Rendang dagingBeef rendang
Rendang is not a curry that got thick. It is a braise that keeps going until the coconut milk breaks, the oil comes back out, and the sauce dries onto the meat.
Method
- Blend the spice paste ingredients with a splash of water until smooth.
- Fry the paste in the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Wait for the oil to separate out and pool at the edges. This is the step people rush, and the whole dish depends on it.
- Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, turmeric leaves and cinnamon. Fry 1 minute more.
- Add the beef and stir until every cube is coated.
- Pour in the coconut milk. Bring it to a bare simmer, uncovered, and never let it boil hard.
- Simmer 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so nothing catches underneath.
- Stir in the toasted coconut, palm sugar and salt. Keep going another 45 to 60 minutes.
- It is done when the sauce is dark brown, clinging to the meat, with almost no liquid left in the pot.
- Rest 20 minutes off the heat before serving with steamed rice.
Notes
- Rendang is better the next day. Cool it fully, chill it, and reheat gently with a spoonful of water.
- To make the toasted coconut, dry-fry grated coconut until deep brown, then pound it coarse. It thickens the sauce and adds the nutty edge.
- Chuck works because of the connective tissue. Lean cuts go stringy over this long a cook.