Malaysian Beef Rendang

Malaysian Beef Rendang

Although this is a beef curry the uniquely Malaysian Rendang sauce can be used for making a chicken, fish or even vegetable curry. As Malaysia is a Muslim country, unlike many other South East Asian countries Pork curries are not really an option.

Just like the Mussaman curry the first thing to decide is if you are going to make your curry paste from scratch or simply buy it in a jar which I do sometimes when time is prohibitive.




To make the paste from scratch you will need 1 brown onion coarsely chopped, 3 long red chillies (Mild), 3 small red chilies (hot) both deseeded and sliced thinly, 2 stems of lemon grass crushed and chopped (or 1 tablespoon of lemon grass paste), 3 garlic cloves crushed and chopped roughly, 2 teaspoons of finely chopped Galangal (or ginger), 

2 teaspoons of ground coriander, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of turmeric and a splash or two of Fish sauce or salt to taste. To make the Rendang paste crush all the ingredients in a pestle and mortar or blend to make the paste.

For Beef Rendang a cheap cut of meat like skirt or brisket works best as it has a lot more flavour than expensive cuts, trim into largish cubes as they will shrink during cooking, trimming off any excessive fat, sinews etc.

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan or wok, add the Rendang paste (approximately 2 tablespoons but adjust to taste). You can make this paste a few days ahead if you like and keep refrigerated. Add the beef and cook on high tossing all the time until browned. 

Add a tin of coconut milk and 250ml boiling water. Bring to the boil then reduce to the lowest simmer or transfer to a slow cooker if you have one. Cook for two hours or until the meat is tender. 

While this is cooking dry fry 4 tablespoons of desiccated coconut over a medium tossing all the time to avoid burning and set aside, this catches easily.


After two hours add the toasted coconut and a powdered chicken stock cube to the curry along with half a dozen Kaffir lime leaves and 2 tablespoons of Tamarind paste. cook for a further 30 minutes with the lid off to reduce and thicken the curry. If slow cooking you might want to transfer this to a saucepan over a low heat.


Serve the Beef Rendang with Turmeric rand mustard seed rice, stir fry vegetables and a spicy chilli and lime chutney. In Malaysia this would be served with a Sambal on the side. For the rice cook 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds in a tablespoon of vegetable oil until popping, add 2 teaspoons of Turmeric, 4 curry leaves and half a pack of jasmin rice and mix well. Add 1 litre of chicken stock and bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Take the rice off the heat and leave to steam for 25 minutes for perfect rice 

Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines.

  

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx

Always be careful in the kitchen, we accept no responsibility for any accidents caused as a direct or indirect result of preparing any of these dishes. Children should not be allowed to handle sharp cooking implements without the supervision of an adult.