Perak Rendang Tok
A very special delicacy that is famous throughout Perak and Peninsular Malaysia . It is a dark and dry beef dish , cooked in reduction eaten with Lemang . The Perak Rendang Tok contained shaved toasted coconut ( kerisik ) and a young coconut flesh that gave it an extra richer flavor. The Rendang is mostly cooked during festive seasons .
The ingredients
- 2 tablespoon of cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoon of coriander seeds
- 11/2 tablespoon of fennel seeds
- ( Toast and grind the spices to powder )
- 20 shallot
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 2 cm fresh galangal
- 15 strips of dried red chilies - seeded and soak or boil to soften
- 1 inch of fresh ginger
- 1 inch of fresh turmeric root
- 3 stalks of lemongrass
- ( Blend the above ingredients to paste )
- 1 cinamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 3 cardamom pods
- 5 cloves
- 1 tablespoon of black peppercorn - crushed
- 1 kg of fresh coconut milk
- 3 tablespoon of ' kerisik '
- 3 stalks of bruised lemongrass
- 1/2 a coconut of shaved coconut flesh - toasted or roasted until lightly brown
- 1 kg of beef cut into cubes
- 2 fresh turmeric leaved shredded
- salt and palm sugar to taste
- 2 tablespoon of oil
Method
Heat oil in the frying pan ( kuali ) . Fry the bruised lemongrass until fragrant . Add in the 4 siblings and the blended paste . Stir and leave it to simmer until fragrant . Once the aromatic paste began to sizzle and oil appears , add in the beef . Stir well and let the beef combine with the spices . Cover the pan . Allow the beef to slowly cook until the meat is tender , over a low heat . Once tender , add in the coconut milk with the crushed black pepper . Add the shredded turmeric leaf , salt and palm sugar to taste . Stir the mixture and leave it to simmer until the liquid reduced . Once there is a slight reduction , add the ' kerisik ' and the shaved browned coconut . Stir thoroughly , let it simmer again until the extra gravy dried or reduced . The reduction process will transform the dish from a red liquidized texture into a very dried dark brown color and slightly oily . The darker color derived from the added ' kerisik ' .
