Beef Rendang
Due to a busy lifestyle and the standard of "instant" mixes nowadays, S and I have been relying on Prima-Taste packets nowadays for our meals. Prima-Taste stems from Singapore and are pretty authentic in providing the S'porean taste. Believe it or not, they actually have Singapore noodles here, an atrocity consisting of fried noodles with curry powder mixed in. No one in Singapore has ever heard of Singapore Noodles - ever.
Anyway, after a tantalising experience on Saturday with the Taste of Melbourne Festival, we decided to chill out at home with some Beef Rendang and Basmati Rice. And PLEASE, if you are cooking Beef Rendang, it goes so very well with Basmati Rice. Elephant brand is fantastic - light and fluffy.
We bought about 1.5kg of blade steak (I know, normally I would say no, and this is the first time I've ever bought a cut lower than porterhouse but I'm convinced it would be perfectly fine for rendang). I just sliced it into large pieces and mixed it in the Prima-Taste marinade for about a couple of hours.
Then I popped it into a pot with pre-heated oil. Stir-fry for about 10 min. Add boiling water so it covers the beef completely (this is really important, your water must be full enough so the beef is completely submerged). Add half the Prima-Taste packet of coconut powder and stir it through.
Don't worry if it appears really soupy and watery, it'll reduce as you go along. The cooking time is pretty long and you do have to keep checking on it so it doesn't completely dry out or burn. Remember to "turn" the beef and stir it so it gets cooked through. Ours took over 2 hours to cook on slow simmer and low heat. When the water level goes to the halfway mark, add milk (yes, milk, low-fat, smart, full-cream, whatever). When the meat goes soft, that's why you are done.
It'll be a lot drier than the pic above, which should be the way it's meant to be. Serve with white Basmati Rice. My favourite is to eat it in a bowl with the rice underneath all the Rendang goodness. My dad and S absolutely love their Rendang and I've yet to cook it for my father, so Daddy, if you are reading this, droooooooooool.........I'll cook it just for you next time.
Anyway, after a tantalising experience on Saturday with the Taste of Melbourne Festival, we decided to chill out at home with some Beef Rendang and Basmati Rice. And PLEASE, if you are cooking Beef Rendang, it goes so very well with Basmati Rice. Elephant brand is fantastic - light and fluffy.
We bought about 1.5kg of blade steak (I know, normally I would say no, and this is the first time I've ever bought a cut lower than porterhouse but I'm convinced it would be perfectly fine for rendang). I just sliced it into large pieces and mixed it in the Prima-Taste marinade for about a couple of hours.
Then I popped it into a pot with pre-heated oil. Stir-fry for about 10 min. Add boiling water so it covers the beef completely (this is really important, your water must be full enough so the beef is completely submerged). Add half the Prima-Taste packet of coconut powder and stir it through.
Don't worry if it appears really soupy and watery, it'll reduce as you go along. The cooking time is pretty long and you do have to keep checking on it so it doesn't completely dry out or burn. Remember to "turn" the beef and stir it so it gets cooked through. Ours took over 2 hours to cook on slow simmer and low heat. When the water level goes to the halfway mark, add milk (yes, milk, low-fat, smart, full-cream, whatever). When the meat goes soft, that's why you are done.
It'll be a lot drier than the pic above, which should be the way it's meant to be. Serve with white Basmati Rice. My favourite is to eat it in a bowl with the rice underneath all the Rendang goodness. My dad and S absolutely love their Rendang and I've yet to cook it for my father, so Daddy, if you are reading this, droooooooooool.........I'll cook it just for you next time.
Thanks for the post...i am cooking this tonight (the prima taste one) and forgot how much meat I need to buy at the supermarket on my way home from work! The internet is such a handy tool :)
ReplyDeleteOh and I used to live in Melbourne too! glad to have found your blog, will be good to reminisce on all the great food Melbourne has to offer :)
Sorry, I missed the post until just then. How did the rendang turn out? Melbourne is home, and there are heaps of new Asian eateries around now, especially Sichuan and Shanghai cuisines. Are you in Australia still?
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