Sunday, December 06, 2009

Beef Rendang/Dry Beef Curry

When we talk about beef rendang, we associated it with Hari Raya (the first day after the end of Ramadan fasting month) it is the main celebration of the Malay communities in Malaysia. Rendang pairs well with Lemang (glutinous rice packed in bamboo tube and smoked slowly on low fire) The Beef Rendang recipe I prepared is pretty special as I managed to grown some turmeric and I used some of the leaves to cook this dish. As with all good rendang, it can be kept up to a week in the refrigerator and if frozen, can last up to a month. This is a rich, wholesome dish is great for family gatherings and for those who are on a diet, better stays away (if you can!).

Ingredients:

2 pounds stewing beef
3 fresh turmeric leaves – sliced thinly (optional)
3 tbsp of kerisik (coconut paste)
3 kaffir lime leaves (limau purut)
2 cup of coconut milk + some water
Salt and sugar to taste

To blend into paste:

10 shallots or 1 big onion
2" of lengkuas (galangal)
2" of ginger
2 stalk of lemongrass
4 cloves of garlic
10 dried chilies (soaked until soft)
10 fresh red chilies
2” fresh turmeric or 2 tbsp of turmeric powder

For Kerisik (coconut paste)

1 cup of fresh grated coconut

1. In a non-stick pan, dry fry the grated coconut until golden brown.
2. Removed and blend it into paste while it is still hot until it is fine and paste like.

This is the turmeric plant.


1) Heat about 3 tbsp of oil in a wok and gently fry the blended paste for 2 minutes or until slightly dry and fragrant.
2) Add in the beef and continue to stir-fry until the beef changes color. Add in coconut milk and enough water to cover the beef. Bring it to boil. Roughly tear up the kaffir lime leaves and add it into the beef. Reduce heat to simmer.
3) Cover and simmer and stir occasionally and cook until meat is tender. If the dish dries up too fast, do add a little more hot water or coconut milk to it.
4) Add in sugar, salt to taste. Add in the turmeric leaves and kerisik (coconut paste)and cook till the sauce dry up. Serve with warm rice.

Note: I added some potatoes to this dish too. All you have to do is peel and cut it into chunks, pan fried them until lightly brown (this will prevent the potatoes from getting mushy when you cook them) and add it into the rendang when the meat is nearly done.

29 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

What a scrumptious curry dish! It's rainy, cold and you have made me feel hungry!

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

You plant your own tumeric leaf? The plant look beautiful and can be decorated in the kitchen, I also want to plant a pot soon. Anyway, your rendang look super delicious, Thanks for sharing.

ann low said...

I never make use of the turmeric leaves before even though I've planted turmeric at home.~~now I know~~

vanillasugarblog said...

Mmmm, this sounds SO good! I love everything that's in there. I have heard of this, but never tried it.

Sabrina Woon said...

Yummy ! i love rendang and lemang. :D the best malay food i like.

Ju (The Little Teochew) said...

If I ever have to live in the US, I would choose to live next door to you! LOL!

A Full-Timed Housefly said...

I love beef rendang and this dish of yours look really delicious and worth the weight gained...hahahahah

mycookinghut said...

I have never seen turmeric plant before!! Rendang my favourite.. I know it's kind of time consuming to prepare but it's well worth it!

Pei-Lin said...

Gertrude, this is one of my all-time faves! I've been wanting to make this ... except my lazy bones have been stopping me from gathering all ingredients needed for this though it isn't that to be accomplished ... Thanks for reminding me!

Pei-Lin =)

Anonymous said...

rendang.. mmm just need some rice to go with it.
got to love it.
reminds me of the indo restaurant i always go to.
they have awesome beef rendang.
yours look even better :D

Angie Tee said...

OMG! You have a Turmeric plant at home?

Zue Murphy said...

You read my mind. I have just thawed my raya chicken rendang last night. Your turmeric leaves are healthy. Mine is struggling.

Unknown said...

Hi,

What if I cannot find fresh grated coconut in my area? Can I just use the same amount of coconut cream/milk?

