Tiger Mike's Rendang Tok Seri Perak

Dear Tiger Hamdan Azmir of Koler Kangsor,

It gives me pleasure to be of service to you who I met, 30 years ago, when you were in Form 5 as Capt of KE7 rugby. You did not listen to my advice then or you will now be a general in the Army or an Admiral in the Navy. Apalah you?

Rendang Tok is a very dark, dry beef rendang famous throughout the state of Perak. It has the most extensive list of ingredients and is believed to be created by royal cooks who had the means to acquire spices normally out of the reach of the general populace. Indian influences can be seen in the addition of spices used in curries. One of the unique characteristics of rendang Tok is that it contains shards of dry-fried coconut flesh. This gives it an extra "lemak" taste. You must take your time to enjoy this rendang and don't cast aside the floss-like stuff sticking to the beef - roll it on your tongue and feel it melting in the mouth, leaving behind a taste of galangal, lemongrass, gula Melaka and..... dark chocolate !! Perak also has a simpler rendang dish, the rendang pedas, which is similar to rendang Johor - minus the belacan.

50g cumin
50g coriander seeds
40g fennel seeds

Spice paste:
150g shallots
100g galangal,sliced
30g fresh turmeric root, sliced
40g dried red chillies, seeded and soaked
40g garlic
1 asam keping

100ml oil (chap pisau is best)
5cm cinnamon stick
4 star anise
10 cloves

30g black peppercorns, crushed
1 kg beef, cut into cubes
1 litre thick coconut milk
3 stalks lemongrass,crushed
1 tsp sugar or to taste
250g freshly grated coconut, dry roasted and pounded to make kerisik
200g coconut shavings, dry roasted until lightly browned
2 turmeric leaves, roughly torn

In a dry wok or pan, fry the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin separately, until aromatic. Grind all the seeds together until powdery. Set aside.
Blend the spice paste ingredients finely.
Heat the oil in the wok over low heat. Fry the cinnamon, star anise and cloves until fragrant. Add the spice paste, peppercorns and the ground coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and cumin. Cook, stirring,  until fragrant - about 5-10 minutes.
Add the beef, coconut milk and crushed lemongrass. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thick and beef is tender. Season to taste with sugar and salt. Add the kerisik, toasted coconut shavings and turmeric leaves. Lower heat and cook, stirring continuously, until rendang is dry and oil appears.

N.B.
Beef. Orang Perak like to use buffalo meat coz its coarser than beef. The success or failure of a rendang is how tender the meat is. I use NZ prime steer sirloin at RM 36.00 per kg. This is ridiculous if you are doing business. If you are using local or Indian meat, you need to pressure cook your meat for 35 minutes from the 'hiss'.

Here is my secret. Add Sichuan pepper (Wikipedia for knowledge). Sichuan pepper is sold in Chinese medicine shops for RM 2.00 per gm. If you have difficulty in getting it, I'll send to you immed by post. I have enough fresh pepper from Sichuan to last me four winters. For one kg of beef, you need one tbsp of Sichuan pepper only. Mix it with one tbsp of sea salt and dry-fry in a skillet for 3-4 minutes. Do not burn. Pound them using mortar & pestle until fine. Add it together with the kerisik. Your rendang will reflect that you are a super Tiger of Teipin.

Hey mak, ngelior benor teman dengor nye !!  Rasor ngering ngeulu.