Rendang is one of Indonesia's culinary specialties, known for its rich and complex flavors. This dish is not only popular domestically, but also internationally. Not without reason, the use of abundant spices makes rendang have a delicious taste on the tongue.
However, to produce delicious rendang , it requires the right processing technique. Rendang must be cooked over low heat for hours to ensure the spices are perfectly absorbed and the meat becomes tender. Well, this long cooking process that requires extra attention is often a challenge for many people when they want to cook rendang.
Not only that, the processing of spices can also affect the taste of rendang. Many people use finely ground spices that are sauteed for rendang mixture. In fact, so that the taste of the spices can be more kicking, the fine spices do not need to be sauteed first, you know.
A netizen with the Instagram account @nikadewanti once shared a trick for cooking rendang to make it taste better like in a Padang restaurant. In one of the videos she uploaded, she admitted that she did not saut the spices first. However, the spices were cooked directly with coconut milk to produce a more complex taste.
Instagram/@nikadewanti
As reported by BrilioFood from Instagram @nikadewanti on Wednesday (18/9), the first thing to do is pour 3 liters of coconut milk into a pan. While boiling, add sliced shallots, lemongrass, bay leaves, turmeric leaves, and lime leaves. Also add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and star anise. Stir continuously until boiling so that the coconut milk does not curdle.
Instagram/@nikadewanti
When the coconut milk is boiling, then add the ground spices made from 30 shallots, 15 garlic cloves, 4 pieces of galangal, 3 pieces of ginger, and 40 pieces of red chili. Also add 3 tablespoons of roasted coriander, 1 tablespoon of roasted pepper, 1 teaspoon of cumin, and 1 nutmeg. To make it even more delicious, add 2 tablespoons of Minang spices.
Instagram/@nikadewanti
Next, stir all the ingredients and boil again for 20-30 minutes. Now, this is the key. The spices that are cooked for a long time with coconut milk will make it cooked and more fragrant even though it is not sauteed beforehand. Then when the coconut milk is boiling again, add 1.5 kg of sliced beef. Stir occasionally until thickened.
Instagram/@nikadewanti
Once done, add seasonings such as 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of MSG. Also add ambu-ambu or rendang seasoning made from grated coconut. After that, stir until the rendang sauce reduces and the meat becomes tender. If the rendang is dry, you can cook it longer.
Instagram/@nikadewanti
Well, the cooked rendang is ready to be served. You can eat it directly with warm white rice as a side dish. Guaranteed the taste of the spices is kicking and the texture of the meat is tender, similar to rendang served at Padang Restaurants.