1kg beef shin, chuck or cheek, trimmed of all excess tough sinew and cut into 2.5cm cubes
3 tbsp of vegetable oil
400g of coconut milk
60g of palm sugar, or dark brown sugar
3 tbsp of tamarind paste
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
3 cardamom pods, bashed to release the seeds
5 cloves
200g of coconut cream
50g of desiccated coconut
1 red chilli, sliced, to garnish
cucumber, chopped, to garnish
Rendang spice paste
1 tbsp of salt
2 tsp chilli powder
1 large white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 knob of galangal, or ginger (thumb-sized), peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 lemongrass stalks, white bottom part only, roughly chopped
20 dried chillies, soaked in hot water overnight
10 makrut lime leaves, destemmed
Method
1
Soak the dried chillies for the rendang spice paste overnight before using. The next day, add the chillies to a blender with the rest of the spice paste ingredients and blend until smooth
2
Place a pan over a medium heat and, once hot, add the vegetable oil with the spice paste, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom pods and cloves. Fry for a few minutes until aromatic
3
Add the sugar, tamarind paste and coconut milk, stir to combine and heat through for a few minutes
4
Add the diced beef, stir to combine then reduce the heat to low. Cook with a lid on for 2 hours, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking
5
Towards the end of those two hours, add the coconut cream to a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Stir, microwave for another minute, then stir again. Microwave for one more minute and stir well – the coconut cream should be a nice golden-brown colour
6
After the 2 hours of cooking, add the darkened coconut cream to the pan, then cook with a lid on for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes
7
Remove the lid from the pan and cook for a final 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking
8
Meanwhile, toast the desiccated coconut in a hot, dry, non-stick frying pan until golden
9
Serve the rendang sprinkled with desiccated coconut and some sliced red chilli, chopped cucumber and rice