A delicious slow cooked Indonesian beef rendang. Although sometimes mistakenly called a curry, rendang is not considered a curry in Indonesia as it is richer and contains less liquid than is normal for most Indonesian curries. Most consider Beef Rendang to be Malaysian, however it did originate in Indonesia.
This dish needs to be cooked low and slow to ensure that the beef breaks down. It will take between 2 1/2 and 3 hours, so you must be patient!
Don’t worry, 12 chillies may seem like a lot, but after 3 hours of cooking the heat will have subsided and you will be left with a wonderful slight heat of chilli with loads of flavour!
My adaptation is extremely quick and easy – just put the chillies on to soak 15 minutes before you want to start and it shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to do the rest.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
12 dried long red chillies, soaked in boiling water for 15 mins, then roughly chopped – reserve the water
3 lemongrass stalks, white part only, cut into 5cm pieces and bruised/smashed
1 cinnamon stick/large piece of cassia bark
3 star anise
25-30cm square of muslin cloth (double layered) & kitchen string
2 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola or peanut oil)
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 kg chuck steak, or other slow cooking beef, cut into 3-4cm cubes
1/4 tsp clove powder
1/4 tsp cardamon powder
1 tbsp tamarind paste
4 large kaffir lime leaves, stems removed and very finely sliced
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
400 ml tin coconut milk
Heat a heavy based pot over a medium heat (don’t add any oil just yet). Add the lemongrass, cinnamon (or cassia bark) and start anise and fry for a minute or so to release the aromas (don’t burn them).
Remove from the pot and place in the centre of the muslin cloth. Bring the corners together to form a secure bundle then tie tightly with the kitchen string – keep a good length of string from the knot, as you will tie this to the handle of the pot. Set the bundle to one side.
Add oil to the pot then fry the onion until golden. Add the chillies and fry again for a few seconds before adding the garlic and ginger.
Turn the heat up slightly before adding the beef. Keep the meat moving to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once all sides of the beef have been sealed turn the heat back down to a medium heat.
Add the clove, cardamon, tamarind paste, kaffir leaves, coconut, brown sugar and salt and stir through the meat. Add the coconut milk and 1/4 cup of the reserved chilli water and stir again. Create some space in the beef before pushing in the spice bundle – make sure it’s covered with the liquid – then secure the bundle to the handle of the pot (this will make it much easier to remove later).
Once the liquid is simmering, put the lid on the pot and turn down the heat just enough that it is still bubbling nicely.
Check the mix every now and then to make sure its not sticking. If the liquid had reduced too much add a small amount of water – not too much or you will lose the rich flavour.
Once the meat is tender and falling apart (around three hours of slow cooking), remove the spice bundle, turn off the heat and let it stand for a few minutes before serving with fragrant rice and roti or naan (or any other flat bread).