Turnip and Beef Rendang with Coconut Rice

Ingredients

• 600 g turnips, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
• 500 beef shin or braising steak, cut into 4cm chunks
• 400 ml full-fat coconut milk
• 40 g desiccated coconut, toasted in a dry pan until golden
• 3 lemongrass stalks, white part only, roughly chopped
• 6 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water 10 minutes, drained
• 150 g shallots, roughly chopped
• 30 fresh galangal or ginger, peeled and roughly choppedor use 20g fresh ginger if galangal unavailable
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, tornor use 1 tsp finely grated lime zest
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tsp palm sugar or soft dark brown sugar
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 300 g jasmine rice, rinsed
• 200 ml coconut milk for rice
• 300 ml water for rice
• 15 g fresh coriander, roughly torn (optional)

Contains: milk, nuts, soya, sulphites.

Method

1. Toast the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3–4 minutes until evenly golden. Tip onto a plate and leave to cool.About 5 min
2. Place the soaked drained chillies, lemongrass, shallots, galangal, garlic, ground turmeric and ground coriander into a small food processor or blender. Add 2 tablespoons of water and blitz to a rough paste, scraping down the sides as needed.About 5 min
3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based casserole or wok over medium-high heat. Add the spice paste and fry, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes until it darkens, becomes fragrant and the oil starts to separate from the paste.About 8 min
4. Add the beef chunks to the pot and stir to coat thoroughly in the paste. Cook for 5 minutes, turning the beef, until sealed on all sides.About 5 min
5. Pour in the 400ml coconut milk, add the kaffir lime leaves, tamarind paste, sugar and salt. Stir well, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes.About 50 min
6. Add the turnip chunks and the toasted coconut. Stir everything together, replace the lid and continue to cook on low heat for a further 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the turnip is completely tender and the sauce has thickened and darkened considerably.About 40 min
7. Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium. Cook uncovered for a final 10–15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce becomes very thick and clings to the meat and turnip. The rendang should look almost dry and caramelised, not soupy.About 15 min
8. While the rendang finishes, cook the rice. Combine the rinsed jasmine rice, 200ml coconut milk and 300ml water in a saucepan with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, stir once, then cover tightly and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cook for 12 minutes, then remove from heat and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.About 17 min
9. Taste the rendang and adjust salt if needed. Remove the kaffir lime leaves. Serve over coconut rice, scattered with fresh coriander if using.