Passport & Plate - Beef Rendang
Indonesia | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
Ingredients for paste
2 inch galangal, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 inch ginger, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
6 shallots, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
6 fresh red Thai bird’s eye chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 inch turmeric, peeled and coarsely chopped or 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
5 candlenuts or macadamia nuts
1 whole nutmeg, cracked with a mortar and pestle, nutcracker, or a heavy, blunt object
Ingredients for braise
2 lb boneless beef chuck in 2 inch cubes
2 sticks cinnamon
3 stalks lemongrass
4 cloves, peeled
3 star anise
6 kaffir leaves, whole
2 ½ cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
Garnish
1 tablespoon kaffir leaves, sliced as thinly as possible (fold in half and remove spine to make slicing easier)
Optional: 4 tablespoons Kerisik (dried and toasted coconut) or toasted coconut flakes
How to prepare this recipe1) Cut off bottom end and the top two inches of each stalk of lemongrass. Remove the tough outer layers (typically 2-3 layers). Then, use a blunt object such as a pestle or a can to bruise the whole length of the stalk. Tie lemongrass into a knot.
2) Make paste
Mortar and Pestle Method (traditional)--Cut shallots, galangal, and ginger into 1 inch pieces. Add paste ingredients to mortar and pestle. Then, bruise each ingredient and press pestle against surface of mortar and grind in a clockwise direction. Repeat until paste has a consistent texture.
Food Processor Method (faster)--Combine nutmeg and cloves in food processor and pulse into a powder, for about 2 minutes. Then add rest of paste ingredients to food processor and pulse until you get a paste.
3) Heat the oil in a large pot until hot. Add paste, lemongrass, cinnamon, and star anise. Combine and cook over medium heat until the mixture is aromatic, for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure the spices don’t burn.
4) Lower heat and add beef and lemongrass knots. Stir for 1 minute.
5) Add coconut milk, kaffir leaves, salt, and sugar. Bring to gentle boil and reduce heat to medium-low simmer.
Cover and cook for about two and a half hours. The fats in the coconut milk will eventually separate and eventually turn brown. Stir every ten minutes to make sure the paste at the bottom of the pot doesn’t burn. You may need to adjust the heat to keep everything at a simmer.
6) Once most of the liquid has reduced, turn heat up for to medium high to evaporate the rest of the liquid and cook the meat in the fats and flavor that have now separated from the coconut milk. The meat should be the color of roasted coffee beans, and the only liquid that should be left should stick to the meat. This should take about eight minutes.
7) Remove cinnamon sticks, lemongrass, and lime leaves and let beef rest for 30 minutes.
8) Sprinkle thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves and toasted coconut (if using) over beef and serve.
The story behind this recipeI first discovered Beef Rendang when my Indonesian couchsurfing host, Steve, took me on the back of his motorcycle in search of the best Padang joints. These eateries offer a hybrid between hawker fare and restaurant dining. The entire menu was already cooked and neatly arrayed so that you could simply order by pointing.
I was in the midst of a whirlwind trip through Southeast Asia. In one month, I visited Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Having grown up eating Thai food in Southern Georgia, the basic components of Southeast Asian cooking were familiar, but what struck me was how many turns the flavors could take by adding an ingredient or two.
In particular, the flavors of Beef Rendang surprised me. Comparing this dish with beef stew simply does not do it justice. The aromatic flavors of galangal, ginger, lemongrass, and kaffir contrasted with the almost dessert flavors of cinnamon, caramelized sugar, and nutmeg.
Ingredient lists for Beef Rendang can be lengthy. Tragically, they tend to downplay perhaps the most important ingredient: time.
Given the fall-apart texture, it’s no surprised that this dish is braised for hours. But, therein lies another twist. Rather than searing the beef and then simmering as in a western braise, the meat is simmered in spices and coconut milk for hours and then browned.
I recreated Beef Rendang as part of my Tour of Southeast Asia party where I served one dish for each of my destinations, in the order that I visited them. Since Indonesia was at the heart of my trip, I made Beef Rendang my centerpiece course.
While recreating these dishes at home, I spent hours smashing spices in the mortar and pestle. The sheer physicality of making Southeast Asian food made me appreciate the many hours spent by Padang joints before their first customers even arrive. This recipe combines ideas from over a dozen recipes and suggests shortcuts while capturing the essence of Beef Rendang as I got to know it in the alleyways of Java.
