Traditionally made with beef, this spicy and aromatic dish is arguably the most famous beef dish in Malaysia and Indonesia. Rendang is a special kind of curry in which a main ingredient is slowly cooked in a rich and spicy lemongrass and coconut sauce until the meat is tender and the sauce is substantially reduced. It’s not, however, one of those dishes that you can whip up in minutes. It’s definitely worth the effort but a Rendang curry takes hours to make. I make two versions of this dish. My quick veggie version saves time but still highlights the classic aromatic ingredients with flavours of lemongrass, ginger, galangal, coconut and chilli. The vegetables beautifully absorb the spice infused coconut sauce. The second option using chicken as it really seems to work and makes for a slightly lighter version than beef.
This luscious dish, adapted from a recipe in Georgina Hayden’s book Stirring Slowly. Recipes to restore & revive (Square Peg, 2016), is traditionally eaten with sticky rice cooked in a bamboo segment. I have it with roasted buckwheat. Let’s just say buckwheat is as important to the Polish people as lemang is to the Malay people!
…