Rendang padang

Ingredients

3 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-2-inch pieces (I use a chuck roast & cut it up)

8 red chilies, stemmed and coarsely chopped (you can take out the seeds to reduce the heat level)

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

3 garlic clove, chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, tender insides finely sliced

1/3 cup tamarind paste (combined with 1/3 cup warm water)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (ground chiles, not the chili pepper spice blend)

1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk

2 teaspoons sugar

salt

Directions

1. Put the beef in the slow cooker.
2. In a blender or food processor combine the chilis, onion, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, tamarind paste, 1 cup warm water, and the spices.
3. Puree until smooth, then pour over the beef.
4. Stir in the coconut milk and cook, covered, on the low setting for 5-6 hours.
5. The beef will be tender and the sauce will be dark brown.
6. Ladle most of the sauce into a small saucepan and cook over medium high heat to reduce until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.
7. Pour the sauce back in the cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes to 1 hour longer.
8. Stir in the sugar and season with salt to taste.
9. Serve over steamed rice.

Sambal Goreng Petai

ingredients: 7 eggs, 4 strings of "petai", 3 cups thick coconut milk, 250 gr ground beef, 4 pieces garlic, 6 pieces of shallots, 6 piece of red chili peppers, 20 gr javanese lemon, 1 tea spoon sugar, salt and pepper.

Direction:

• Remove the yoke of the eggs (use just the whites) Skin petai
• Slice shallots, brown a little bit.
• Mix ground beef with 2 egg whites, mix with sald, pepper to taste.
• Form small balls.
• Let the javanese lemon sit in a cup of water The rest of the egg whites put in a place holder, and steam cook
• Cut into cube sized pieces
• Grind chili, garlic, and add sugar
• Heat pan with a little cooking oil, add shallots and the garlic mix above, followed by the petai a few minutes later.
• Put in the javanese-lemon water, followed by the ground beef balls, add salt and pepper.
• Let simmer for a while, then add the rest of the coconut milk and the egg-white cubes.
• et simmer for another 3 minute.

Beef Brain Curry (gulai otak)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound beef brains
• ¼ cup thin sliced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 green hot chili, sliced open and seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon peanut or corn oil
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• ¾ cup coconut milk (see page 15)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 salam leaves
• 2 pieces of jeruk purut, or 2 square inches of lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon tamarind, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
• ½ green sweet bell pepper, sliced into long strips

Instructions:

• Steam the brains in a Chinese-style steamer over hot water for ten minutes. Drain and cool. Cut into 8 to 10 slices, and set aside.
• Fry the onion, garlic and the whole chili in the oil for two minutes. Add the curry powder, and stir well. Then add the coconut milk, salt, sugar, salam, jeruk purut and tamarind liquid, and stir for two minutes to blend the flavors. Now add the brain slices and the sweet pepper strips.
• Cook, basting frequently, for ten minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Makes 6 servings, with other dishes.

Crispy Spicy Beef Slices (dendeng balado)

Ingredients:

• 500 gram beef chuck
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• salt to taste
• vegetable oil
• 100 gram red chilies
• 16 small shallots
• 1 ripe tomato

Instructions:

• Trim the beef from any fat and cut it very thin, square pieces following the meat fibers.
• Work the salt and lime juice into the mear and then let it dry in the hot sun until it is very dry and resembles beef jerky. It usually takes several days to dry.
• Slice the beef into 6x6 cm squares and fry in a deep fryer until brown and dry. Remove and set aside.
• Coarsely pound the red chilies, shallots, salt and tomato. Fry in 50 ml oil until fragrant. Add the beef and stir-fry to coat the slices and distribute the flavors.

Makes 6 servings.

Madura Island Style Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 kemiri nuts
• 3 shallots, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
• ¼ tsp. white pepper
• ¼ tsp. turmeric
• a ½-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
• 6 cups of water
• 1 lb. boneless beef chuck
• 2 stalks of lemongrass
• lime slices
• 2 Tbs. raw rice, soaked in ¼ cup water for 10 minutes
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced

Instructions:

• In a food processor, chop fine the nuts, then blend them with the shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, turmeric, and ginger to form a paste.
• In a large pot, combine the paste with the water, beef, lemongrass, and 1 lemon slice and bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat.
• In the food processor, blend rice mixture to coarse consistency and add this to the beef mixture. Cook the soup covered, over low heat for 1½-2 hours, or until the beef is tender. Adjust the seasoning.
• Serve the soup hot, garnished with egg and lemon slices

Makes 6-8 servings.

Deep Fried Beef and Vegetables Wrap (martabak telor)

Filling Ingredients:

• 8 Tbs. oil
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1½ lbs. minced or ground beef
• 2 medium-sized shallots, minced
• 1 medium-sized onion, halved and sliced
• 2 Tbs. chopped Chinese celery leaves
• 1 Tbs. curry powder
• 4 eggs
• 1 stalk green onion, finely sliced
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Dough Ingredients:

• 2 cups white flour (unbleached preferred)
• 3 Tbs. oil
• ¾ cup water
• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

• Prepare the dough first by combining all dough ingredients and kneading them into an oily elastic dough. Cover and leave at room temperature for 2 hours. Divide into 4 and roll each piece into a ball. Pull out with lightly oily hands on an oiled or marble surface to make a large thin circle.
• While dough is resting, make the filling. Hear oil and sauté garlic and shallots for a few seconds. Add ground beef and stir fry over medium high heat until the meat changes color. Add onion and celery leaves and continue stir frying for another 2 minutes. Add curry powder, mix well and cook another 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• To finish it up, divide the cooked filling among 4 bowls. Add 1 egg, green onion, salt and pepper to each bowl and mix well.
• Heat a large heavy frying pan or griddle with 2 Tbs. oil. When it is hot, put the thin circle dough at the middle of the griddle, and fill the center of the dough with the mixture filling. Spread it to side lightly, then fold in the sides and ends to completely enclose the filling envelope fashion.
• Fry on the griddle until golden brown on one side, turn and fry the other side. Cut into pieces and serve, if desired, with Vegetables pickles and sliced chilies.

Makes 4 martabak.

Black Rice Pudding (Bubur Ketan Hitam)

Ingredients:

* 1¾ cup black glutinous rice
* 2 pandan leaves
* 5 cups of water
* ½ cup palm sugar syrup
* Pinch of salt
* 1½ cups fresh squeezed thick coconut milk

Instructions:

• Rinse rice thoroughly for 2 minutes under running water. Drain well. Put 5 cups of water, rice and pandan leaves into a heavy stockpot. Simmer over medium heat for approximately 40 minutes.
• Add palm sugar syrup and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with a pinch of salt. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Serve at room temperature, topped with a swirl of fresh squeezed creamy coconut milk.

Helpful hints: As fresh coconut milk turns rancid fairly quickly, a pinch of salt is usually added to the milk to preserve it for a few hours.

Makes 4 servings.