FiveTwentyFive

Beef Rendang with Deep Fried Onions

1kg prime beef in one piece
2 onions (or 5-6 shallots), sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm galangal, fresh, sliced (or 1 tsp galangal powder)
2.5cm root ginger, fresh, sliced
4-6 red chillies, seeded and sliced
1 lemon grass stalk, lower part, sliced
2.5cm turmeric, fresh, sliced (or 1 tsp ground turmeric)
1 tsp coriander seeds, dry-fried and ground
1 tsp cumin seeds, dry-fried and ground
2 lime leaves, torn
1 tsp tamarind pulp, soaked in 4 tbsp warm water
800g coconut milk
300ml water
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
8 small new potatoes, scrubbed
salt
450g onions
vegetable oil for deep-frying

Beef Rendang

Cut meat into long strips and then even-sized pieces of about 3cm. Place in a large bowl.

Grind onions, garlic, galangal, ginger, chillies, lemon grass and turmeric to a fine paste. Add paste to the meat. Add coriander and cumin seeds. Mix well. Add lime leaves. Cover and leave in a cool place to marinate. Strain tamarind and reserve the juice.

Place spiced meat and soy sauce into wok. Stir in coconut milk, water and tamarind juice. Season to taste with salt. Stir until liquid comes to boil, then reduce heat to simmer gently, half-covered, for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender and the liquid is reduced. Add potatoes 20-25 minutes before end of cooking time.

Deep Fried Onions

Slice as finely as possible. Spread out in a single layer on kitchen paper. Leave to dry in an airy place for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Heat the oil in a wok to 190 degrees. Fry the onions in batches until crisp and golden, turning all the time.

Drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool.

Serving

Transfer beef rendang to bowl and sprinkle with deep fried onions.