Name: Rendang Opor Pahang (Rendang from My Home Town)
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp coriander seeds; 2–3 Tbsp tamarind juice; 2 tsp black peppercorns; 4 Tbsp thick dark soy sauce; 85 ml (2½ fl oz / ⅓ cup) vegetable oil; 3 Tbsp toasted grated coconut; 40 g (1⅓ oz) palm sugar; 3 stalks lemongrass, white part only, roughly chopped; 2 star anise; 750 ml (24 fl oz / 3 cups) coconut milk; 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, bruised; 1 tsp salt, or to taste; 5 Tbsp dried chilli paste; 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) beef; 250 ml (8 fl oz / 1 cup) water; 4 cloves; ½ tsp nutmeg powder; 1 tsp fermented prawn paste, toasted (optional); 4 cloves garlic, peeled; 1 medium white onion, peeled and cut into quarters; 175 g (6 oz) shallots, peeled; 5-cm (2-inch) knob ginger, peeled and sliced; 6 cardamom pods, seeds removed; 2 tsp fennel seeds; 3 cloves; 7.5-cm (3-inch) length cinnamon stick; 2 cardamom pods; 20 dried chillies, seeds removed and cut into short lengths; ½ tsp cumin seeds

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

My Rendang isn't Crispy

By Zaleha Kadir Olpin

Published 2019

About

There is no right or wrong way to making this rendang. It is completely up to the individual, or in my case, my husband! Your rendang can have lots of gravy or be as dry as you like. In my home town of Pahang, this is usually served quite dry. It is popularly served at weddings and especially during Eid celebrations. This dish requires a lot of patience as it takes a good few hours to prepare. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients. I have organised them to make it easy to follow.