What a vibrant start to Beef Rendang…and you can make it in your slow cooker at home!

When I started graduate school at Columbia University in 1998, one of the best dinners out was with a group of new classmates at a restaurant called Penang on the Upper West Side. Taking a break from studying, we headed for a proper evening out, rather than staying in and making dinner in Columbia Housing. We got dolled up and went off campus, which meant taking the subway a few stops from 116th Street in Morningside Heights to West 72nd Street on the stylish, bustling Upper West Side. It was only 15 minutes on the subway, but it might as well have been Atlantic City since our daily lives were limited to a 2-4 block radius around Columbia’s campus. We were all excited to start a masters program and thrilled about getting to know an entirely new group of people from the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Belgium, Spain, India, China, Russia, and beyond. Today, Penang no longer exists, sadly, and the classmates who gathered there are now scattered across the globe. Most of us have stayed in touch over the years and remember that evening like it was yesterday.

Penang at 127 West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side (Photo Source: Hype.My)

Penang (Photo Source: nymag.com)

I still remember walking past the dark wood paneling and hues of orange and red, appointed Buddhist decor with Thai and Malaysian influences. We headed downstairs to a plush lounge area with oversized armchairs and colorful, embroidered silk cushions and tucked into a long wooden table, excitedly introducing ourselves to classmates we didn’t yet know, and started perusing the menu. For many of us, it was our first experience with Malaysian dishes and in the years that followed, we would regularly order $5 dishes like Malaysian Roti Canai, a crispy Indian-style fluffy, layered flatbread (poori) served with a mild curried chicken and potato dipping sauce, alongside Thai satay and fresh green papaya salad. Nothing could beat the table side presentation of their Mango Chicken, which was sautéed chicken with shredded mango served up in a fresh mango shell. At Penang I discovered dishes I’d never had before like the Malay dish ‘Nasi Lemak’ which is coconut rice flavored with cloves and screwpine leaves and served with chili anchovies, curry chicken and hard boiled eggs.

Map of Indonesia (Photo Source: The Lonely Planet)

And last but not least, it was at Penang that I first tried a house special called Beef Rendang, a spicy Indonesian beef curry. Amid the cacophony of twenty young ladies chatting, laughing, and pouring wine, I remember the waiter insisting we order the Beef Rendang, which was described as ‘beef cooked with a paste of ground onion, lemongrass and chilli in a spicy, aromatic curry.’ I knew from my mother’s cooking that any dish that started with a paste of freshly ground spices and aromatics would be great. It was. At first glance, Beef Rendang is fairly nondescript. It looks like chunks of cooked beef, and frankly, not that special. Once you sink your fork into it, everything changes. I couldn’t believe the layers of complexity…and the aroma. Stewed for hours with lemongrass and whole spices, coconut milk is key, which tenderizes the meat and gives it an incredible depth of flavor.

Beef Rendang aka Indonesian stewed beef (Photo Source: Saveur Magazine)

I’m not sure what made me think of Beef Rendang recently. Maybe it’s because I heard Penang was closed and my friend Yasmina said “We had so many good times there.” Maybe it’s because I’m always on the lookout for good slow cooker recipes and have long wondered if I could find a good Beef Rendang recipe, something that would taste exactly like I remember it. I found a terrific recipe by Healthy World Cuisine, made a few small changes, and gave it a go. The recipe is absolutely fantastic. Without much preparation, you add boneless stewing beef, red onion, whole spices, fresh lemongrass, and ground turmeric to a slow cooker. After it cooks long and slow, either for 4 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW, you will need another hour before it’s ready. You transfer the curry from the slow cooker to a large, deep skillet. Adding a well-shaken can of full fat coconut milk, bring it a boil, and simmer it on medium to medium-high for a good 40-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. The end result is a deeply chocolate brown colored Indonesian beef curry that has a terrific sheen and is falling-apart-tender.  As soon as I dipped my fork into the dish, I could taste the fragrant star anise, the sweet, rich coconut, the sharpness from the sriracha, and fresh citrus of the lemongrass. I excitedly told Sean it’s exactly the way I remembered it at Penang all those years ago.

Healthy World Cuisine’s Slow Cooker Beef Rendang

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless stewing beef 
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 whole star anise (or 1/4 teaspoon ground)
• 1 whole cinnamon stick (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
• 5 green cardamom pods (or 1 teaspoon ground)
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 3 fresh lemongrass stalks, lightly bashed with a wooden spoon to release the essence
• 2 tablespoons chili paste (I used sriracha)
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated (or 2 tablespoons of ginger paste)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or sugar free alternative) 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 14.5 oz can full fat coconut milk, well shaken
• 1 fresh lime squeezed just upon serving
• Fresh cilantro, finely chopped 
• Basmati or jasmine rice, cooked

Preparation

1. Coat slow cooker insert with cooking spray. Add beef, onion, garlic, anise, cardamom, turmeric, lemongrass, chili paste, ginger, brown sugar, salt and pepper and cook either on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours. The beef should be fall apart tender.
2. Using tongs or a fork, carefully remove the lemongrass stalks, whole star anise, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods and discard. Remove all the beef and juices from slow cooker and add to a large skillet or wok. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil; simmer on medium to medium-high until the coconut milk is reduced and the curry is dark and lustrous in color. Most of the curry sauce will be gone at this point and all is left from the curry sauce is the oil from the coconut milk and the beef. Adjust the salt, pepper, and brown sugar, as needed.
3. Serve your with a side of basmati or jasmine rice. Garnish with squirt of fresh lime juice and cilantro.

Recipe from Healthy World Cuisine

After you coat the slow cooker insert with cooking spray, add boneless stewing beef, red onion, garlic, whole spices, fresh lemongrass stalks, and sriracha. You can adjust the salt, sugar, and heat later on as needed.

After 8 hours, using tongs or a fork, fish out the lemongrass stalks, star anise, cinnamon stick, and green cardamom pods. I don’t recommend skipping this step because you don’t want to bite into these later when you’re trying to enjoy the Rendang.

After slow cooking for 4 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW, transfer the contents of the slow cooker insert to a wide skillet on the stovetop. It should look like this.

Add one well-shaken can of full fat coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium to medium-high heat for at least 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be sure to adjust the flame so it doesn’t burn.

After about 20 minutes, it should look like this. It’s on its way but not at all done yet, so keep going.

Ta da! this is what it should look like. A Rendang should NOT have a saucy curry, but rather, tender meat that’s richly coated, like this

We enjoyed our Rendang with simple Thai green beans and steamed basmati rice.