Quick rendang

At Lindehof** by Soenil Bahadoer, respect for the family kitchen can be found in wonderful dishes such as this classic rendang. The version Bart came up with, using a few tips from Soenil, can be on the table at home within an hour with the help of a pressure cooker. It tastes as if you have spent days in the kitchen.

Preparation

Gather the kitchen equipment. Weigh and measure all the ingredients and have them ready or chilled.

Take the stewing meat out of the refrigerator half an hour before you start and let it come to room temperature. Cut it into cubes of approximately 3 to 4 cm.

Remove the outer leaves and the root end of the lemongrass and finely chop the rest.

Remove the seeds and membranes from the chili pepper and finely chop the pepper. Like it spicy? Then you can leave the seeds and membranes in. Prepare the remaining vegetables and herbs for the boemboe.

Method

For the boemboe, grind all the ingredients except the tamarind and lime into as fine a paste as possible in a blender. Place the pressure cooker over high heat and sear the beef in two tablespoons of oil without stirring too much. This gives the meat time to brown. Do this quickly and over high heat; otherwise, after a while, the meat will release its juices and you will no longer get the brown colour that produces so many powerful flavours. Add 2/3 of the boemboe to the meat. Set the remaining portion aside. Add the other ingredients to the meat. Close the pressure cooker and follow the pressure cooker instructions. Cook for 35 minutes at the highest possible pressure setting.

Remaining boemboe

Meanwhile, heat the remaining boemboe in a large frying pan or wok with 1 tbsp oil over high heat. Cook the boemboe until the liquid has evaporated. Then stir every 5 to 10 minutes so that the boemboe develops a deep brown colour. This creates a deep development of flavour. If the bottom becomes too brown, loosen it with a little water. Let it reduce and caramelise again until the entire boemboe is dark in colour.

Meanwhile, cook or steam the basmati rice according to the instructions on the package.

Pressure cooker

After 35 minutes, place the pressure cooker in a bath of ice-cold water until the pressure decreases.

PLEASE NOTE

: Do not place the pan under a cold tap, to prevent the pressure from being released while the
liquid may still boil over.

Add the caramelised boemboe to the stewing meat in the pressure cooker. Reduce the liquid as much as possible until the rendang is almost dry.

Meanwhile, make the mango salad. Mix all the ingredients, set aside and start plating.

Plating

Spoon the rendang, rice and mango salad into bowls and place everything on the table. Serve with some serundeng if desired.

Tip

Don’t have a pressure cooker and have more time? First cook the entire boemboe. Then combine everything with an additional 400 ml beef stock and let the stew simmer gently for 2.5 hours.

Discover the chef’s secret
Bart van Berkel
€ 29,95
Image: Bart van Berkel