Many people must already know that rendang is one of the most popular foods in Malaysia. In fact, it is also quite famous in several Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and even Singapore.
Here is an original recipe by my mother, the founder of Resipi Asli Che Mah, Rendang Daging Cili Padi, one of Malaysia’s staple dishes for the Eid celebration in Johor and a go-to dish well-known in the Southern part of Malaysia.
This recipe is for 4 kg of meat. It can fill an entire big family. And perhaps, you will have leftovers at the end of the meal. But it’s okay! This rendang ages like fine wine— the longer it stays in the fridge, the better it tastes.
Follow these steps, and you can expect a delicious feast for lunch or dinner today!
Ingredients:
1) Meat (4 kg)
2) Blended red onions (4 ladlefuls)
3) Blended garlic (4 ladlefuls)
4) Blended lemongrass (6 ladlefuls)
5) Blended galangal (6 ladlefuls)
6) Handful of 4 sekawan (cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, cardamom)
7) Curry powder (half a ladleful)
8) Tumeric powder (a small teaspoon)
8) Green cili padi (bird’s eye chilli) depending on your taste
9) A few pieces of asam keeping (dried asam slices)
10) A few chunks of gula melaka (palm sugar)
11) A few tablespoons of sugar
12) A few tablespoons of salt
13) A few teaspoons of Ajinomoto
14) 1.5 kg of santan (coconut milk)
15) 1 big packet of kerisik (note: kerisik is a paste made from coconut. The coconut is grated, toasted and ground to a paste)
16) Daun kunyit (turmeric leaves) and daun limau (kaffir lime leaves)
Prepping the ingredients
1) Boil the meat for at least an hour and a half
2) Blend big red onions, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and galangal into a paste by adding a few dashes of water
3) Prepare the 4 sekawan or a blend of four spices
4) Blend the green cili padi according to your taste
5) Finely julienned the daun kunyit
6) Mix the santan and kerisik in a bowl
Cooking steps
1) Heat a few cups of oil on a hot wok
2) Stir fry a few cinnamon sticks, cardamom, star anise, and cloves
- The measurement is not fixed
- It is according to how much meat you are using
- In this recipe, a few small handfuls of each spice are enough
- Fry these spices until fragrant
3) Then, stir-fry the blended big red onions
- For this recipe, my mother uses 4 big ladlefuls
4) After the mixture is mixed, add 4 ladlefuls of blended garlic. Fry until the ingredients are well mixed
5) Add four ladlefuls of ginger. Fry until incorporated
6) Add six ladlefuls of lemongrass
7) Then, add five ladlefuls of galangal
8) After that, add the blended green cili padi and stir to mix
9) Add the meat
10) Then, add the asam keping, gula melaka, sugar, salt, curry powder, turmeric powder and Ajinomoto for seasoning
11) Add the mixed santan and kerisik. Let the sauce boil
12) Add the daun kunyit and daun limau
13) Cook it until the gravy thickens
14) Once done, it is ready to serve
Additional tips:
- 1 kg of meat/chicken equals 1 ladleful of blended ingredients
- This recipe doesn’t require you to stir fry the ingredients until fragrant
- Stir fry at high heat
- The turmeric powder enhances the color of the rendang
- Rendang has to be a bit thick (for a massive flavor bomb)
Now, you don’t have to wait for Eid to nibble on this delicious dish. Try this recipe at home and relive the memories of the festive celebration with your family. Happy cooking (and eating)!