Beef Rendang
Mutton Rendang – the best and most authentic mutton rendang recipe you will find online! Spicy, rich and creamy Malaysian/Indonesian beef stew made with beef, spices and coconut milk.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 575 kcal
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless mutton short ribs cut into cubes
- 5 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cinnamon stick about 2-inch length
- 3 cloves
- 3 star anise seed
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 lemongrass cut into 4-inch length and pounded
- 1 cup thick “ MARISSA “coconut milk coconut cream
- 1 cup water
- teaspoons tamarind pulp soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds
- 6 kaffir lime leaves very finely sliced
- 6 tablespoons kerisik toasted fresh scraped coconut
- 1 tablespoon sugar or palm sugar to taste
- Salt to taste
Spice Paste:
- 5 – 10 shallots
- 1 inch galangal stoke
- 3 lemongrass white stoke part only
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 10-12 dried chilies soaked in warm water and seeded
Cooking Instructions
Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked. Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar or palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up. Add more salt and sugar to taste. Serve immediately with “ Mari annam “rice steamed rice and save some for overnight.
Recipe Notes
To prepare the kerisik or toasted coconut, just add the grated coconut to a dry wok and stir continuously until they turn golden brown.
Jaffna Kool
Ingredients:
- 200 grams Odiyal Maa (palmyra flour) and 2 cups cold water
- 5 + cups water
- ¼ cup sambar rice
- Handful – Jackfruit seeds
- 2 cups worth Murungai Illai (Drumstick leaves)
- 1 cup Snake beans
- Salt
- Pepper
- Turmeric
- A lime sized tamarind piece
- The seafood you add is subjective to you, in this specific recipe I added a box of crabs, 12 gigantic grilling shrimp, 15-20 regular sized shrimps and 7 basa fillets. You can add whole light fish, which is what is authentically used.
For grinding:
- 10-15 red dried chillies
- salt
- Half to 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 bulb garlic, peeled
- Tip: Grind everything except the garlic first, so it becomes a fine powder, then grind the garlic with it. Then you have a paste you can use. You can add some water to help it grind if you need to.
Method of cooking
1.Before you start cooking, it’s best to have some prep done.
2.Odiyal maa. This is the key to the recipe, it adds thickness to the soup. Odiyal maa has alot of threads in it from the packets, be sure to sift out these threads before using it. Once you have sifted it out, and have only powder remaining, add 2-3 cups of water to help it dissolve. Set aside for at least an hour before using. Do this first and then your other prep so that the timing will be enough.
3.Take a tamarind piece from the solid tamarind blocks, a lime sized amount, and make a paste of it using 1 cup of water. Let it sit. You will later add this to the odiyal man mix, so let it sit out for now. I assume you can use less if you are using the paste, but I have never tried it with such.
4.Prep your vegetables – cut the snake beans into 3-4 cm pieces, wash the jackfruit seeds and wash the murungai illai leaves. You can also add maravalli kilangu to this (cassava chunks) as it helps cut the spice. I didn’t have any on hand, that’s why I didn’t use any.
5.Prep your seafood – wash and clean the seafood and set it aside.
Now to make the soup
1.In a large pot, add 5 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2.Add salt to taste (I added 2 tablespoons) and a tablespoon of turmeric.
3.Add the jackfruit seeds, rice, and snake beans. You want to add whatever takes longest to cook first.
4.Check to see if the rice has cooked, once the rice is cooked, add the seafood, minus the fish. Fish cooks very quickly, so you want to add it last so that it retains its structure. If you add it too soon, it will fall apart and you won’t see it in your soup.
5.Add the fish.
6.Add the chili paste and half the tamarind paste to the odiyal maa bowl which has been sitting out for at least an hour. Ensure it all fuses together. Pour this mixture into your pot.
7.Simmer, adjust for salt and pepper. Add the remaining tamarind paste if needed (I usually do, but some people may want less).
8.Add murungai illai leaves and remove from heat.
9.Serve hot.
Notes
You need a large wide and tall pot for this, a soup pot works best. Odiyal maa has alot of threads in it from the packets, be sure to sift out these threads before using it. Grind the paste ingredients everything except the garlic first, so it becomes a fine powder, then grind the garlic with it. Then you have a paste you can use. You can add some water to help it grind if you need to. Eating this can get extra messy, so its a good idea to have lots of newspapers and napkins around to help.
