Beef Rendang Roti Wraps with Cucumber Pickle & Coconut Salad So I accepted a little challenge. To create a traditional dish and put my own Em s Food spin on it. It had to be Malaysian, it was better if it was made from scratch and it had to be my own. This is what I came up with. Homemade Roti bread (which was a triumph, I might add) filled with a gorgeous, melt in your mouth Beef Rendang. Now Rendang can be pretty rich so I thought it would be really nice served with a quick cucumber pickle, just to cut through all of that richness and a textured, toasted coconut, Asian inspired topper. I thought the Street Food angle might work and fingers crossed, it will! For the time poor, store bought Roti is absolutely fine but if
you like a wee challenge then why not go the whole hog? It was well worth it. How do I know this? A little Malaysian Birdie told me it was fabulous! To make it easier I will split this recipe into parts, Roti bread and Rendang, Pickle, Topper. That way you will know what time frame you will need. This looks like a big recipe (and it is) but the process is fairly simple. I actually believe even the most basic of cooks could make a success of this dish. Go on, challenge yourself.. Living in Newcastle, I was unable to source some or the ingredients in a traditional Rending so this is totally my take. Rendang, Pickle, Topper: Prep time: 40 Minutes Cooking time: 3 Hours $$ Medium Budget Serves 8 2 tbs of vegetable oil 1.2kg of gravy beef, cut into bite sized pieces 3 Stalks of lemon grass, white part only, bruised with the blent edge of your knife 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped 6 Kaffir lime leaves, rolled and finely sliced 6 dried red chillies, soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes
and seeds removed for less heat 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 5cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 2 tsp of sea salt 3 tbs of Malaysian curry powder* 1 tbs of coconut sugar (1.5 tsp of brown will do) 400ml of coconut cream 1 cup of water 11/2 cups of shredded coconut, toasted in a dry pan, reserve half a cup for the topper Lime Wedges to serve For the Cucumber Pickle: 2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled into ribbons, seeds discarded 2 cups of bean shoots 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar 1 tbs of caster sugar For the Coconut Topper: 1/2 cup of toasted coconut 2 spring onions, cut into 4cm batons and then finely julienned
2 long red chillies, halved & deseeded and finely julienned 2 cups of coriander leaves, roughly chopped 3 kaffir lime leaves, spine removed and rolled and sliced very finely Place the red onion, garlic, ginger, drained red chillies and sea salt in a small food processor and blitz until you have a nice fine paste. Heat a large, heavy based pot and add the oil. When it is nice and warm, add the paste and fry for approximately 5 minutes or until it is beginning to darken and it is lovely and aromatic. Add the lemon grass, beef, curry powder and kaffir lime leaves and stir well over a fairly high heat until the beef is starting to brown. Add the sugar, coconut cream and water and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to a simmer, pop on a lid and allow to simmer, stirring periodically for approximately 2 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender. Don t be alarmed if your curry looks like it has split, it will come together again when you add the coconut paste. Place 1 cup of toasted coconut in a mortar and pestle and pound until you have a nice paste like consistency. This will release the oil in the coconut. Remove the lid from the curry and add the coconut paste. Stir to combine and allow the curry to reduce for 30 minutes or until it is nice and dry. Have a taste of the curry and adjust any seasoning if necessary and pull the lemongrass out just before serving.
