FAMILY BEEF RENDANG
Rich, fragrant and meltingly tender, this family-friendly beef rendang is packed with aromatic spices and slow-cooked until the beef falls apart with a spoon. The adults enjoy all the bold flavours of a traditional rendang, while the baby version keeps those wonderful aromatics but leaves out the chilli, sugar, soy sauce and added salt.
Serves: 3-4 adults plus 3-4 baby portions
INgredients
INGREDIENTS - ADULTS
• 2 tsp lemongrass paste
• 1½ large onions, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 1½ tsp ginger paste
• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped
• 1½ tsp hot chilli powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp dried coriander leaf
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 lime leaves
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp soft light brown sugar
• 3 tsp tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 600g beef cheeks, diced into approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) cubes
• 1⅓ tins full-fat coconut milk
INGREDIENTS - BABY
• ¼ tsp lemongrass paste (choose one with no added salt or sugar)
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• ½ tsp garlic paste
• ⅛-¼ tsp ginger paste
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp dried coriander leaf
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp tamarind paste (check for no added salt or sugar)
• 2 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 300g beef cheeks, diced into approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) cubes
• ⅔ tin full-fat coconut milk
Method
1.1. Preheat your oven to 175 Degrees centigrade (fan).
2. Place all of the adult ingredients into a large casserole dish and stir well to coat the beef.
3. In a second, smaller casserole dish, combine all of the baby ingredients and stir everything together.
4. Cover both dishes tightly with lids (or foil if your dishes don’t have lids).
5. Cook for 4 hours, until the beef is beautifully tender and falls apart with very little pressure.
6. Remove the cinnamon stick and lime leaves from the adult casserole before serving.
7. For younger babies, shred or finely chop the beef and stir it back through the sauce. For older babies and toddlers, simply break the beef into soft, manageable pieces. For adults we want to keep the beef chunky
Rendang is quite a dry curry. However, I like to keep it fairly moist. However, the pan may need to be returned to the hob to reduce the sauce slightly.
Beef cheeks are my favourite cut for this recipe. They become incredibly soft and rich after slow cooking, making them perfect for babies as well as adults. If you can’t find them, any good-quality braising steak works beautifully too. It can however be quite fatty - so I like to let settle for a while when out of the oven - the fat will then rise up, and you can use a ladle and push down into the centre to scoop off the fat.
The baby version still has all those wonderful aromatic flavours from the lemongrass, ginger, cumin and turmeric—just without the chilli, soy sauce and added salt.
Serve with fluffy rice for the whole family. Adults can finish theirs with fresh coriander, sliced chilli and a squeeze of lime if they like.
Leftovers freeze brilliantly, making this a fantastic meal to batch cook for busy family evenings.
