I love coconut. Shredded, pureed, toasted, frozen, fresh, or dried, coconut in all its forms is delicious. When toasted its aroma is especially unbeatable. Its usefulness transcends beyond sweet treats, which is why I hoard savoury recipes that use coconut. In rendang, it shines as a key component, as the flavour of coconut is abundant, its nuttiness and velvety richness is embodied throughout this dish.
My version of rendang is not authentic, but it is wholesome and aromatic. It has been adapted to the ingredients found in my kitchen and of course, altered to suit my family. Although you could use chicken, or vegetables here, I opted for stewing-style beef that has great marbling throughout, and also extra-firm tofu. The coconut milk base needs to simmer for about 2 1/2 hours to become beautifully thick, dark, and concentrated. The timing for the addition of your protein to the coconut milk base will depend on the type of protein or vegetables used. Stewing-style beef will take about 2 1/2 hours to become falling apart tender, so ergo it should be added to the pot along with the coconut milk. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts will take 30 minutes or less, so it should be added after the coconut milk has reduced for about 2 hours, that also applies to the tofu. With only about 15 to 20 minutes left of the simmering time, vegetables can be added. The goal here is to not overcook whatever is being added to the coconut milk base, just use your judgement! If all else fails, it will still taste great!
Served over rice, this dish is rich and spicy, with the perfect note of tanginess. I have composed a speedy cucumber salad to cut through the richness of the rendang.
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of rendang paste, refer below
398 ml or 1 can of coconut milk, shake the can before opening
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
10 grams of dried tamarind, soaked in 2-3 tablespoons of hot water
285 grams of stewing-style beef, cut into large pieces
70 grams of fresh or dried coconut, shredded
250 grams of extra-firm tofu, cut into bite size pieces
salt to taste
1 cup of cooked rice of your choice
coriander, chopped
fresh chile, sliced (optional)
lime, zested, juiced
PASTE
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 large cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 star anise
3 green cardamom pods, whole
3 cloves, whole
6 dried red chiles, soaked in 2-3 tablespoons of hot water
3 large shallots, trimmed, peeled, quartered
3 fresh red chiles, trimmed
25 grams or 1 stalk of lemon grass, trimmed, outer shell removed
45 grams or 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled, chunked
7 cloves of garlic, trimmed, peeled
METHOD
- Separately, steep the tamarind and the red dried chiles in a couple of tablespoons of hot water to soften, about 20 minutes. While waiting, toast (without oil) the cumin seeds, star anise, cardamom pods, and cloves till fragrant. Let cool, then using a spice grinder, grind the spices to a fine powder.
- After 20 minutes, mash the dried tamarind in the now cooled water to obtain a thick pulpy paste, drain with a small sieve to separate the pulp from the liquid, refer to the picture. Alternatively, if you find concentrated tamarind paste ready made, you will need 1/2 tablespoon of the paste, loosened with water. Which ever option you choose, you need just under 1/4 of a cup of liquid tamarind paste.
- If already not grated, using a food processor, blitz the coconut till fine. Using the pan the spices were toasted in, toast the coconut (without oil) till golden, set aside. Note: Coconut has a pesky habit of quickly burning, especially the dried flakes kind, and yes, I am speaking from experience.
- In the same processor (you don’t have to clean the processor), add the shallots, fresh chiles, lemon grass, ginger and garlic, along with the ground spices. Blitz to a paste. I got a generous cup of the paste.
- In a heavy duty pan, heat the olive oil, add the prepared paste, and cook the paste in the oil, till the paste starts to catch, 3-5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, the tamarind paste, turmeric, soy sauce, salt, along with half a coconut can of water. Stir, and then, add the beef. Turn the heat down to low, let simmer for 1 hour, then add less than half of the toasted coconut, reserving some for garnish, stir. Continue simmering the rendang for additional 1-2 hours on low, stirring periodically, till the beef is falling part, and most of the moisture from the rendang has evaporated. The rendang will change colour as it cooks, turning a deep brown colour. Before platting, add the zest and juice of half a lime. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Tofu alternative. I also made this recipe with tofu by splitting all of the rendang sauce ingredients between two pans to make a vegetarian version for myself. If you are making both versions like I did, just split all of the ingredients in half and follow the steps as noted in step 5; otherwise ignore the splitting step. Tofu cooking method. Let simmer on low for 1 hour, then add less than half of the toasted coconut, reserving some for garnish, stir. Continue simmering the rendang for additional 1 hour on low, stirring periodically. After the hour is up, add the chopped tofu, and let the flavours amalgamate for a further 30 minutes. Before platting, add the zest and juice of half lime. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve the rendang over rice, along with the Cucumber Salad, and garnish with coriander, lime, chile, and the reserved toasted coconut.