Beef Rendang & Rice

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g braising beef (chuck or blade)
• 1 tin coconut milk (400 ml) + 200 ml water
• 6 shallots (about 30 g each)
• 4 garlic cloves + 30 g fresh ginger
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass
• 3 fresh red chillies
• 1 tsp ground coriander + 1 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 cinnamon stick + 1 star anise + 4 makrut lime leaves
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut (about 15 g)
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 240 g jasmine rice (dry weight)
• Salt

🍴 Utensils

• Heavy-based casserole pot
• Blender
• Small frying pan
• Saucepan with lid
• Wooden spoon
• Chopping board

📖 Steps

1. Prepare the aromatics: peel the shallots, garlic and ginger. Remove the tough outer leaves from the lemongrass and keep only the bottom 10 cm, which are more tender. Roughly chop everything together with the chillies (deseed them for a milder result).
2. Blend these aromatics with the coriander, cumin, turmeric and 3 tbsp coconut milk taken from the tin, until you have a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides several times: there should be no lemongrass fibres left, as they're unpleasant to bite on.
3. Cut the beef into 4 cm cubes, pat dry with kitchen paper and season with salt. Heat the oil in the casserole pot over a medium heat and fry the paste for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens slightly and smells wonderful. Lower the heat if it starts to stick.
4. Add the beef cubes, cinnamon stick, star anise and the makrut lime leaves, crushed between your fingers to release their aroma. Stir for 3 minutes over a medium heat to coat the meat well in the paste.
5. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and the water, add the brown sugar and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered over a low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes: the sauce should simmer gently, never boil hard.
6. While it cooks, dry-toast the desiccated coconut in a small frying pan over a medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Tip it straight into a bowl, or it will keep browning and turn bitter.
7. Stir more often during the last half hour, scraping the bottom well: the sauce reduces a lot and may stick. Add the toasted coconut at this point. The rendang is ready when the meat is meltingly tender and the thick, brown sauce coats the pieces.
8. About 25 minutes before the end of the cooking time, rinse the jasmine rice until the water runs clear. Bring it to the boil in 1.5 times its volume of salted water, then cover and cook for 12 minutes over a low heat. Leave to stand off the heat for 5 minutes without lifting the lid.
9. Remove the cinnamon stick, star anise and makrut lime leaves. Taste and adjust the salt, then serve the rendang piping hot with the jasmine rice. If the meat is still firm, cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.