Beef Rendang
Beef Rendang is a Malaysian curry. It is rich and full of flavour.
You can’t rush this dish – it takes time and is so worth it. This is a dry curry so the meat is not swimming in sauce. The beef will fall apart and is fantastic with rice.
It freezes well so you can cook a big batch and it won’t go to waste. As with most curries, the flavour intensifies over time so you can make this a day or two in advance.
Beef Rendang
Beef Rendang is a Malaysian curry. It is rich and full of flavour. You can't rush this dish – it takes time and is so worth it. This is a dry curry so the meat is not swimming in sauce. The beef will fall apart and is fantastic with rice. It freezes well so you can cook a big batch and it won't go to waste. As with most curries,the flavour intensifies over time so you can make this a day or two in advance.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Large Kitchen Knife
- Measuring Spoons
- Large Pot with a lid
- Wooden Spoon
- Garlic Mincer
- Small Food Processor
- Large bowl
- Tongs
Ingredients
Paste
- 6 – 12 red chillies Deseed the chillies if you don't like the heat
- 1 sml brown onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 stalks lemon grass (white part only) sliced
- 1½ tbsp ginger minced
- 1½ tbsp galangal (double the ginger if you can't find it) finely chopped
- 2 tbsp canola oil
Curry
- 1 kg chuck steak large cubes (size of a golf ball)
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ tsp clove powder
- 3 star anise
- ½ tsp cardamon powder
- 1 lemon grass stalk smashed with the side of your knife
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 2 tsp tamarind paste
- 4 large kaffir lime leaves If you can't find use the rind and juice of a lime
- ⅓ cup desiccated coconut
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar (grated)
- 1½ tsp salt
Instructions
Spice Paste
- Add all of the ingredients to the food processor, whizz until it is a smooth paste
Curry
- Heat the oil in the large pot on high heat
- Add half the beef and brown, remove and add the remaining beef. Set the beef aside
- Add the Spice Paste and cook for 2 – 3 minutes (WARNING – open the windows and put the exhaust fan on – once the chillies are heated your eyes are going to water!)
- Return the beef to the pot and add the remaining curry ingredients.
- Bring to a simmer and then lower the heat.
- Pop the lid on and leave to simmer for 1hr 15mins
- Check the beef, if it falls apart take it out of the pot. and set aside. If the beef is just tender and holding together leave it in.
- Raise the heat to medium and cook for 30 – 40 mins, stir occasionally. Towards the last 10 mins stir more frequently to make sure the the sauce reduces to a paste.
- The beef should fall apart at a touch, if not add some water and keep cooking
- Remove the cinnamon stick, star anise and kaffir leaves
- Serve with steamed rice
Notes
If you use small diced cubes of meat it will break down and become shredded, using larger chunk is better for this dish.
Further Reading: More Recipes
Recommendation: Follow Zaleha Olpin from MasterChef UK 2018 on Instagram