Beef stew (rendang)
This Redguard specialty called "rendang" isn't your average beef stew! Though it's chock full of exotic ingredients and time-consuming to make (be sure to set aside at least 3 hours to make this stew), the end result is well worth it. Chunks of melt-in-your-mouth beef in a moreish sauce that's sweet, spicy, and savoury will definitely make the effort worth it! This generous recipe serves 5, and is best served with a good portion of steamed jasmine rice on the side.
You will need:
1kg beef, sliced into 2" chunks
6 large red chilies, sliced
3 bird's eye chilies, sliced (optional)
1.5 litres coconut milk
4 kafir lime leaves
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp shrimp paste
2 stalks lemongrass, diced finely
4 brown onions
2 shallots
6 cloves garlic
4 or 5 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
25g ginger, peeled and chopped
25g galangal, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp ground turmeric
1/2 tbsp dried coriander
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Handful of fresh coriander, to serve
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Method:
In a food processor, combine the chilies, garlic, onions, ginger, galangal, cumin, turmeric, shallots, and dried coriander. Blitz well until it has formed a smooth paste.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot on medium heat, and fry the spice paste (it should be yellow) until it turns fragrant, smooth and oily. From here, toss in the salt, lime leaves, lemongrass, sugar, dates, tamarind paste, and shrimp paste. Fry the spice paste for another 2 minutes- it should deepen slightly in colour and be very fragrant and oily now.
Tip: Feeling lazy? Make extra spice paste following the above steps, and freeze it after frying for the next time you want to make rendang! It keeps for up to 3 months and it's easy to portion out if you feel like making smaller or larger portions. This will shave off more than 30 minutes the next time you decide to make this dish!
Add the beef and mix in well with the spice paste. Pour in the coconut milk and stir thoroughly until well combined, and increase the heat to medium-high. With the lid off the pot, continue to stir periodically for 30 minutes, until the coconut milk has reduced slightly. If the coconut milk has separated, don't panic! This is totally normal and will sort itself out as it stews.
Reduce the temperature to medium heat, and partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving some room for the extra steam to escape. Leave the rendang to stew for 1.5 hours, but come back every 20 minutes or so to stir the pot to make sure the ingredients don't burn at the bottom. The sauce will now be dark brown (totally normal, don't panic!) and a fair bit oilier, with the oil floating on top- this is totally normal and comes from the coconut milk. There is no need to drain this oil, but you can before serving if you like.
When the time is up, it's time to taste! This is the time to make any adjustments to flavour- you may want more salt, spice, or tamarind. The beef should be soft and tender when it's ready, but if you've gotten a tougher cut it may still take another 30 minutes or so. Be patient and cook the rice in the meantime!
Once it's ready, stir the rendang well and transfer to a large bowl. Serve with fresh coriander and a generous side of steamed rice.
