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Beef Rendang

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

Oh the beef rendang. Bring it on. A dish so redolent in spices, the fragrance alone could almost kill you.  Made it last week at a friends place and thought I’d give it another shot to perfect it (plus neighbour kept asking me to make it for him). So acting on my intentions, I went out this morning and bought some chuck beef (feel free to use any type of beef cut conducive for stewing) and procured some fresh lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves to get it going.

First, let us clarify the origins of this dish. There has been ongoing dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia as to the provenance of this dish. Sources has it that this dish actually belonged to the Minangkabau people, also known as “Minang” from the Minangkabau region in West Sumatra, Indonesia. As their culture is of “merantau” (traveling or wandering), a large proportion of the ethnic Minang community have settled overseas, forming the majority of the population in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

In the past, Minangkabau people prepared rendang in such a way that it has long shelf life and could be stored during long journeys. This could perhaps be attributable to the spices used during the slow cooking process. Rendang is commonly made with beef (especially tenderloin) with a special sauce (n.b. each family is different) containing a high amount of coconut milk.

Interestingly enough, given my lack of patience and inability to meditate, I believe this is the perfect dish for me to make (and those with a restless mind). Why? Well, the Minangkabau people associated rendang with patience, wisdom and persistence, as all three are required to cook this hearty dish – from the selection of ingredients, control of the cooking temperature and constant stirring. ⁣

⁣Indeed I have spent a long time pounding the spice paste together in a mortar and pestle (n.b. i did not cheat with the food processor). I also personally like to add some tamarind into my paste but each to their own. Rendang can be made and kept overnight (or for months in the freezer). In fact, it tastes a lot better the next day or two when the flavours mature and deepen further. ⁣

⁣

Beef rendang

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pounds of stewing beef, cut into cubes (chuck, short rib or brisket)
  • 5 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 stick cinnamon, about 2-inch length
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 star anise
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 1 lemongrass, cut into 4-inch length and pounded
  • 1 cup thick coconut milk, coconut cream
  • 2 teaspoons tamarind pulp, soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds
  • 6 kaffir lime leaves, very finely sliced
  • 6 tablespoons kerisik, toasted coconut
  • 1 tablespoon sugar or palm/coconut sugar to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • SPICE PASTE:
  • 5 shallots
  • 1 inch galangal, grated
  • 3 lemongrass (white part only)
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch ginger, grated
  • 10-12 dried chilies, soaked in warm water and seeded

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 150C.
  2. Chop the spice paste ingredients and then bash it up in a mortar and pestle until a smooth paste is formed. Note that you can also opt for the food processor (thought former method is better).
  3. Heat the oil in a heavy stew pot or dutch oven on high and brown the beef. Transfer the browned beef to a plate.
  4. In the same pot, add the dried spices (cloves, cinnamon, star anise, cardamon) and follow shortly with the spice paste. Stir-fry until aromatic. Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked. Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar or palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
  5. Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and transfer the dutch oven to the oven and leave it for 1-1.5 hours. Alternatively you can simmer for a similar length of time until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up. Add more salt and sugar to taste. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight (the flavours will mature!).

Notes

To toast the dessicated coconut, heat a saute pan on low-medium heat and gently heat up the coconut till it turns golden brown. Keep shaking it as it toasts. This may take a few minutes.

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IndianVeganVegetarian

Palak Paneer

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

This Coronavirus is driving me insane; namely due to cabin fever. So what I like to do best when I’m stuck indoors is to create new, delicious concoctions. My latest fascination has been tinkering with the plethora of Indian spices. As a general rule, Indian home cooks use far more spices and flavourings than do most Western cooks. No two curries will ever taste exactly the same.

My favourite dish to make and devour is the palak paneer. This is particularly apt given my latest desire to become vegetarian (or pescetarian). This is, what I genuinely believe, to be the tastiest way to consume your greens. Throw in some minced garlic, ginger, diced tomatoes, onions and a concoction of indian herbs and ‘palak’ (spinach), and you will come out with a delicious green curry whereby you can simmer paneer cubes in.

Note that while most traditional palak paneer recipes call for cream, I like to be ‘nicer’ to my waistline so I have skipped the heavy cream and opted for cashews instead, which also lend the ‘creaminess factor’ to the curry.

Be forewarned that this sauce is delicious so you would be mopping up every last drop with your chopati, roti or naan.

Palak Paneer

PREP TIME: 10 min | COOK TIME: 15 min | TOTAL TIME: 25 min | YIELDS: 2 servings

palak paneer

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 200g spinach
  • 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon of minced ginger
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 green chilli, diced
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/8 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamon
  • 8 cashews
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt, to taste
  • Fresh coriander, to garnish
  • 1 cup of water

METHOD:

  1. Rinse spinach under cold running water and chop the ends of the spinach (you don’t want the roots).
  2. Heat a saute pan on medium high heat and fill it up with some water. Once it boils, add the spinach to the pan and let it parboil for 1 minute till it wilts. Have an ice bath ready so that once the spinach has wilted, you quickly use your tongs to transfer the spinach to the ice bath to keep the color bright green.
  3. Empty the water from the pan and wipe dry. Heat the same pan on medium heat and gently toast the dry spices. Then add the chopped onions so that they sweat a little. Next add the green chill, tomatoes and cashews. Cook the mixture for 8-10 minutes until it breaks down and season generously with salt.
  4. Transfer the content to a high speed blender and blend on high speed until a smooth paste forms.
  5. In the meantime, heat a small pot on medium high heat and add a dollop of oil. Once oil is shimmering, add the paneer. You want to gently brown the paneer.
  6. In the same pot with the paneer, pour the content inside the blender and turn heat to low. Simmer gently for 8 minutes or so until the mixture gets hot. Garnish with coriander (if you wish). Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with chopati, roti or garlic naan.

 

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