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From Darina Allen’s ‘30 Years at Ballymaloe’ Kyle Books

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Sri Owen was one of our earliest guest chefs in July 1989.Ìý Sri was born in West Sumatra & lived in Indonesia until moving to England in 1964.Ìý She introduced us to many gems including this rendang, a wonderful slow-cooked dish from Malaysia, Indonesia & Sumatra usually served for feasts & celebrations.Ìý It should be chunky & dry, yet succulent.

Serves 8

Prep time 15 minsÌýÌýÌýÌý

Cooking time 3hrs +

Ingredients

1.5kg (3lb 5 oz) beef brisket or good stewing steak

5 shallots, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped

3cm (1¼ in) piece of fresh root ginger, roughly chopped

4 red chillies, deseeded & roughly chopped (or 2 tbsp chilli powder)

1 bay leaf

1 stick lemongrass, bruised

1 tsp ground turmeric

1.8L (3 pints) coconut milk

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

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To serve

A handful of fresh mint leaves (optional)

Lime wedges

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Method

·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Cut the meat into 4cm (1½ in) cubes.ÌýÌý Purée the shallots, garlic, ginger & chillies (or chilli powder) in a food processor.

·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Scoop the purée into a wide sauté pan or wok, add the bay leaf, lemongrass, turmeric, salt, pepper & meat & pour in coconut milk.

·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Bring to the boil, stirring, over a medium heat.

·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Reduce the heat & bubble away gently for 3 hrs, stirring occasionally.Ìý After this time, the sauce should be quite thick.

·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the coconut milk starts to go oily & then keep stirring until all of the oil has been absorbed by the meat.Ìý Taste & add more salt if necessary.

·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Serve hot with a bowl of fluffy rice.Ìý Sri likes to serve some fresh mint leaves & segments of lime with the rendang.

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Nigel’s Top Tips:

•ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Rendang can be made well in advance, keeps well in the fridge & reheats perfectly. In fact it’s better for making in advance.

•ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Halve the ingredients to make enough for 4 & cook it for a couple of hours, but keep your eye on it, so it doesn’t dry out.

•ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý If after 3hrs of simmering you’re left with lots of oily coconut residue, which isn’t being absorbed by the meat, simply spoon it off, as it’s important that the beef cubes don’t start to fall apart, as they continue to cook.