Rendang danging

(Indonesian beef and coconut curry)

One of the things I like about this dish is that it’s like a western casserole in reverse - in western casseroles, you fry first then simmer; in rendang danging you simmer first, then fry.

At the end, you have a rich, dark, semi-dry curry that goes very well with rice, and even better with flat breads such as roti canai or chapatis.

Ingredients

• 1.5kg diced chuck steak
• 1 400ml can coconut cream
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2cm cube fresh ginger, sliced
• 1cm cube fresh galangal, sliced
• 2 coriander root
• 8 birdseye chilli
• 2 onions
• 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 4 curry leaves
• .5 cup tamarind liquid
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• palm sugar to taste
• garnish - torn coriander leaves, dry-fried desiccated coconut

Method

This one goes fast slow fast. It works well to do the assembling around lunch time, pop it in the slow cooker for the rest of the day, then back into the frying pan for about half an hour to reduce and finish. So…

Roughly chop one onion, thinly slice the other.

In blender, blitz the chopped onion, garlic, chillies, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, coriander root with just enough enough coconut milk for it to form a paste.

Once done, fry in peanut oil until the oil starts to separate from the liquid. Stir in beef cubes until they are coated, then add remaining coconut cream. Raise temperature to bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients except the tamarind, sugar and garnish.

Once it has reached a strong boil, drop the temp and simmer, covered for about 2 hours - or, which is how I like to do it, transfer to a slow cooker and cook for 6 hours - in which case you give the frying pan a clean, because you’ll use it again!

After 6 hours in the slow cooker, transfer the mixture to the frying pan, bring the heat up and cook off the liquid until it just clings to the meat. Stir in sugar and tamarind.

Garnish to serve.

Pepper beef pie

Pastry

3 sheets short crust pastry
2 sheets puff pastry
1 lightly beaten egg

Filling

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, diced
1 kg chuck steak, cut into 1cm cubes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
1 portobello mushrooms, chopped - about 2 cups
1 30g can green peppercorns, including brine
1 cup Guinness
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons cornflour
¼ cup water
salt and pepper to taste
Yields - six pies

Method

As with just about all cooking, the key thing is to start well by having everything (including the Guinness - and especially the meat) at room temperature.

In a heavy-based saucepan, fry meat in the oil a handful at a time to brown. You want a little caramelisation to happen. Set cooked meat aside.

Reduce heat and sauté onion and garlic, and then mushrooms, until soft.

Raise heat and add Guinness, bringing it to a strong boil to cook off the alcohol.

Add stock, peppercorns, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, then return meat to pan and simmer uncovered for an hour and a half.

Mix the cornflour in the water, and stir through the pie filling until it thickens. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 180º C.

Smere the pie trays with butter, and sprinkle with flour. Line with the shortcrust pastry. Place in the oven for 5–10 minutes. You want them to firm up a little, and just begin to go gold.

Remove, and loosen from the tray using a spoon, or the back of a bread knife. Spoon in mixture. Cut the 2 sheets of puff pastry into four squares each, then place over the top of the pies. Beat the egg, and glaze the puff pastry. Slice up the remaining puff pastry and do something that tries to be creative but isn’t. Glaze that too - you might as well.

Pop them into the oven for 30 minutes, repositioning every 10 minutes so that your pies are evenly golden brown.