“The quality of beef in Malaysia sucks, and my grandparents never ate beef because of their religious beliefs. One of the few times we ate it was at Kayu Nasi Kandar, a shop in Petaling Jaya that serves rice with a choice of curries on top. The rendang gravy at Kayu was delicious, but the beef was so tough and chewy. The only beef I liked was a McDonald’s cheeseburger. We’d go on a Monday for the one-ringgit cheeseburger special. My dad would ask me and my brother how many we wanted and, being growing boys, we’d take ten or fifteen home and smash the lot.

So the first time I properly appreciated rendang was in Australia. My take on rendang is controversial as I use good-quality Australian beef for the texture and flavour. Some people wonder what’s the point if you are going to slow-cook it, but when I ask if they like the sauce they say it’s bloody amazing. It’s all a by-product of using good-quality, fatty meat.”

SERVES 4

500ml (2 cups) water

1 kg diced beef

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp salt

2 large red onions, roughly chopped

7 garlic cloves, peeled

1 lemongrass stalk

10cm piece fresh ginger, peeled

250ml (1 cup) vegetable oil

5 tsp Chili giling (see below)

10 makrut lime leaves

100ml coconut milk

Spice Mixture

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground galangal

1 tsp ground fennel

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground white pepper

200g curry powder

1 tsp ground chilli

Chilli Giling - Makes 400ml

200g dried red chillies

400ml vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

Boil the water in a saucepan and add the beef, star anise, cinnamon stick and salt. Simmer covered for at least an hour or until soft; we do not want to lose any liquid to condensation. Strain the beef when soft, retaining all of the beef stock from the pot.

Combine the spice mixture in a jug and add 200 ml (7 fl oz) of the beef stock, stirring well into a paste.

In a food processor, blend the onions, garlic, lemongrass and ginger.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan on high to smoking point, then turn the heat down and add the makrut lime leaves to the oil, but be careful as it will splatter. Immediately add the blended onion mixture and sauté on a low heat until fragrant. Add the chilli giling and spice paste and stir well. Add the beef and all the remaining stock and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes so the beef absorbs the flavours and the sauce reduces and thickens.

After 30 minutes, add the coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes, then season with salt, sugar and MSG to taste, roughly a teaspoon of each.

Chilli Giling

Soak the chillies in hot water for 2 hours or until soft. Drain then blend in a food processor to a paste. Place in a sieve for an hour to allow any water to drip out. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan to smoking point, then add the chilli paste and stir constantly for about 8 minutes or until the mixture starts to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue stirring for another 5 minutes. Add the salt, then allow to cool completely before pouring into a jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

This is an edited extract from Ho Jiak: A Taste of Malaysia by Junda Khoo, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally, RRP NZD $65.00. Photography by Alana Dimou.

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