Beef Rendang (Spicy Beef Stew)

I have a friend who cooks great malaysian curries and my husband had the beef rendang she made one day and absolutely love it since then he has been bugging me to make it and I have been putting it off for the longest time as previously mention I'm not one for complicated recipes but after a while between having him constantly harassing to me getting down to do it I gave in. So what is Beef Rendang?

Beef Rendang originated from Indonesia, is somewhat like a beef stew which is slow cooked in spices and coconut milk for over 3 hours until the meat is soft and tender. Due to the long cooking and preparation time that is required this dish is something you serve for special occasions. 

I had never make this before although I've eaten this many times before and I personally like this dish too so I started by looking for recipes and where else do I look than my dear Mr google. I found the recipe on Rasa Malaysia and found that they have recipes for other local dishes that I use to eat when I was in Singapore which I'll try for another time.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound boneless beef short ribs (cut into cubes)
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch long)
3 cloves
3 star anise
3 cardamom pods
1 lemongrass (cut into 4-inch length and pounded)
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup water
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp (soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds )
6 kaffir lime leaves (very finely sliced)
6 tablespoons kerisik (toasted coconut)
1 tablespoon sugar/palm sugar or to taste
Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

5 shallots
1 inch galangal
3 lemongrass (white part only)
5 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
10-12 dried chilies (soaked in warm water and seeded)

Method:

1. Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
2. Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry them until aromatic.
3. Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked.
5. Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar/palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
6. Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up.
7. Add salt to taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste.
8. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight.

Cook’s Notes:

1. To prepare the kerisik or toasted coconut, just add the grated coconut to a dry wok and stir continuosly until they turn golden brown.

I had bought beef short ribs and make the mistake of buying those pre packed ones and the bones were so chunky that my pot was not big enough, therefore it make stirring really difficult so the bottom got a bit burnt so I loss a bit of gravy due to that. If I ever make this dish again I would buy it direct from my butcher and get him to chop it into smaller pieces. Overall it looked and tasted exactly like how I use to remember, so it's a success.