Beefy, Beefy Rendang
Apologies for the week long absence; work plus problems accessing the blog have made writing anything impossible. I actually made this a couple of weeks ago now, when the weather had just started to really turn. What better way to stoke the internal fire than with a big bowl of rich rendang in the belly.
The recipe comes from William Leigh (which you can find on Dos Hermanos) and I will come out right now and say it: this is the best rendang I have ever made. So perfectly balanced; fragrant and rich. There is something very satisfying and heart warming about putting a load of ingredients in just one pot and a few hours later plating up a thing of great beauty, the smell of which has been intensifying with every teasing minute.
Aside from whizzing up the paste, that is essentially all you do until you get to the end stage when things get a little hairy. The final step of the recipe involves the splitting of the coconut milk and I’ll admit to feeling slightly alarmed when I returned to the pot to find this unholy mess.
Don’t panic though – this is normal. As the liquid cooks out of the milk the oil is left behind and the beef then fries in it, resulting in that all important flaky texture. You need to keep a careful eye on it at this stage, as once it begins to dry up, you are done. I would also recommend using a solid, heavy based pan (or a wok) and be prepared to give it a good soaking afterwards. One final bit of advice: the method section of the recipe on Dos Hermanos does not tell you when to use the can of water so I added it to the pot with the coconut milk as I couldn’t see any other logical time to do it.
I was rewarded for my patience with a deep, sweet, tongue titillating rendang; fragrant with lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass, with a tropical note of coconut and a good heat from the 10 Thai chillies I added. William acknowledges that his final seasoning of fish sauce and lime juice is a break from tradition but I agree that it lifts the whole dish and gives a very welcome burst of freshness. The meat flaked apart at the merest prod with an eager fork. I urge you to try this recipe.
I served it with a raita (tomato, cucumber, coriander, lemon juice and seasoned yoghurt) and an onion salad, which I serve with pretty much all curries. Just plunge finely sliced onions into a bowl of icy water and leave for an hour or so until they turn crisp then season and add dried mint; I keep a pot of dried mint for no other reason. We scooped up each greedy gob-full with warm chapattis then sat back and rubbed our bellies in an appropriately satisfied manner. If I could, I would have purred like a cat. I made the rendang again the very next day.
Category: Curry, Main Dishes, Malaysian, Meat, Uncategorized | Tags: Beef, Beef Rendang, Malaysian, Malaysian Curry, Rendang 18 comments »
October 24th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I HAVE to make this now. Have been ogling @paulscooking recipe as well. Now I have absolutely no excuse.
October 24th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
You’ve inspired me to cook this again! I haven’t had it for ages but the sides you’ve done it with sound delicious.
October 24th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I had a rendang recipe earmarked to try but I didn’t have any dried chillis, so I made stew instead. I’m not sure why I didn’t just try William’s recipe instead! Good idea to have it with rotis, I would have just had rice. Great pictures!
October 24th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
My stomach is rumbling! Looks and sounds amazing. I must make this!
October 25th, 2009 at 12:14 am
Hooray for being able to blog again
That rendang looks so unctuous!
October 25th, 2009 at 11:18 am
YUM! Your beefy, beefy rendang just made my stomach spontaneously rumble. How long do I have to wait ’til dinner…?
October 25th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
This looks completely amazing!
October 25th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I’ve been meaning to try this again with a different recipe as I wasn’t completely happy with the way ours turned out last time, this looks great.
October 25th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
It does sound VERY good.
October 25th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I’ve never made beef rendang but it’s one of my favourite dishes. And this looks stunning! I can just imagine how tender and flavoursome the meat is…
October 26th, 2009 at 11:16 am
What a lovely, lovely post – a reminder why this is one of the best food blogs of all. Looks absolutely delicious. Nice tip on soaking the onions in cold water.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
This should be filed under rude food! Have to try it – with fish sauce & lime in there how could one resist?
October 26th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Beautiful post. Love beef rendang and this looks like a superb recipe.
October 27th, 2009 at 2:16 am
That beef looks enticingly succulent and is making me hungry (and I just finished dinner).
October 27th, 2009 at 8:57 am
boiled in coconut milk. this is a must try. very inspyring, thank you.
October 30th, 2009 at 12:05 am
This looks outrageously good!
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:37 pm
This blog is fantastic… really inspiring me to cook outside my usual food box.
Thank you for sharing.
December 20th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I love rendang and this recipe looks superb; I must make it soon.