Rendang (Indonesian Beef and Coconut Stew)

Ingredients

• For the spice paste:
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 shallots
• 25 g ginger
• 15 g turmeric
• 75 g young galangal
• 1 tbsp ground fresh red chile pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ pod dried nutmeg
• 2 candlenuts
• ½ tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp gula jawa (Indonesian palm sugar)
• For the stew:
• 1 kg beef, cut into big cubes to make 20 pieces
• 4 lime leaves
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 2 l ready-to-use coconut milk or coconut milk from 1 big fresh coconut

Method

1. Using a food processor, grind together all the ingredients for the spice paste.
2. Marinate meat with the spice paste for at least 1 hour.
3. Heat the coconut milk over low heat until some oil rises to the surface (at least 20 minutes). Stir the coconut milk while it is cooking.
4. Transfer the meat and spice paste mixture to a large wok or pot. Cover with 300 ml of the hot coconut milk.
5. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium-low heat until half of the coconut milk has evaporated.
6. Add another 100 ml hot coconut milk, and stir until almost all of the coconut milk has evaporated.
7. Keep on adding coconut milk, 100 ml at a time, and cooking until the previous addition has evaporated.
8. Cook until the meat is tender (at least 1½ hours) and almost all the liquid from the coconut milk has reduced to a spicy sauce.