Anonymous said...

Hi, happy to see your healthy tumeric plant,mine has taken the RIP path...did not survive winter in Perth...Rendang does not taste the same without these wonderful leaves..

Little Inbox said...

I don't take beef, but I still can cook chicken rendang, right?

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... beef rendang. Yours so good! Well done with planting your own turmeric.

Elin Chia said...

I love beef rendang but can only eat once a while. So normally, I cook this style with chicken..but somehow it taste better with beef...rite? Eat with lemang...can't wait for Raya to come :p Your turmeric plant looks great. Winter time you have to take it in rite :))

Kana said...

Just lovely. BTW where did get the kunyit plant??

Ummi said...

Hello Gert, aahh miss you so much! Owhh, you're coming back again this CNY? Good news and hoping I'll be able to meet you dearest! Also thanks for coming by my kitchen after a long time..hehe...Yesterday I came by but didn't put any comments...your beef rendang looks yummy and tempting! Gosshh!! cantik pokok kunyit u..Btw, I just wrote down my own style of sambal bilis recipe..hope you'll like it and may you adjust it to suit your tastebud! Thanks for your compliments!

Little Corner of Mine said...

Looks rich and delicious! I love a good rendang too. How great to grow your own turmeric too.

Zurin said...

Your rendang looks to die for! Oh yummy tum tum...

Nate @ House of Annie said...

Very nice! We love rendang, especially when done well by Malay cooks. Yours is the first time I've heard of using turmeric *leaves*. You should enter it in the Weekend Herb Blogging roundup!

Salt N Turmeric said...

Gert, lebatnya your pokok kunyit! Kena share tanah apa u guna Gert.

ICook4Fun said...

Angie, yea this is great for cold weather.

Sonia, yes I planted the turmeric.

Anncoo, the next time you cook rendang try putting some of the leaves in it. It taste so much better.

Dawn, you should :)

Sabrina, I like Malay food too. Can't wait to indulge in it when I go home.

Ju, ha ha.. there are some houses for sale here. Want to buy one :)

Full timed housefly, yea I guess it is all worth it :)

Leemei, that is how turmeric plant look like :)

Pei lin, you don't have to cook. Just go to some Malay stall or restaurant to buy some :)

Muffins, yea the one from Indo restaurant taste pretty good too.

ICook4Fun said...

Angie, yeap. If you can get some fresh turmeric, just lightly cover it with soil and water it regularly and soon you will have some of it too :)

Zue, mine too turning yellow so I cut some of the leaves and freezed it.

Maria, you can try using the unsweeten dry coconut, toast it in the oven until brown and then blend it until fine.

Anon, mine is turning yellow too because of the cold winter. I guess I have to replant it again during spring. Yea it taste so much better with the leaves.

Little Inbox, yes you can always use lamb or chicken.

Ellie, thank you :)

Elin, yea it taste so much better with beef. Too bad we can't get lemang here if not it will taste even better. Yea the plant is inside the house but it still turinig yellow. I hope it survived the cold if not I have to plant it again.

Maya, I plant it from fresh turmeric roots.

Ummi, I miss you too :) I ada singgah kat rumah you hari hari tapi sometime tak leave a comment. Thanks for the recipe Ummi. Hope you see you in Feb/March.

LCOM, hopefully I am able to grow more coming season.

Zurin, thank you.

Nate N Annie, I will try entering the Weekend Herb Blogging.

Farina, I used the potted soil for plants from Home Depot.

tracieMoo said...

This looks fantastic! I don't think ill wait till Raya for this.. it looks tasty!

Deana Sidney said...

I just made this for the first time from a similar recipe. It is a genius dish... the whole kitchen smelled like spice heaven... I'm still dipping into the leftovers and licking my fingers... yours looks gorgeous too!!
Now I want to make a turmeric plant!

3 hungry tummies said...

Wonderful looking rendang, I have just planted some turmeric too! it is not the same without it!!

pigpigscorner said...

wow, this looks amazing! I really have to start making curry from scratch!