To make the pickle place the cucumber and bean shoots in a large bowl. Whisk the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved and pour over the cucumber mixture. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Place the spring onions, chillies, coriander and kaffir lime leaves in a small bowl and use your fingers to toss. Pour in enough water to cover and add a few ice cubes. This will really crisp and freshen everything up. Drain and add the remaining toasted coconut just before serving. *Malaysian Curry Powder is found in Asian Supermarkets or on line To make the Roti Bread: Prep time: 30 Minutes Cooking time: 30 Minutes $ Low Budget Makes 8 21/2 cups of Bread flour + extra for dusting 1/2 tsp of sea salt 1 cup of chilled water 50gm of butter, melted
1/4 cup of vegetable oil Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the water and using your hand, bring the dough together in the bowl. It is quite a sticky dough so make sure your work surface is lightly floured. Turn the dough out onto a lightly flour surface and knead for approximately 5 minutes, adding more flour to the surface if need be. When the dough is nice and smooth, roll the dough into a 20cm log. Cut into 8 equal portions and then roll each portion into a nice ball. Place on a tray and cover with a piece of cling wrap to stop the dough doing out. Taking one portion of dough, use a rolling pin to roll into a flat disc, 20cm in diameter. Brush with butter and then roll the dough into a cylinder to enclose the butter. Grab the ends and coil the dough into a scroll shape and then roll out again to a thin disc about 20cm in diameter. The dough should be really quite pliable so the thinner the better. Heat a large frypan and brush the base with a little oil. Fry the bread on each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden and starting to bubble up. Try not to be impatient at this point because the bread is so nice and chewy if cooked correctly. Place on a sheet of baking paper and repeat with the remaining dough. I rolled a few out and then started the cooking process. Once they started cooking I would roll out another one. It was actually a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
To serve the dish, place a nice amount of cucumber pickle across the bottom of the roti and top with an equally generous portion of Rending. Don t forget to toss the toasted coconut through the salad topper, sprinkle over the Rendang and add a squeeze of lime. Use your hands to roll up like a wrap and tuck in! Roast Chicken & Pumpkin Penang Curry
Not your traditional roast chicken but a mighty fine rendition, I must say. Homemade Penang curry paste spiced up these super crispy yet succulently moist thigh cutlets along with sweet, caramelised pumpkins wedges and a fragrant curry sauce. Don t be alarmed.if you don t have the time to make the curry paste then a good store bought brand would be totally fine. I have to say though, if you do have the time.do yourself a flavour favour and make the made from scratch version. It rocked! Prep time: 20 Minutes (add another 20 if making the paste) $$ Medium Budget Cooking time: 30 Minutes Serves 4
4 large chicken thigh cutlets (bone in, skin on), or 8 small 500gm of kent or Jap pumpkin, seeds removed and sliced into 8 thin wedges 2 tbs of Ems Penang paste http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/penang-curry-paste/ 2 tbs of peanut oil Juice of 1/2 a lime For the Curry Sauce: 2 tbs of Ems Penang Paste 400ml of coconut cream 170ml of coconut milk Juice of 1/2 a lime 4 kaffir lime leaves 2 tbs of fish sauce 1 tbs of brown sugar 1 bunch of Gai Larn, rinsed and cut into 4cm batons 1 cup of coriander leaves, roughly chopped Coriander sprigs and sliced red chilli for garnish Steamed rice to serve
Pre heat the oven to 200 C Place the curry paste, peanut oil and lime juice in a large bowl and mix to combine. Place the chicken cutlets in the bowl and rub the paste mixture into the chicken so that they are evenly coated. Set aside. Place the pumpkin wedges in a large roasting pan, leaving enough room for the chicken thighs, drizzle with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large frypan and a dd a small amount of oil. When the pan is nice and hot, fry the chicken thighs on both sides for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Transfer the chicken to the roasting pan with the pumpkin and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and cooked through. In the same pan that the chicken was fried in, add a little more oil if needed and add the curry paste. Fry for approximately 60 seconds or until aromatic and then pour in the coconut cream. Stir well to combine and allow to come to the boil. Once boiling reduce to a low simmer and add the lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and allow to simmer and reduce for 15 minutes. Have a taste and adjust any seasoning if necessary. You should have a perfect balance of hot, salty, sweet and sour. Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Just before serving pop the gai larn and coriander leaves in the sauce and allow to wilt for a minute or two.
To serve, divide steamed rice between four serving plates and spoon over the sauce and gai larn, reserving a little sauce for the top. Remove the chicken and pumpkin from the oven and place them on top of the rice, spooning over any remaining sauce. Garnish with chilli slices and coriander sprigs and serve. Penang Curry Paste Gorgeously fragrant and spicy, this typical Malay curry paste
is the perfect platform for meat, chicken or fish. Just whack in a tin of coconut cream and the ingredients of your choice and you have a healthy and traditional curry with absolutely nothing artificial added. It doesn t get much better my friends! Prep time: 20 Minutes $ Low Budget Makes approximately 2 cups of paste (suitable for freezing) 20 dried red chillies, soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes 1/2 cup of roasted peanuts 6 Kaffir lime leaves, shredded 2 lemon grass stalks, roughly chopped (white part only) 5cm piece of galangal or ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 6 french eschallots, peeled and roughly chopped 6 coriander roots and stems, thoroughly rinsed and chopped 11/2 tbs of ground cumin 1 tbs of ground coriander 4 tbs of fish sauce 1/4 cup of peanut oil (vegetable or canola if allergic) Remove the chillies from the boiling water and wearing a pair
of gloves (or do not rub your eyes for a while afterwards!), cut off the tops and remove most of the seeds. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until you have a nice fine paste adding a little more oil if the mixture becomes a little stiff. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides so that you are left with a nice, consistently even paste. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze in zip lock bags for later use. This amount of paste will make 2-3 curries depending on how spicy you like it!