Beef Rendang

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All is not butter that comes from the cow. ~ Italian Proverb

Rendang is a dish from Malaysia which in some ways resembles a purely meat curry. In Malaysia, it is prepared by the Malay community during festive occassions.

Rendang is often served with a ketupat (a compressed rice cake) and lemang (glutinous rice barbecued in bamboo tubes). However, it goes equally as great with steamed rice, or even bread. It is not very spicy hot but is very heavily flavoured in spices.

Rendang is normally made from beef (or occassionally chicken or mutton) slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone, leaving the meat coated in the spicy condiments. The spices may include ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemon grass and chillies. The slow cooking process allows the meat to absorb all the spices and to become tender. That sounds daunting, right?

Things are much more easier these days because we can just buy all the ingredients mixed in a box.

We bought the Claypot brand Beef Rendang Mix (see box above). To prepare this dish, we only need 750g (1.5 lb) of cubed beef. The stuff you see in the two bowls and measuring cup are prepared out from the box.

The box contained three sachets of ingredients: (1) the curry paste, (2) powder coconut milk, and (3) toasted coconut. Well, it's high cholestorol with coconut -- remember that.

Heat cooking oil in wok over low flame. Add curry paste and fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant.

Add beef, adjust flame to medium and stir fry.

Add coconut milk (a little at a time). Bring to boil.

Cover and simmer for 60 minutes. Stir occasionally. When cooked, add toasted coconut. Stir well and serve.

There you go. We love this a lot. We sometimes buy rotis (even pita bread) and dunk it into the curry.