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Rendang

Unlike most braised meat dishes, this one ends up dry. The sauce is reduced slowly with the meat, and the result is something like fresh beef jerky. Be sure to vary the amount of chile according to your taste; I tend to be quite conservative when using chiles, but this dish is traditionally quite hot. Serve with white rice and a moist vegetable dish, like Spinach with Coconut Milk (page 487).

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

2 hot dried red chiles
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 shallots, peeled
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger or galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 tablespoons tamarind paste (page 585), or the juice and zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil
1 pound boneless beef, preferably chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup coconut milk, homemade (page 584) or canned
Salt to taste

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the chiles, garlic, shallots, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and coriander in a food processor. Process until everything is minced (or mince everything by hand and combine). Add the tamarind paste and process until smooth.

    Step 2

    Heat the oil in a skillet with a lid and place over medium-high heat. Add the spice paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and covered with the sauce.

    Step 3

    Pour in the coconut milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the sauce dries out, about 1 hour. Season with salt and serve.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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