Rendang for Raya

Hari Raya Aidilfitri

This rendang recipe is a bit different as it does not use coconut milk (santan), pounded fried coconut shreds (kerisik) and rendang spices. Since it does not require santan, you can safely use beef with marbled fat (leave the fat in, do not remove the fat from the beef). This recipe also uses very little onions and garlic - the less likelihood of uric acid crystals forming in the joints. Overall, this rendang recipe does not give you adverse effects such as chest pain, heart attacks, pain in the joints (gouty arthritis) and the like. This rendang recipe is safe for overweight people with body mass index (BMI) of between 26kg/m2 and 30kg/m2. Just don't overeat!

Raw ingredients for Malay rendang 

Ingredients

1/2 kg beef (beef with marbled fat is better than beef without fat)
2 tabsp Adabi Serbuk Kerutuk Ayam & Daging (halal, made in Malaysia)
2 tabsp Adabi Rempah Briyani (RM2.80/100g packet, halal, made in Malaysia)

[Alternatively, you can substitute both spices with a packet of Rendang paste - Adabi Perencah Rendang (120g/packet, halal, made in Malaysia)]

1 packet Adabi Perencah Sup Siam (RM1.00/40g packet, halal, made in Malaysia)
1/4 large white onion (Australian)
3 cloves garlic
3 small tumeric leaves (daun kunyit)
2 limau purut leaves
1 stalk lemon grass (serai)
4 small slices galanga (lengkuas)
3 tabsp cooking oil (use palm oil)
1 electric jug hot boiling water (17 litres, use bit by bit)
2 teasp salt

Method
Slice onion and garlic.
Wash beef and cut into small bite-size pieces. Wash several times and let it stand to drain blood. Wash to remove residual blood.
Fry onion, garlic, galanga, lemon grass, daun kunyit and daun limau purut in cooking oil in a wok (kuali) or pot till onion and garlic become golden-brown.
Add spices (powedered and paste) and hot water. Mix with a wooden ladle to form a slurry (loose mixture). Add more hot water as deemed necessary.
Let the mixture boil once, stir and let boil again.
Add beef and stir to mix. Leave to boil.
Do not add salt before the beef has boiled. Wait for the beef mixture to boil. Be patient! Jangan gopoh!
Once the beef mixture has started boiling (becomes bubbly), add salt and stir to mix.
Leave to boil. Add more hot water as necessary. Stir often or it will stick to kuali.
Check back often as this mixture tends to dry through fast!
Do not forget to check back!!!
Boil for 1.5-2 hours till beef is tender and edible.
Add hot water and stir to obtain your desired texture.
Make the rendang into a paste for eating with rice cubes (nasi empit/ketupat).
Make the rendang into a thick non runny mixture for eating with plain rice.
Make the rendang with gravy for dipping bread (kuah cicah roti)
Turn off heat. Serve hot or warm with nasi empit/ketupat, rice or bread.  
Bon appetite!

Beef with marbled fat 

Fresh galanga 

Break up the galanga and clean each piece 

Slice the galanga into thick portions. Pull out the roots. Refrigerate unused slices. 

Use a quarter of this large white onion. Slice thinly. Refrigerate unused portion. 

Need 3 cloves garlic. 

Need one stalk of lemon grass - cut into 2 pieces and pound. 

Refrigerate unused lemon grass 

Fragrant daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaves). Use only 2 pieces at maximum. Keep unused leaves in a plastic container and store frozen.

Never use many daun limau purut as they will make your rendang taste bitter (rasa pahit) from the limonene!