Malaysian Beef Rendang
Slow-cooked with fresh coconut kerisik and pineapple kerabu timun
Admittedly, I’d only made beef rendang once before, which feels slightly shameful given my Malaysian heritage. Ever since, I’ve been thinking about what I’d do differently. Not because the first version wasn’t good, it was, but because that’s half the fun of cooking. You make something, you eat it, then immediately start planning how you’ll improve it next time.
So consider this my Rendang 2.0.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for the traditional method. But I’m not one for standing over the stove for hours, stirring every ten minutes to make sure nothing catches on the bottom. A girl’s got things to do.
This version starts with a little more liquid and spends most of its time slowly braising in the oven. It begins covered, allowing the beef to become meltingly tender, before finishing uncovered so the sauce can reduce and intensify. The final stage happens back on the stovetop, where the kerisik is stirred through and everything transforms into that dark, rich, glossy rendang we all know and love.
The kerisik was another change. Last time I used desiccated coconut, which worked perfectly well. This time I wanted the real deal. Fresh grated coconut was slowly toasted until deep golden brown, then blitzed into a fragrant, sandy crumb that released its natural oils. A labour of love, absolutely. Worth it, without question.
Served with fluffy jasmine rice, crispy fried shallots and a fresh pineapple kerabu timun, this is comfort food at its finest. Rich, fragrant and deeply savoury, with just enough sweetness and acidity to keep you going back for another spoonful.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Kerisik
150g frozen grated coconut, thawed
Rempah
180g Asian shallots, peeled weight
5 garlic cloves
25g ginger
30g galangal
2 lemongrass stalks, white parts only
10g dried hot chillies, soaked and mostly deseeded
2 fresh red chillies, roughly chopped
3 candlenuts
1 tsp toasted belacan
1 tbsp Babas Meat Curry Powder
2–4 tbsp water
Rendang
150ml peanut oil
1.1kg beef chuck, cut into 4cm cubes
1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
400ml coconut milk
300ml water
1 tbsp tamarind pulp mixed with 2 tbsp warm water
1½–2 tbsp palm sugar, grated
2 tsp sea salt
6 kaffir lime leaves, torn
1 small cinnamon stick
1 star anise
Pineapple Kerabu Timun
2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced
1½ cups fresh pineapple, finely diced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp palm sugar
½ tsp sea salt
To Serve
Steamed jasmine rice
Crispy fried shallots
