Cold outside, so let's get spicy with Beef Rendang!

It's cold, it's wet, it's miserable, so for me a spicy curry always makes me feel better. This recipe is really easy and requires little effort but delivers massive flavour. Here's the recipe to get rid of those winter blues.

(I could't resist the backdrop of some of my favourite books)

Ingredients:

Paste:

. 2 sticks of lemon grass

. 2 red chillies (seeds in)

. 1 white onion

. 2cm piece of fresh ginger

. Half a bunch of coriander

. 1tsp ground cumin

. 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

. 1tsp tomato paste

. 4 fresh tomatoes (seeds out)

. Pinch of salt

. Splash of rapeseed oil

Curry:

. 400g beef stewing steak

. 1/2 can coconut milk

. 1 red pepper

. 500ml vegetable stock

Method:

. The paste couldn't be easier - simply chop everything up roughly. It doesn’t matter too much regarding size as the mix is blended anyway

. Warm the rapeseed oil in a pan and sauté off all the paste ingredients except for the coriander

. Cook for 5-10 mins, then add the coriander and blend in a food processor

. Season the beef and then add the paste and rub over the beef

. Marinade for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight is best if you have the time

. Fry the beef off to get some colour, then add the chopped pepper and vegetable stock

. Put in an oven proof dish with a lid and cook at 160 degrees for 2 hours

. Remove the lid and add the coconut milk

. Cook for a further 20 minutes at 200 degrees with the lid off or until the sauce is thick and coating the beef.

. Serve and enjoy!

The curry is great just with rice but you can also add some red lentils in to the curry when you add the coconut milk. This is a great dish that you can prepare a day before and then just cook in one pot in the oven.

The paste goes great with any meat and so if you want a quicker curry use the paste with chicken and you can reduce the cooking time by half.

#curry #oldtowncooks #books