Discover the rich, melt-in-your-mouth goodness of beef cheek rendang, a slow-cooked dish that combines tender meat with aromatic spices, coconut milk, and tangy tamarind for an extra special meal.
Serves 4–6
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 4–6 beef cheeks
- 2 × 400ml tins coconut milk
- 5 makrut lime leaves
- 2 × 5–6cm cinnamon sticks
- 3 green cardamon pods
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 whole star anise
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 65g desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/3 bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves picked, to serve
Rendang paste
- 6 eschalots, peeled and halved
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3cm piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 lemongrass stalks, white parts only, chopped
- 3 red chillies, destemmed
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 nutmeg, finely grated
- 2–3 tablespoons coconut oil
Preheat the oven to 140°C. For the paste, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste. Add some more coconut oil if needed to achieve a paste-like consistency. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In a large, heavy-based pot or Dutch oven, heat the coconut oil over medium–high heat and sear the beef cheeks in batches until browned on all sides. Set aside. To the same pot, add the rendang paste and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Return the seared beef cheeks to the pot and stir to coat with the paste. Pour in the coconut milk and add the makrut lime leaves and whole spices. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 3–4 hours, or until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Finally, stir in the tamarind paste, coconut sugar, desiccated coconut and fish sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then continue to simmer for another 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld before removing from the heat and serving with fresh coriander leaves.
