Fortunately that’s all changing as Malaysian food’s profile is on the rise: restaurants like London’s Rasa Sayang (a personal favourite) are popping up and no longer have to pretend to be Chinese to avoid scaring us ignorant locals.
And Britain’s very own Rick Stein accepted a handful of Malaysian Ringgit to promote the country’s food on TV and at the annual Taste of London festival last year.
I’ve only sampled a handful of the nation's dishes and still have lots to learn – especially about the mysterious and varied fishy, spicy relishes or sambals. But here’s my take on one of the best known Malaysian standards: Beef Rendang. The slow cooked stew of coconut, spices and fork tender beef.
I’ve no doubt there are a hundred variations on the recipe – and some are probably more authentic than others. All I can say is that this one works, is pretty easy, and tastes just like the best Rendang I’ve had in Malaysian restaurants.
SPICE PASTE:
5 cloves of garlic
2 inches ginger (or half ginger / galangal if you can get it)
3 sticks of lemongrass (white bits only)
6 shallots
10 dried chillies, deseeded, soaked in water (large medium hot ones, not the tiny nuclear bomb type)
WHOLE SPICES:
3 cloves
4 star anise
3 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
THE REST:
750g good quality stewing beef, bite sized chunks
Cooking oil
1 stick lemongrass, bashed
1 can coconut milk
2 teaspoons tamarind paste (buy in jar, or buy pulp, soak & sieve)
5 tablespoons desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon palm sugar / other sugar
Salt / fish sauce to season
Crispy shallots to garnish (optional)*
1 Make the spice paste.
(My tip: use a hand-held stick blender and a tall beaker / sturdy measuring jug. Add a splash of oil to bring the mixture together if necessary. This will give you a homogenous smooth paste, unlike a countertop blender, which in my experience only ever makes a grainy, gritty mush.
Or if you’re feeling particularly energetic a large pestle and mortar will always deliver the best results, though it does take forever and annoys the neighbours.)
2 Toast the dried coconut in a dry pan until nutty and brown and remove.
3 Heat some oil until medium hot, then fry off the spice paste and dry spices for 1 -2 minutes.
4 Add the meat and stir to coat for a minute.
5 Add coconut milk, toasted coconut, tamarind, bashed lemongrass and sugar. Give it a good stir, then lower the heat to a simmer.
6 Make sure the meat is covered at this stage, if not add a splash of water. Right now it will look more like a Thai red curry than Beef Rendang, but this is when the magic happens. You need to simmer the stew uncovered on a low heat for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender. Rendang is meant to be fairly dry, and the mixture will reduce throughout until the oil starts to split out from the sauce.
7 Just make sure it doesn’t get too dry too soon. You don’t want it to burn – so add a splash of water if you think it might start to catch on the bottom before the meat is done. By the end you’ve got a dark brown, oily, sticky work of art.
8 Season with salt / fish sauce to taste and adjust sweetness if necessary. Serve with rice and garnish with crispy shallots.
*(Crispy shallot recipe: if you’re in the mood make these in advance / whilst the rending is still cooking. What you want is crispy, browned, dry shallots without any bitterness or black charring. And I’ve got a trick that’s fool proof:
Slice up some shallots – might as well make a decent batch while you’re at it.
Put the shallots in plenty of COLD oil to cover. This is the crucial part.
Gradually heat up the oil to a low deep-frying temperature. Take your time here for the best results.
As it comes up to temperature it will drive out all the moisture from the shallots. When you’ve got a golden brown colour remove from heat and drain on kitchen paper.
These shallots will keep in an airtight container or ziplock bag for a couple of weeks in the fridge.
Plus you now have some golden shallot-flavoured oil to add flavour to other Asian dishes)
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