Rendang Padang - Sumatra (Hot Beef Curry) Cooking Method – Braising/Stewing Final Cooking Method – Reheating or simply Stewing and Serving Yield – 16 portions at 4 oz/Portion Station – Advanced Preparation – Entire dish can be made a day in advance, chili paste will last for at least 1 week and beef can be marinated in spice blend for a day Ingredients: For Making the Chili Paste 5 ea Fresh Red Chilies (such as Thai Chilies), minced 1 oz Lemon Grass, minced or microplained 1 oz Fresh Ginger, minced 1 oz Fresh Turmeric, minced 2 oz Shallots, minced 1 oz Garlic Cloves, minced 2 tsp Whole Coriander, toasted and ground ½ tsp Whole Cumin, toasted and ground 1.5 tsp Salt 1 oz Palm Sugar, dissolved in 2 oz Hot Water 1 oz Tamarind, dissolved in 2 oz of hot water and strained For Making the Stewed Meat 2.5 lbs Beef Stew meat or Eye of the Round, cubed in 1 inch cubes ½ Spice Paste from Above (set the other half aside for later) 1 oz Vegetable Oil 8 oz Yellow Onion, sliced 3 cloves Garlic, minced 16 oz Coconut Cream (from two cans of coconut milk, lifted off of the top without shaking) 1 ea 4-inch piece of Lemon Grass, smashed with mallet and tied with butchers twine 2 ea Kaffir Lime Leaves ½ Spice Paste from Above For Assembling the Rendang Padang 5 cups Cooked Long Grain Rice (such as Jasmine) 1 cup Desiccated Coconut, finely shredded 2 bunches Green Onions, made into frills for garnish Procedure: For Making the Paste 1. Combine all of the ingredients except the dissolved palm sugar and tamarind in a mortar and pestle and grind to a paste consistency. 2. Once the seasonings have been ground in the mortar transfer the mixture to a blender and add the tamarind and palm sugar liquids and pulse to blend well. 3. Remove the spice paste from the blender, taking care to scrape out as much as possible and separate the spice paste into two equal portions. For Stewing the Beef 1. Combine the cubed beef with ½ of the spice paste and mix well to distribute the spice mixture throughout the meat. (This can be done up to a day in advance) 2. When ready to cook stew add the oil to a straight sides sauté pan and heat over a medium low flame until oil gets hot and then add the onions and garlic and sweat in the oil until they are tender and translucent. 3. Once the onions and garlic are tender add the spice rubbed beef to the pan along with the coconut cream, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and remaining spice mixture and cover the pan and watch the temperature of the flame to assure that the meat and other ingredients do not burn on the bottom of the pan as it cooks. 4. Stew the meat for 1.5 hours or until the meat becomes very tender (make sure to watch the temperature and adjust as needed to prevent the pan from going completely dry (the end result should be somewhat dried up from the cooking process with some oil coming out of the coconut cream as it reduces and separates so try to avoid adding water) 5. Once the meat is cooked until tender taste the stew to see if any salt or other spices are needed and once adjusted properly either cool the whole mixture to be reheated later for service or serve. Before serving remove the lemon grass stalks and the kaffir lime leaves. For Assembling and Serving the Rendang Padang 1. If the stew has been chilled reheat it as needed to proceed 2. For each plate place 1/3 cup or so of the cooked rice on the plate and top with a 4 ounce ladle of the stewed meat mixture and garnish with the dissicated coconut and the green onion frill .