Beef Rendang (Rendang Daging)

by Ping Coombs from Malaysia Recipes from a Family Kitchen (Orion/Hatchette) Photography Laura Edwards

This is a typical Malaysian favourite. A dry curry, it’s traditionally served with lemang, a sticky rice cooked on charcoal in bamboo. I find it too rich paired with the already rich rendang, however, so I serve it with plain boiled rice or Turmeric Rice.

Serves 4–6

For the beef

5 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for loosening the spice paste

1kg beef shin or skirt, cut into roughly 4cm cubes

1 lemongrass stalk, halved widthways and bashed

400ml coconut milk

2 tbsp tamarind paste

250ml water

60g unsweetened desiccated coconut

2 fresh Kaffir lime leaves, torn

1½ tbsp chicken stock powder

1 tsp caster sugar

¼ tsp salt

For the spice paste

15 dried red Kashmiri chillies

6–8 small, round shallots, peeled and roughly chopped

30g of fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

30g galangal (if you can’t find any, add 20g more ginger), peeled and roughly chopped

3 lemongrass stalks (tender base only), roughly chopped

Method

Bring some water to the boil in a small saucepan. Add the dried chillies and boil for 5 minutes, then remove them from the heat. Leave the chillies to sit in the hot water for at least 15 minutes to soften. Once the dried chillies have softened, drain and split them lengthways. Remove the seeds with the blade of your knife and discard. Cut the deseeded chillies in half.

Place all the ingredients for the spice paste, including the chillies, in a blender and blitz until smooth, adding some oil to loosen it if necessary.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a heavy-based casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the spice paste and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant. Add the beef and the bashed lemongrass stalk. Mix well and, once the beef starts to lose its pinkness, add the coconut milk, tamarind paste and water. Stir, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer uncovered for 1½ hours. Check on it occasionally to make sure the beef isn’t sticking to the base of the pan.

Meanwhile, toast the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan for 5–7 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, transfer to a blender or the bowl of a food processor and blitz until coarsely ground (you don’t want it too fine).

After the beef has been cooking for 1½ hours, add the Kaffir lime leaves, the chicken stock powder, sugar, salt and toasted coconut. Stir and simmer uncovered for a further 15–20 minutes. You should start to notice the oil separating from the mix. Your rendang is ready when the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened.

Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish: