This is one of those curries that I have been meaning to try for ages and last week, I finally got round to it. It took a few goes to get it just right, in fact the first time it was so spicy the husband struggled to finish it! Now though, it’s bang-on. It still has a nice chilli heat to it, but it won’t blow your head off. If you prefer a milder curry, I suggest de-seeding the chillies before blitzing them.

Traditionally, a rendang should feature galangal, but it’s quite tricky to get hold of in your average supermarket, so I’ve kept things simple and just upped the amount of ginger. This is a low-and-slow number, as all that coconut milk has to reduce right down to a rich, thick gravy that just coats the beef. It shouldn’t be very saucy, so if it’s not there yet, just keep it in the oven a little longer.

As always, I got my amazing veggies for this from The Fresh Fruit Shop and some top quality stewing steak from my favourite, Donald Butchers! Let me know if you decide to make it – comment below and be sure to tag me in your photos @theglasgowdiet on Instagram!

Beef Rendang

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1kg stewing steak, diced (I get mine from Donald Butchers)
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 sticks lemongrass, roughly chopped
3 red chillies, roughly chopped
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
3 star anise
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
4 whole cloves
3 kaffir lime leaves
2x 400ml tins coconut milk
1 tbsp tamarind paste
Cooked rice, to serve

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 160c fan. Start by toasting the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until golden brown, then tip into a food processor or blender along with the shallots, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, chillies and a splash of water. Blitz to a rough paste and set aside.
2. In a large ovenproof casserole dish, heat the coconut oil over a medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then sear it in batches until browned all over. Set aside on a plate while you sear all the meat.
3. Pour the paste into the casserole dish and cook for 5 minutes until fragrant, scraping up any burnt bits from the bottom of the dish. If you like, you can add a small splash of water to help loosen/deglaze the bottom of the dish. Add the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, lime leaves and tamarind paste and cook for a few more minutes, then tip in the coconut milk.
4. Bring the whole lot to the boil, then pop the lid on and cook in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the lid and return to the oven, uncovered, for 3-4 hours until the mixture is reduced and a dark, rich brown colour and the meat is tender. This is quite a dry curry, so there shouldn’t be lots of sauce, you should be left with super tender meat in a rich, flavoursome gravy. Serve with cooked rice and enjoy!