Rendang daging deep-dive: Part II

Recipe & pictorial guide to making rendang daging. A guest post by Ling Teo.

This recipe feeds 6 people with other dishes, or 4 on its own with a side dish. But before we get to the recipe, here are some final notes:

• Can I use a pressure-cooker or oven? The traditional method of cooking rendang  simultaneously tenderises the meat while evaporating and caramelising the gravy so that flavours are mutually transferred and infused. You could use the oven or pressure-cooker for this but only up to a certain point, before having to transfer it to a pan to continue with the frying (or the tumis). 

• What other cuts of beef would you recommend if I can’t get hold of short ribs? You want a slow-cooking cut with enough connective tissue in it. Brisket, beef neck, or cheek would work. I don’t recommend beef shoulder. 

• Can I use store-bought kerisik? You could, but there is a risk that it will not be fresh. In this case, your rendang might be marred by a rancid coconut odour. 

Here’s what you’ll need: