its own – the creamy flavour profile works exceptionally well when paired with tender, melt-in-the-mouth beef. The most popular cut to use in a traditional rendang is shin. We used a diced shin for ours – however diced braising steak will also work superbly.

Note: We have used a traditional rendang recipe using a home-made spice paste. If you cannot find these ingredients near you, we would encourage using a pre-made rendang paste, available at most major supermarkets.

The traditional side dish for a rendang is rice - try a coconut or tumeric rice to complement the flavors in the sauce, and serve with some additional toasted coconut and chopped lime leaf and coriander on the side.

INGREDIENTS

800g diced beef

1 stick cinnamon

3 cloves

3 star anise

3 cardamom pods

1 lemongrass, cut and pounded

1 cup thick coconut milk

1 cup water

2 tsp tamarind pulp

6 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped

6 tbsp toasted coconut

1 tbsp palm sugar

For the spice paste (if using)

5x shallots

1 inch galangal

3 lemongrass (white only)

5 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger

10-12 dried chilies, soaked and deseeded

METHOD

1. If making the spice paste from scratch, simply place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.

3. Heat oil in a large pan over high heat, and add spice paste, cinnamon, star anise and cardamom - heat until the spices give off a strong aroma. Add beef and pounded lemongrass, and stir for 1 minute

2. Toast coconut in pan over a medium heat until golden brown (4-5 minutes)

4. Add coconut milk, tamarind and water, and simmer on medium heat until the meat is almost cooked.

5. Next, add lime leaves, toasted coconut and palm sugar if using, and stir well. Reduce the heat to low.

6. Simmer for about one and a half hours, until the sauce has almost dried up and the meat is fork-tender.

7. Serve with coconut or steamed rice, extra toasted coconut and fresh coriander.