Rendang Daging recipe

Ingredients

Kerisik
50g (2oz) ground coconut

Spice Paste
6 shallots, peeled
2.5cm (1in) piece of galangal,
peeled
2.5cm (1in) piece of ginger,
peeled
3 stalks of lemongrass,
crushed
4–5 cloves of garlic, peeled
10 dried chillies, soaked in
warm water and seeded

Curry
1 tbs oil
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
4 star anise
3 cardamom pods
750g (1½lb) lean beef, cut into
cubes
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into
pieces and crushed
1 cup (250mL) coconut milk
2 tsp tamarind juice
1 cup (250mL) water
6 tbs kerisik
1 tbs palm sugar
6 kaffir lime leaves, finely
chopped
Salt to taste
Rice to serve

Instructions

1 To make the kerisik, toast the ground
coconut in a dry pan until it turns light brown,
then blend in a spice mill or mortar and pestle
to produce a thick, oily paste.

2 For the spice paste, grind the shallots and
other spice ingredients in a blender or mortar
and pestle to create a fine paste.

3 For the curry, heat the oil in a pan and add
the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise
and cardamom and fry for a minute or so to
release the aromas.

4 Add the beef and crushed lemongrass and
stir-fry until the meat is browned.

5 Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice and
water and simmer until the meat is almost
cooked.

6 Add the kerisik, palm sugar, kaffir lime
leaves and salt to taste, then cover the pan
and cook on low heat for 1–1½ hours, until
the meat is tender and the liquid has almost
all been absorbed.

7 Leave overnight to mature the flavours, then
warm and serve with rice.