By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food
It’s clear that Malaysian food is fast becoming a huge trend with London’s food elite. In recent months plenty of popular new Malaysian restaurants have opened within the city, celebrity chefs such Masterchef’s John Torode have exclaimed a appreciation for the national cuisine, and delivery service Ocado have even started to source specific Malaysian ingredients, making it easier for Londoners to attempt to recreate certain dishes at home.
Another stalwart of the current trend is Malaysia Kitchen, hosting two major events each year and aiming to bring the rich flavours of Malaysia into every home. The first of the two events is a vibrant street market that comes to London’s Southbank in spring, while the early autumn sees Trafalgar Square taken over by 60000 descendants invited to enjoy an array of entertainment as well as a variety of London-based restaurants showcasing some of their finest dishes, all for the fair sum of £5.
So tying in with the current craving for Malaysian food, here’s Kuala Lumpur Food Ambassador Norman Musa’s recipe for a classic Beef Rendang to make from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Ingredients
Serves 2
Dried chilli paste, 4 tbsp
Ginger, 1 tbsp, blended
Garlic, 1 tbsp, blended
Onion, 1 tbsp, blended
Galangal, 2 tbsp, blended
Lemongrass, 6 tbsp, blended
Cooking oil, 6 tbsp
Tamarind juice, 4 tbsp
Salt, 1 tsp
White sugar, 1 tbsp
Dark coconut sugar block, ½ tbsp, broken into small pieces
Water, 200ml
Coconut milk, 4 tbsp
Lemongrass, 1 stalk, bruised bottom half
Kaffir lime leaves, 4
Beef topside, 500g, cut into thin slices
Kerisik (roasted coconut), 2 tbsp
To serve
Rice
Method
Heat up the cooking oil in a saucepan. Add the blended lemongrass and galangal. Cook for 5 minutes until the aroma rises.
Next, add the blended onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for a further 5 minutes until it turns brown. Add the blended chilli paste, tamarind juice, white sugar, salt and dark coconut sugar. Cook until the oil separates.
Add the fresh beef, bruised lemongrass and 100ml water and simmer on a low heat until dry. Once dry add the coconut milk and the remaining 100 ml water and simmer again on a low heat again until the oil separates. The simmering in total takes about an hour. This will make the beef tender and give it plenty of time to absorb the rich flavours of the other ingredients.
Finally add the lime leaves and roasted coconut and cook for about 5 minutes until the coconut blends in well.
Serve with rice.
The next Malaysia Kitchen Street Market is set to hit London’s Southbank in the spring. Check www.malaysiakitchen.co.uk for updates and for more recipes to try at home
