Rijsttafel

Cook it at home: Beef rendang, the heart of a home rijsttafel

A full rijsttafel is a restaurant's work, so at home build it around one great dish. Rendang is slow-cooked beef in coconut milk and a spice paste, simmered until the liquid is gone and the beef fries in its own oil. Serve with rice, a cucumber pickle, a boiled egg in sambal and crisp shallots, and you have a small rice table.

Pans and tools

• Blender or food processor
• Wide heavy pot or Dutch oven
• Small dry skillet for the coconut

You’ll need

• 3 lb (1.4 kg) beef chuck, in 2-inch (5 cm) chunks
• For the spice paste: 10 shallots, 6 garlic cloves, 2-inch (5 cm) piece ginger, 2-inch (5 cm) piece galangal, 1-inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp ground), 8 to 12 dried red chilies soaked in hot water, 3 stalks lemongrass (white part)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 cans (13.5 oz/400 ml each) coconut milk
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and tied in a knot
• 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 2 Indonesian bay leaves (salam) or regular bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, 2 star anise
• 1/2 cup (40 g) unsweetened desiccated coconut, toasted dry in a pan until deep brown, then pounded (kerisik)
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp palm or brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• To serve: steamed jasmine rice, sliced cucumber in rice vinegar and sugar, hard-boiled eggs, sambal oelek, fried shallots, prawn crackers (kroepoek)

Steps

1. Blend all the spice paste ingredients with 2 to 3 tbsp water into a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot over medium. Fry the paste, stirring, 8 to 10 minutes until it darkens and smells sweet.
3. Add the beef and stir to coat. Pour in the coconut milk and add the lemongrass knot, lime leaves, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and star anise.
4. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 hours. The sauce will reduce and thicken.
5. Stir in the toasted pounded coconut, tamarind, sugar and salt.
6. Keep cooking another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring more often as it dries, until the liquid is almost gone, the oil separates and the beef turns deep brown and fries in it. Scrape the bottom so it doesn't catch.
7. Remove the whole spices. Rest 15 minutes.
8. Serve with rice in the middle of the table and the sides around it: the cucumber pickle, eggs halved and spooned with sambal, fried shallots and prawn crackers.

Contains: Tree nuts (coconut, in some definitions); prawn crackers contain shellfish.