Malaysian/Indonesian Beef Rendang

Method7 steps · about 3 hr 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Make the kerisik before or while the beef cooks. Toast the ¼ cup shredded coconut in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until dark brown. Grind with a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder until it becomes an oily paste. Reserve 1 tbsp for the curry; keep any remaining paste separately.

   Uses ¼ cup dried shredded coconut (for making kerisik, see note)

2. 2

   Step 2: To make the paste: Grind dry chilies and spices in a coffee grinder until fine, then add candlenuts (4) and grind until fine. In a blender, add galangal (1 piece), ginger (1 piece), lemongrass (1 stalk), shallots (½ cup) and garlic (6 cloves) and blend until smooth, adding water as needed. Once fine, add the ground dry spices and blend to mix.

   Uses 10 g dried mild chilies · 6 cloves garlic · ½ cup shallots, chopped · 1 stalk lemongrass · 1 piece galangal · 1 piece ginger · 8 whole cloves · 5 green cardamom pods

3. 3

   Step 3: For the curry: Bring 1/2 cup of coconut milk to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the curry paste and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the paste is thick, and the coconut oil is starting to sizzle away from the paste.

   Uses ½ cup coconut milk · dry chilies and whole spices ground with candlenuts, then blended with fresh aromatics and water as needed

4. 4

   Step 4: Add the beef and toss to mix with the paste, add the remaining coconut milk and scrape off any bits of curry paste that might be stuck to the bottom of the pot.

   Uses 700 g stew beef · remaining 1½ cups coconut milk · rendang paste cooked in half a cup coconut milk until thick and sizzling

5. 5

   Step 5: Add salt (1 tsp) and tamarind, then keep the pot loosely covered, let it simmer on low heat for 2.5-3 hours or until beef is fork tender. In the beginning, stir it every 20 minutes or so, but as the sauce gets thicker, you need to stir more frequently to make sure the curry paste doesn't stick and burn to the bottom of the pot. Towards the end I stir it every 5 minutes. You should have a very thick, not runny sauce, and you can add more water if it gets too dry as it cooks. If the beef is done, but there is too much liquid, just open the pot and stir for a few more minutes to let it reduce.

   Braise beef tender · 180 minUses 2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate · 1 tsp salt · extra water only if the curry dries out while simmering · 700 g beef coated in fried paste and mixed with the remaining one and a half cups coconut milk

6. 6

   Step 6: In the last few minutes of cooking stir in 1 Tbsp of kerisik, and roughly tear kaffir lime leaves into chunks and stir them in, letting them cook for a few more minutes to infuse. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

   Uses 6 leaves makrut lime leaves · fish sauce · beef simmered two and a half to three hours until fork tender in a thick reduced sauce · one tablespoon of the toasted coconut paste made in step one; reserve any remainder

7. 7

   Step 7: Serve with rice, enjoy!

   Uses ready cooked rice for serving · tender dry beef curry finished with one tablespoon kerisik and torn makrut leaves, seasoned to taste