Rendang

rendang an interesting dish, perhaps unique in its cooking method, which belongs to the Minangkabau (‘Victorious Buffalo’) people of W. Sumatra, although it has latterly become common property for all Indonesians and has appeared elsewhere in adapted forms (to some of which the phrase ‘dry beef curry’, which would not be appropriate for the original, authentic version, can be applied).

The water-buffalo meat, or beef, should be of a flaky sort, with some fat; brisket is the best cut of beef to choose. Spices and flavourings are shallots and garlic; ginger, galangal, and turmeric; chilli peppers; turmeric leaf (daun kunyit) and salam leaf (see daun salam). The cooking medium is coconut milk and the technique is to cook the cubed meat, with its flavourings, in enough coconut milk to cover it for, say, an hour and a half, uncovered; then to let the now thick coconut milk bubble for another half-hour until it starts to turn into oil, becoming brown and even thicker. Stirring is now continuous, until the dish is almost ‘dry’.