Braised Aromatic Beef Short Rib Rendang (gf)

This is one of those ‘start this recipe the day before’ situations – but it is so worth it. Serve it with rice and naan.

3 brown SPICE onions, PASTE roughly chopped

5 cloves garlic

1 large thumb fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

5 red chillies, roughly chopped

2 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves removed and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1.8 kilograms beef short ribs 2 teaspoons sea salt

600ml coconut milk

2 tablespoons tamarind paste

2 teaspoons brown sugar 3 whole kaffir lime leaves

⅓ cup good-quality crunchy peanut or cashew butter TO SERVE

½ cup coriander leaves

finely chopped red and green chilli

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

SPICE PASTE: Put the spice paste ingredients in a food processor and whizz to form a smoothish paste.

Heat the oil in large heavy-bottomed pot and add the spice paste. Cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Transfer the spice paste to an oven dish that will fit the short ribs snugly.

Add the short ribs to the paste, bone side up. Add the salt and three-quarters of the coconut milk, cover with tinfoil and cook for 2½ hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the tinfoil and cook for a further 2 hours. At this point leave the ribs to cool and chill in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Remove the solid fat layer from the chilled short ribs. Add the remaining coconut milk, tamarind paste, brown sugar, kaffir lime leaves and peanut or cashew butter. Cook for a further hour.

Garnish with chillies and coriander to serve. SERVES 6