Beef Rendang
PREP 15 minutes
COOK 1 hour
SERVES 4-6
Ingredients
- 1kg rump steak
- 3tbsp peanut oil
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 shallots, peeled and chopped
- 4 large red chilies, deseeded and chopped
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 3tbsp roughly chopped fresh ginger
- 1 1/2tbsp ground turmeric
- 400ml coconut cream
- 400ml beef stock (reduced salt is good)
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 kaffir lime leaves (or 2 bay leaves)
- 3 stalks lemongrass, white part only (or 3 tbsp lemongrass paste)
- zest of 1 lime
- 1/2 tsp finely ground white or black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice, plus extra if needed
Method
Trim any excess fat and sinew from the beef and discard. Slice the beef into thing (5mm) strips.
Add the oil to a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots, chillies, chilli powder, ginger and turmeric. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until softened.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor with 1/2 cup of the coconut cream. Let it cool for 5 minutes before processing to a paste.
Add the paste back to the pan along with the beef, stock, remaining coconut cream, cumin, soy sauce, sugar, kaffir lime leaves (or bay leaves)., whole lemongrass stalks (or paste), lime zest and pepper. Stir to combine.
Leave it to simmer over a low heat – it should be bubbling, but not a frantic simmer; just a light simmer. Stir every now and then. The aim here is to let most of the liquid evaporate – it might take 30-60 minutes. You really do need to be paying attention when it starts to reduce right down, because if you forget about it, it will burn. Keep watch and keep stirring towards the end until you’re happy with the consistency – a little bit of juiciness is okay but it’s meant to be quite a dry curry, traditionally.
Remove the lemongrass stalks before serving Add the lime juice, and taste it – you can add more salt, pepper, chilli or lime if you think it needs it. Serve with rice and steamed Asian greens, broccoli or beans.
Source
The book Eat by Chelsea Winter