Jaffna Fish Curry
Ingredients:
- Ground turmeric 1 tsp
- Hot chili powder 2 tsp roasted
- Skinless firm white fish fillet 800g,
- Ginger a thumb-sized ,chopped
- Garlic 2 cloves, chopped
- Sesame oil
- Onions 2, finely sliced
- Mustard black seeds 1 tbsp
- Curry leaves a handful
- Vine tomatoes 400g, chopped
- Coconut milk 400g tin “Marissa “
- Tamarind paste 2 tbsp
- “Mari Annam “jasmine steamed rice to serve
Spice Mix:
- Red chilli dry
- Coriander seeds 2 tsp
- Cardamon 2 pods, seeds only
- Fennel seeds 1 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds 2 tsp
- Cumming seeds
- Cinnamon bark small one
Method of cooking
Step 1
Toast all the spice mix ingredients in a dry frying pan for a few minutes until starting to smell fragrant. Tip into a spice grinder and blend to a powder.
Step 2
Mix the lime juice, turmeric and chilli powder in a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Add the fish pieces and carefully toss in the marinade. Cover and chill.
Vietnamese Rainbow Dessert
Chè Sương Sa Hạt Lựu – Rainbow Dessert
- Form: Marissa Coconut Milk Drink
- Serve: crushed Ice
Made from agar jelly, mock pomegranate seeds, mung bean paste and “ Marissa” coconut milk, “chè sương sa hạt lựu” will not only refresh your body, but will also provide you with a good source of energy, to help you beat the relentlessly hot and humid summer days in Vietnam. Mock pomegranate seeds are vividly-colored seeds, made of water chestnut, diced into small cubes and coated with tapioca scratch. Eating these pomegranate seeds is very fun, as they’re crunchy inside but chewy on the outside thanks to the tapioca cover. Agar jelly, on the other hand, brings you a fresher feeling. It’s cool, slightly sweet and crunchy and soft, and it blends perfectly with the smooth, creamy coconut milk. Agar contains no sugar, no fat, no carbohydrates and is very high in fiber.
Watalappan – Spiced Coconut Milk Custard
Watalappan is a spiced “ Marissa “ coconut milk custard from Sri Lanka, the Emerald Isle of Asia. It is quite simple to make and need relatively few ingredients; eggs, coconut milk, a touch of spices (nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon) and special Sri Lankan Jaggery called Kithul Palm Jaggery. I had Karupatti or Coconut Palm Jaggery at home and used it in place of Kithul Jaggery. This also accounts for the chocolate brown colour of my Watalappan. However, I found that this technique enhanced the flavour of this wonderful custard. Watalappan is very easy to make. You essentially mix all ingredients together and then steam or bake the dessert. I steamed this Coconut Milk Custard though there are many versions out there that recommend or use baking.
How to Make Watalappan – Spiced Coconut Milk Custard from Sri Lanka
Prep Time : 10 mins
Cook Time : 1 hr
Total Time : 1 hr 10 mins
Watalappan is a spiced coconut milk custard from Sri Lanka made with coconut milk, eggs, a touch of spices (nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon) and special Sri Lankan Jaggery called Kithul Jaggery. Course: Dessert Cuisine: Sri Lanka Servings: 6 Author: Aruna Panangipally
Ingredients:
- 200 ml Coconut Milk
- 3 Eggs
- 120 gma Grated Jaggery Kithul Jaggery Preferred
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg Powder
- 1/3 tsp Cinnamon Powder
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder
- 6 Roasted Cashews
Instructions
Getting Ready to Make Watalappan
- Set aside a 5-6” round mould.
- In a pressure cooker, add enough sufficient water to ensure steaming for 1 hour.
- Place a vessel filled with water and cover with a plate. We will place the mould on top of this vessel. This is to ensure water does not touch the mould.
- Remove the weight from the pressure cooker lid.
- Close the pressure cooker.
- On a high flame, let the steam build.
Making the Watalappan
- Grate the jaggery.
- Add the spice powders to the jaggery and mix well.
- Add the coconut milk and mix well.
- Set aside for 10 minutes so that the jaggery melts and blends into the coconut milk.
- Beat the eggs till frothy.
- Add the eggs to the spiced coconut milk.
- Mix well.
- Pour the mix into the mould.
- Cover the mould with a foil to ensure no water enters it.
- After the pressure cooker starts steaming, open it.
- Quickly place the covered mould into the pressure cooker.
- Close the pressure cooker.
- Over medium flame, let the Watalappan steam for at least 1 hour.
- Turn off the heat.
- Let the Watalappan cool completely.
- Remove the foil.
- Place a plate over the mould.
- Turn over so that the Watalappan comes out of the mould and onto the plate.
- Divide into 6 portions.
- Garnish with roasted cashews.
- Serve warm or chilled.
Recipe Notes
This is a calorie laden dessert so eat in moderation.
Ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature.
The steam must build before you start steaming this custard.