Hot & Sour Beef Rendang

Beef Rendang is a delicious hot and sour recipe from Indonesia, a dish that I consider to be a curry.

Slow Cooked Hot and Sour Beef Kalio.

This recipe is typified by the hot and sour flavour that typifies a rendang curry.

That sourness comes from tamarind an ingredient I adore. It has the most incredible earthy rich sour flavour and I use it to provide the sour element for dishes like my Chicken Pathia recipe and in my slow roast duck legs.

That sourness is given another boost with fresh lime juice at the end.

Of course, we have the heat, that unsurprisingly comes from chilli.

Is it hot? Yes… Well, it should be!

But that heat is tempered by coconut milk, so it is that delicious mellow heat. Similar in many ways to a Thai Green Curry.

My Beef rendang recipe contains a little more sauce than a traditional rendang recipe.

Why? Well because I am a saucy kinda chap!

This is strictly speaking called a kalio. It contains the same ingredients but is cooked in less time and not reduced as far.

The long slow cooking and the intense reduction of a classic beef rendang would initially have helped its shelf life.

There are reports of it lasting a month without spoiling in the refrigerator. Not something I would want to try to be honest!

Cooking Hints and Tips.

The cooking technique is simple it is cooked low and slow and then reduced.

There is nothing difficult in this process and it is a recipe that even the most novice of cooks can cook without worry.

You do have to be careful at the end of the cooking process though.

Initially, it may seem as though the reduction process will take forever. 

But the final period of reduction happens in the blink of an eye.

If you are not careful you can burn your dinner, just be vigilant, keep stirring and remove from the heat when you are happy with the texture.

Taking the reduction too far will make the beef tough rather than tender.

If you are lucky enough to find fresh Kaffir Lime leaves cut the amount used in half.

As for the beef, use something like chuck, shin or even beef cheeks!

Serving Suggestions and Accompaniments.

Personally speaking, I usually serve this recipe with some simply cooked rice.

I find that rice is a great side for spicy recipes, it is a neutral flavour that is great for calming chilli burn if it all gets too much!

But I have served it with both noodle salads and pickled salads. 

Then I demonstrate my true heathen nature. I consider this recipe to be a curry and a curry needs beer as far as I am concerned!

Of course, if you struggle with chilli heat then avoid the beer and get a cream or yoghurt based drink.