Beef rendang

Name: Beef rendang
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 10 dried red chilies, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes; 3 fresh red chilies; 8 shallots, roughly chopped; 5 clove garlic; 30 g fresh ginger, roughly chopped; 30 g galangal, roughly chopped; 1 tsp ground turmeric, or 20 g fresh turmeric; 50 g desiccated coconut, unsweetened; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and tied in a knot, not eaten; 6 makrut lime leaves, torn; 1 cinnamon stick; 3 star anise; 5 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 4 cloves; 1 kg beef chuck, cut into 5 cm chunks; 2 can coconut milk, 400 ml each; 2 tbsp tamarind pulp, soaked in a little hot water and strained; 1 tbsp palm sugar, or light brown sugar; 1.5 tsp salt

4 h 30
Prep 30 min
Cook 3 h 30
Serves 6
medium

Start cooking

Beef chuck slowly cooked in coconut milk and a fragrant chili spice paste until the liquid is gone and the meat is dark, tender and coated.

Method

1
Drain the soaked chilies and blend them with the fresh chilies, shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal and turmeric to a smooth paste, adding a splash of water if needed.
2
Toast the desiccated coconut in the dry frying pan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until evenly deep golden brown.
3
Pound the warm coconut with the pestle and mortar until it turns oily and paste-like.
4
Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat and fry the spice paste, stirring often, until it darkens and the oil separates.
5
Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and cloves and stir until fragrant.
6
Add the beef and stir until every piece is coated in the paste.
7
Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
8
Cook uncovered over low heat, stirring every 15 minutes, until the beef is tender and the sauce has reduced by about half.
9
Stir in the toasted coconut paste, tamarind, palm sugar and salt.
10
Keep cooking over low heat, stirring more often as it thickens, until the sauce has almost gone and turned dark brown and oily.
11
For the final stretch, stir constantly so nothing catches, letting the beef fry gently in the released oil until dark and well coated.
12
Remove the whole spices and lemongrass and leave the rendang to rest before serving with rice.

Notes

Rendang is meant to be dry, with the spice paste clinging to the beef. Stop earlier, while some sauce remains, for the softer kalio style.
It keeps for a week in the fridge and the flavour deepens after a day or two.

Equipment

Large heavy pot or wok, Blender, Small dry frying pan, Pestle and mortar, Wooden spoon

Cook this step by step