Beef Rendang

I usually cook this special dish for my hubby. He love it so much specially If I'm the one who cooked. one of the reason is because he only can stand the spice with  max 3 Big chilly ( on my opinion that is not spicy at all or barely spicy!! ).  Rendang food It’s supposed to be  spicy. hope the west Sumatra people not feel offended to know the recipe modify by me.
Even though I'm not  a moeslem I like to invite my friend to Idul Fitri dinner, I made Rendang Sapi, sambal Ijo ( green chili sambal ) and Sambal Goreng ati.  I just feel a bit not complete without the lontong sayur and the small cookies that usually come along such a nastar ( pineapple filled cookies ), putri salju ( almond cookies cover with snow sugar ) but, well, one a year it's ok to be different. 


I agree with my friend Indo Eats said that many Indonesians who live in abroad don’t have any patience to cook it. It takes hours to get the perfect rendang in taste and appearance. ( it almost same like cooking french cuisine named beef bourgogne soup... it takes hours and long!!!). For me it doesn't matter because as soon as all the ingredients are inside the pan, I can just put the timer and leave it until the timer rang. Guaranty, you will never missed it if you do like I did.

The authentic rendang is supposed to be dry but since my hubby doesn't like dry food.  I always make the Rendang a bit extra liquid. I know it's look  different but the taste pretty much is a good. I knew it because by accident I over hear that my moms tell my family that I can cooked now since I made a rendang that fit to her taste.

To get the closest taste, my mom ever told me to use daun kunyit (tumeric leaves). She did plant last year on my back yard and now I can use those leaves for my cooking, a lot.  my mom also told me that this leaves giving very special flavour.


Rendang Daging Padang

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 30 mins
Cook 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 1kg 450 g beef (my mom always told me to choose the best part of the beef, she called Haas meat but since I don't have here I replace with beef Bourguignon )
• 2 Canned  (800ml ) coconut milk 
• 1 sachet coconut milk powder
• 1 tbsp of Tamarind paste 
• Peper
• salt as desired

Leaf Spices (REMPAH DAUN):

• 3 Daun salam ( can be replace with bay leaves )
• 4 Lime leaves
• 2 lemongrasses, cut 3 cm long of the top parts(set aside) and bruise the rest

Other Spices to blend well:

• 3 pcs big red chillies  as desired
• 10 shallots
• 6 cloves garlic
• 3 cm long galangal
• 4 cm long ginger
• 2 top parts of lemongrass that are cut into 3 cm long
• 3 lime leaves,
• 1 tbsp coriander seed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 7 pcs Candle nuts ( Kemiri )
• Salt

Directions:
1.  Blend the spices in the food processor until smooth
2.  Reheat the oil, fry the spices ( wait until the spices produce oil )
3.  Bring the Beef / meats and stir until the oil come out,
3. Add coconut milk, coconut powder with REMPAH DAUN
4.  Bring to a boil and stir once a while.
5.  Add tamarind paste, salt and pepper. Let cook until the mixture starts to oil and thick. At this stage, the fragrant aroma of spices begins to smell.
6.  Reduce to low heat and stir once a while. When the liquid absorbs, it’s time to add stirring frequency, so the mixture is not going to be scorched on the bottom. Savory aroma starts to come out. Keep stirring until darken, dry and oily.