Rendang — Dry Coconut Braised Beef Chuck

Ingredients

• 3 lb Beef Chuck, in 2-inch cubes
• 12 dried red chilies, soaked
• 8 shallots
• 8 cloves garlic
• 3 inches galangal
• 2 inches fresh turmeric
• 3 stalks lemongrass, sliced
• 2 cans (13.5 oz each) coconut milk
• 1 cup kerisik (toasted grated coconut, ground)
• 4 makrut lime leaves
• 1 turmeric leaf, knotted (optional)
• 3 tbsp palm sugar
• 3 tbsp tamarind paste
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp salt

Method

1. Blend the soaked chilies, shallots, garlic, galangal, fresh turmeric, and lemongrass with a splash of water into a smooth rempah.
2. Fry the rempah in the coconut oil over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens to brick and the oil pools out at the edges. This is the longest, most important step before the braise even starts.
3. Add the Beef Chuck and turn it in the paste for 5 minutes, then pour in the coconut milk, lime leaves, turmeric leaf, tamarind, palm sugar, and salt.
4. Simmer uncovered on low, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 hours. The liquid will slowly go from soupy to thick to almost nothing, and the color from pale to mahogany.
5. Stir in the kerisik and keep cooking, now stirring almost constantly, for the last 30–45 minutes until the oil separates and the meat is coated in a dark, dry paste that clings. The Beef Chuck should shred with a fork.
6. Rest overnight if you can — rendang is genuinely better on day two. Serve with rice and something sharp and pickled.