Rendang? Rendo!

We visited Indonesia via our kitchen this week and Liam picked Beef Rendang, a beef curry cooked in spices and coconut milk. Since it has to cook for three hours, he prepared the spice paste and coconut milk mix the night before and I then seared the meat in the spice paste he’d made, added the milk mix, and put the whole thing in the oven while he was at school the next day. We pulled it out three hours later and the meat was fall apart yummy and rich. Really rich.

I’m not a big fan of coconut, but that flavor wasn’t too strong in this recipe. I should have known though that the coconut flavor would have a hard time holding its own with the strength of the other spices added which included chilies, tamarind, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger to name a few. At the end of the day, I think it added a depth of flavor without being overwhelming.

Here it is on the table, it doesn’t look as good here as it does in real life—it’s actually a rich dark brown that reminds you of cold nights and comfort food. The rice was a great addition—it was made with coconut milk as well and that recipe also included lime, salt, and a little bit of sugar (which I have never added to a rice dish that wasn’t a dessert).

Here is Liam tasting the fruits of his labor (with grandma behind him).

All in all, while we liked the subtly of the dish, it was way richer than we thought it would be—probably due to the cut of meat we used (short ribs) than the recipe itself. Liam decided he was glad he tried it, but he probably wouldn’t make it again, at least not exactly the same way.

Next week we’ll be visiting Sweden and we’ll be giving dinners a rest and trying a breakfast. He’s the best pancake maker I know so we’re all looking forward to whatever lands on our table—it could open up a whole new world of breakfast options!

Here’s to cooking around the world…