Slow-Cooked Dry Coconut Beef Curry with Lemongrass and Lime Leaf
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats, NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Beef chuck is simmered low and slow in a hand-blended spice paste and coconut milk until the sauce reduces right down into a dark, clinging dry curry.
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Method
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Equipment
- food processor
- large ovenproof casserole (5-6 l)
- silicone spatula or wooden spoon
- oven gloves
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 592 kcal |
| Protein | 33.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 13.3 g |
| of which sugars | 3.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 48 g |
| of which saturates | 33.1 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
| Salt | 1.33 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
5.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 6 servings
Spice paste
- 120 g small shallots, roughly chopped
- 150 g long red chillies, deseeded and chopped 6-8 chillies
- 30 g fresh galangal, peeled and chopped
- 15 g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 15 g candlenuts or unsalted macadamia nuts
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 6 g fine sea salt or table salt about 1 tsp
Rendang
- 800 ml full-fat coconut milk (2 cans)
- 6 makrut lime leaves, central rib removed 1 thinly sliced for serving
- 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and tied in a knot
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 900 g boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 5 cm pieces
- 1
Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan) with a shelf set in the middle. Getting the oven to temperature now means the casserole can go straight in once the beef and paste are combined.
- 2
Blend the spice paste. Blitz the shallots, chillies, galangal, ginger, garlic, nuts, ground spices and salt in the food processor for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides, until you have a thick paste about the texture of cooked porridge. Add water only 1 tbsp at a time if it genuinely won't come together. Blending the aromatics fully means they'll cook smoothly into the sauce rather than leaving stringy bits of fibre.
- 3
Combine and bring to a simmer. Put the paste, coconut milk, 5 lime leaves, lemongrass and cinnamon with the tamarind in the casserole and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the beef; it doesn't need to be fully covered by the liquid. Starting this on the hob lets the raw paste cook into the coconut milk before the long oven time begins.
- 4
Braise in the oven. Cook uncovered in the oven for about 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and a pool of oil sits on the surface. The uncovered heat lets liquid evaporate steadily while the beef's connective tissue slowly breaks down, setting the stage for the dry finish on the hob.
- 5
Reduce on the hob. Move the casserole to the hob using oven gloves, as it will be very hot, and cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, uncovered, stirring and scraping the base and sides often, until the beef is very tender and the sauce has turned a deep brown that clings to the meat. Lower the heat if it starts to catch, and stir constantly during the last few minutes, as the thickened sauce can scorch on the base quickly once most of the liquid has gone. By this point the beef, braised far beyond 63°C, should be completely fork-tender.
- 6
Rest and serve. Remove the lemongrass, lime leaves and cinnamon stick, then let the curry rest for 5 minutes. Scatter over the sliced lime leaf and serve with plain rice.
Storage
Cool quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour; use within 3 days and reheat only once until piping hot (74°C). It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
