“Possibly the most magnificent Indonesian culinary export, beef rendang is the contribution of the Minangkabau people from West Sumatra, of which Padang is the capital,” writes chef Tony Tan – widely credited as being Australia’s number-one Asian-cooking expert – in his new cookbook Tony Tan’s Cooking Class. The new book is the culmination of his life cooking and researching the cuisines of Asia, from Cambodian and Nonya cooking to regional Chinese dishes and Vietnamese street food.
Alongside his recipes, Tan offers nuggets of history, tips on techniques and advice on stocking your pantry with essential ingredients. There are noodle dishes, dumplings, sandwiches and stir-fries – and this deeply flavoured rendang.
“Properly cooked, this dish – first mentioned around the 1550s – is fit for a king, which is why it is served on festive occasions,” he writes. “Traditionally, rendang must be dry – the coconut-based sauce is heavily reduced by long, slow cooking so it eventually ‘fries’ the meat. The result is succulent, richly complex and delicious, whether it’s made, as is common, with water buffalo or beef, chicken, lamb or even jackfruit. If you are served rendang with some residual sauce, it is a variant called ‘kalio’ – calling it a curry is a mistake Western food writers often make.”
Tony Tan’s beef rendang
Serves 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2.5 hours
Ingredients
2 lemongrass stalks (white part only), finely chopped
3cm piece ginger (about 30g), peeled and chopped
4–5 thin slices fresh galangal (about 20g), peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, or 6 shallots, finely chopped
6–10 long red chillies, coarsely chopped
5 garlic cloves
⅓ cup (80ml) neutral oil
700g beef oyster blade, cut into 5cm cubes
35g desiccated coconut, dry-fried in a pan until golden brown
2 cups (500ml) coconut milk
1 tsp caster sugar
Salt, to taste
Method
Combine the lemongrass, ginger and galangal in a food processor and blend to a fine paste. Add the onion, chilli and garlic and blend again until a coarse paste forms.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, add the paste and fry, stirring, for about 8–10 minutes, or until the oil separates into a gorgeous red.
Add the beef and fry, turning occasionally, until lightly browned all over (5–6 minutes). Add the coconut and fry for another minute, then add the coconut milk, sugar and 2 cups (500ml) water.
Bring to the boil, stirring frequently to prevent curdling, then reduce the heat to low and leave to bubble gently, stirring now and then, until the beef is tender and the coconut milk much reduced (about 1.5–2 hours). Once the coconut milk begins to turn to oil, remove the beef from the saucepan.
Continue to stir the sauce (be careful, it will spit) until it is almost evaporated and almost dry, about 5–10 minutes. Return the beef to the saucepan, stir gently, season to taste with salt and serve with rice.
Images and text from Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan, photography by Mark Roper. Murdoch Books RRP $59.99.
