Rendang-Tasty food from Indonesia

Rendang is a popular dish of meat stewed in coconut milk and spices, commonly found in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. It has a long history in the region with distinct versions unique to individual Malaysian states that use different ingredients for the rempah (Malay for “spice mix”), thus resulting in differing flavours to the meat.

History of Rendang

Rendang is believed to originate from West Sumatra and water buffalo was traditionally used as the meat. The dish signifies the wealth of the person or community that can afford to put down a water buffalo for consumption. Water buffalos, however, tend to be tougher than common beef found in most Western countries. To make it more palatable, the meat of the buffalo is thus cooked on a low temperature over a long period of time, and braised in coconut milk and spices until it becomes a dry curry. As the whole buffalo was prepared, the dish was cooked in large quantities, often using a large wok. Rendang was originally wrapped in plantain or banana leaves for consumption on long journeys. The dish today is considered a celebratory meal, served regularly during Hari Raya, a major feast day amongst Muslim Malays, and at Malay weddings. It is eaten with rice or a staple like lontong.

INGREDIENTS :

1 teaspoon--------------------------------------Salt

1 teaspoon--------------------------------------Ground coriander seed

1/4 teaspoon------------------------------------Ground turmeric

2.5 centimeters---------------------------------Fresh ginger (roughly chopped)

4 large cloves----------------------------------Garlic (roughly chopped)

200 grams--------------------------------------Shallots (4 large shallots roughly chopped)

3 tablespoons----------------------------------Chili pepper flakes (to taste)

2 tablespoons----------------------------------Vegetable oil

900 grams--------------------------------------Beef shanks or shortribs(cut into large cubes)

2-------------------------------------------------Stalks lemongrass(white part only, smashed)

4-------------------------------------------------Kaffir lime leaves

2.5 centimeters--------------------------------Galangal(sliced into coins)

2 packs-----------------------------------------Coconut Cream Powder (or 1 can coconut milk

1 tablespoons----------------------------------Palm sugar(brown sugar can be substituted

1. Add all the salt, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic, shallots, and chili flakes to a food processor and run until there are no clumps left and you have a smooth spice paste. You'll need to scape the bowl down a few times. 2.Add the oil to a heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium high heat until shimmering. Fry the beef in batches, allowing each surface to brown before turning. Transfer the browned beef to a bowl and repeat with the remaining meat.

3.Add the lemongrass, lime leaves and galangal to the hot oil and fry until fragrant. Transfer to the bowl with the browned beef, leaving the oil in the pot.

Turn down the heat to medium low, and then add the spice paste. Fry, stirring constantly until very fragrant and most of the moisture has evaporated (about 10-15 minutes). If the paste starts burning, reduce the heat and add a bit of water. 4.Rehydrate the coconut cream powder in 2 cups of water and then add it to the pot along with the palm sugar Return the beef and herbs to the pot, stir to combine the turn the heat down to medium low and loosely cover with a lid (you want some steam to escape). Stir the rendang periodically and simmer for 3-4 hours until the meat is very tender.

5.Once the meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated (about 4 hours), remove the lid and turn up the heat.At this point there should be quite a bit of oil in the pot from the meat so you're essentially frying the sauce and concentrating the flavors.You'll need to stir the mixture constantly to prevent it from burning, but you want to evaporate as much liquid as you can without burning the meat.Keep in mind that oil does not evaporate, so you will still have a bit of oil at the bottom of the pan. 6.The rendang is done when there is almost no sauce left and the meat is dark brown. Ideally you'll let this sit overnight for the flavors to evenly distribute into the meat. During this time, the meat will turn chocolate colored and the flavors will deepen. Serve the beef rendang with steamed rice.

Read more at: http://norecipes.com/recipe/beef-rendang-recipe

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