When one thinks of Ramadan or Hari Raya, the quintessential rendang comes to mind.

In this third out of four recipes in the “Tim Cooks: Ramadan Edition”, chef Timothy Sebastian shares his recipes for rendang tok, nasi lemak and sambal tumis.

The sambal, which he learned from his mother, is piquant and spicy. It complements the fragrant nasi lemak cooked with pandan leaf and doesn’t steal the limelight away from the star of the show: the rendang tok.

And this rendang tok certainly shines as the beef is melt-in-the-mouth tender and infused with rich flavours – so don’t be surprised if people can’t resist a second (or third) helping!

1. Nasi lemak

Ingredients (Serving: 2.1kg)

• 1kg fragrant rice (beras wangi)
• 50g pandan leaves (cut into 2.5cm lengths)
• 1.3 litres water
• 150g coconut milk (santan)
• 25g salt
• 1 red onion (cut into half)
• 50g ginger (sliced)

Method

• First, boil the water in a stock pot.
• Next, blanch the pandan leaves in the water for 30 seconds. Strain and rinse under running water.
• Drain and blend with the water until the leaves dissolve and the water is green.
• Wash the rice five times until the water runs clear.
• Drain well and add it into the rice pot. Next, place a strainer over the rice and pour in the pandan water.
• Then, add the coconut milk and salt. Mix well to thoroughly dissolve the salt.
• Next, add the red onions and ginger for a nice aroma.
• Place the pot in a rice cooker and switch it on.
• Once cooked, leave for 30 minutes under the warm function.
• Remove the red onions and ginger and fluff the rice.

Shelf life: Three days if chilled

Tip: Blanching the pandan leaves first gives the nasi lemak a lovely, natural green colour.

2. Rendang Tok

Ingredients (Serving: 2.6kg or 13 portions of 200g each)

• 2.25kg beef brisket
• 1.12kg red onions – peeled and sliced
• 38g ginger – peeled and sliced
• 38g fresh turmeric – peeled and sliced
• 55g galangal – peeled and sliced
• 38g lemongrass – sliced
• 115g garlic – peeled
• 750g water (A)
• 115g cooking oil
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 star anise
• 150g cili “giling”
• 10g garam masala
• 18g cumin powder
• 18g coriander powder
• 18g Babas meat curry powder
• 5g crushed black pepper
• 200g coconut milk (santan)
• 20g tamarind (asam jawa)
• 100g water to mix with tamarind (B)
• 750g water (C)
• 60g dark soy sauce
• 150g “kerisik” (cut small)*
• 18g chicken stock seasoning
• 18g salt
• 55g gula Melaka – cut into small pieces
• 3 turmeric leaves – stem removed and sliced
• 4 kaffir lime leaves – stem removed

*Kerisik is grated coconut that is toasted, then pounded into a paste.

Method

• Trim the beef brisket and cut into cubes of 2.54cm (1 inch) height x 5.08cm (2 inches) length x 1.27cm (0.5 inches) thick.
• Blend the red onions, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass and garlic with water (A) until the texture is smooth and fine. Add the chilli ‘giling’ to the blended mixture. Keep on standby.
• Mix the tamarind with water (B), strain and keep aside.
• In a large stock pot, heat cooking oil and sauté the cinnamon stick and star anise for 30 seconds until slightly fragrant.
• Turn off the heat and gently add the blended mix. Turn heat back on, and bring the mixture to a boil. Then lower flame and simmer for one hour.
• After one hour, add the tamarind water, water (C), coriander powder, chicken stock seasoning, cumin powder, meat curry powder, black pepper, coconut milk, garam masala, salt and beef cubes.
• Mix well and bring to a boil. Then lower flame and simmer for three hours. Keep stirring to ensure the mixture doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pot.
• After three hours, add the dark soy sauce, “kerisik” and gula Melaka.
• Bring up heat, and stir mixture constantly for ten minutes until combined or dried out. Stirring will ensure the mixture does not burn at the bottom of the pot.
• Lastly, add in the turmeric and kaffir lime leaves. Stir on a low heat for five to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Shelf life: Three days if chilled; one month if frozen

Tip: The quality of beef used will affect the cooking time. High-quality beef will take less time to cook. If you use local or imported Indian beef, cooking time is longer. This recipe is based on Australian beef brisket.

3. Sambal tumis

Ingredients (Serving: 850g)

• 50g tamarind (asam jawa)
• 200g water to mix with tamarind (A)
• 500g sliced red onions
• 100g peeled garlic
• 50g dried chillies (boiled for one hour)*
• 25g dried shrimps (washed twice)
• 25g belacan
• 250g water to blend the above items (B)
• 125g cooking oil
• 3 stalks serai – bruised
• 10g pandan leaves
• 5g salt
• 5g chicken seasoning powder
• 100g gula Melaka (cut into small pieces)
• 50g santan (Kara brand)

*Remove as many seeds as possible from the dried chillies so the sambal is not too spicy.

Method

• Mix the tamarind with water (A) and strain.
• Blend the sliced red onions, peeled garlic, washed dried shrimps, boiled dried chillies, tamarind water and belacan with water (B).
• Heat some cooking oil in a deep stock pot. Ensure the pot is deep as the mixture may splash when cooking.
• Add the bruised serai and tied pandan leaves into the hot oil. Sauté until fragrant for 30 seconds to one minute.
• Next, gently add the blended items and mix well. And take a moment to inhale the heavenly smell!
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for one hour. Add some water if the mixture gets too thick or dry.
• After one hour, check to see if the sambal is well-cooked and if the flavours taste right.
• Then, add the coconut milk (for a velvety, rich texture), gula Melaka, salt and chicken seasoning powder.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for a further 10 minutes. The level of saltiness may vary depending on the dried shrimps or belacan that you use, so adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Shelf life: Three days if chilled; one month if frozen

Plating

Ingredients

• 1 rice bowl nasi lemak
• 200g rendang tok
• Sambal tumis
• Crackers (keropok)
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Sliced cucumbers
• Toasted anchovies
• Fried peanuts

Method

• Serve the rendang tok with nasi lemak, crackers, cucumbers, eggs, toasted anchovies, fried peanuts and of course sambal tumis.
• Dig in and enjoy!

‘Tim Cooks’ is sponsored by ChefHub, KitchenPlan, Hotelware Concept and Visionary Solutions.

Don’t miss Chef Tim’s recipes for sup ekor and ayam masak merah with nasi minyak.