Beef rendang with homemade chili paste

Beef Rendang is a Malaysian curry whereby there is very little gravy, but the meat is so tender, it falls apart easily. It is commonly eaten with nasi lemak or plain rice. It actually tastes better if kept overnight.

 1800 gm beef chuck eye

Cut the beef into bite-size cubes
Wash and drain

To make the chilli paste

10 shallots
6 cloves garlic
3 buah keras (candlenuts) to thicken the chilli paste
10 - 12 dried chillies  
3 lemongrass (white part only)
1 inch ginger

Cut all the ingredients into small pieces and put into a bowl 
Mix it up 

Cut the dried chilli into small pieces so that it is easy to remove the seeds. 

Put the cut chilli into a colander and place on a plate

Shake the colander so that the seeds will drop onto the plate

Put the chilli into a pot of water and boil for 5 minutes
Boiling the chilli makes it softer for blending and also removes the raw taste of the chilli
When the chilli is ready drain the water and shake off any more seeds left inside

Put 100 ml water and all the ingredients into the blender

Blend until it is a smooth paste 

Aromatics 

1 stick cinnamon, about 2-inch length3 cloves

3 star anise
3 cardamom pods
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp (assam jawa)
6 kaffir lime leaves
6 tablespoons kerisik, toasted coconut
1 tablespoon sugar or palm sugar to taste
salt to taste

Heat 5 tablespoons of cooking oil in the wok.

Add the cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry until aromatic. 

Add the chilli paste and fry until the oil comes to the surface

Add the beef, kafir lime leaves and lemongrass and mix thoroughly

 Soak the tamarind pulp in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds

Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water and simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes

Transfer to the slow cooker and cook for 3 hours

Add the kerisik (toasted coconut), palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.

Cook for another hour or until the meat is tender.

If the gravy is too watery, transfer to a wok 
Cover and simmer until the gravy has dried up.

Add more salt and sugar to taste if needed.
Serve immediately with steamed rice or nasi lemak and save some for overnight.

Baked chicken drumsticks (烤鸡腿)

 

This is an easy no-fuss meal to cook, and the children love it. You can eat it as it is or add a side salad. 

Ingredients

1 large onion
4 potatoes
White button mushrooms
Salt and pepper

1 chicken drumstick per person

Pull the skin back and make slits on the flesh

Season with freshly ground salt and pepper
Pull the skin back over the flesh

Cover the chicken with cling film and let it marinate for an hour or more

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the chicken drumsticks

Remove when the drumsticks are slightly browned

Alternatively, you can use the air fryer to fry the drumsticks
Set the air fryer temperature at 190 degrees

Set the timer for 17 minutes
Turn it on for 1 minute to warm up so the chicken won’t stick to the basket

Put the chicken into the fryer and start cooking

Turn the chicken over halfway through
Remove and set aside

Wash and cut the potatoes into chunks
Place in a baking tray with the corn
Season with olive oil and some rosemary or mixed herbs

Wash and slice the mushrooms
Place the mushrooms on the potatoes

Place the drumsticks on the mushrooms

Peel, wash and slice the onions
Place the onions on the chicken

Pour the chicken juices from the air fryer onto the onions

Cover with a sheet of baking paper

Cover with a sheet of tin foil

Bake in the oven at 210 degrees C for one hour

Remove the baking sheet and tin foil
Let the chicken brown and then it is ready for serving

Remove from the oven and serve 

 

Mashed potatoes ( 土豆泥) with air fried bacon

Mashed potatoes are a favorite side dish whenever we have western meals. It goes well with sausages and any other roast meat. Mashed potato can be an ingredient of various other dishes, such as shepherds and cottage pie.

Ingredients 

3 medium-sized floury potatoes
2 bacon rashers
1 stick salted butter

 

Method 1 – smooth mashed potatoes

Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-size cubes

Transfer the potatoes to a pot
Put in enough water to cover the potatoes

Cover and cook on high heat.

When the water is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked

Dry and cut the bacon

Set the temp at 190 degrees

Set the timer for 6 minutes

Put the bacon into the air fryer

 Remove the bacon when it is nicely browned

Put the potatoes, bacon and butter into the blender
Season with freshly ground black pepper

Add 100 ml warm milk and blend until the potatoes are smooth

This is how it looks

Transfer to a serving bowl

 

Method 2 – small lumpy mashed potatoes

Cut the bacon into small pieces

Set the temp at 190 degrees and the timer for 3 minutes

Put in the bacon and fry until brown and crispy

Remove and set aside

Put the butter into the cooked potatoes

Mash the potatoes until most of it is smooth and there are some small lumps

Add the bacon and 100 ml warm milk  
Season with freshly ground black pepper
Mix thoroughly

Transfer to a serving bowl