Rendang Tok Perak

Rendang Tok is a very dark, dry beef rendang famous throughout the state of Perak. It has the most extensive list of ingredients and is believed to be created by royal cooks who had the means to acquire spices normally out of the reach of the general populace. Indian influences can be seen in the additon of spices used in curries. One of the unique characteristics of rendang Tok is that it contained shards of dry-fried coconut flesh. This gives it an extra "lemak" taste. You must take your time to enjoy this rendang and don't cast aside the floss-like stuff sticking to the beef- roll it on the tongue and feel it melting in the mouth, leaving behind a taste of galanggal, lemongrass and gula melaka .  My malay colleagues are preparing their menu for the coming Hari Raya celebration this coming Thursday. And I would like to showcase my version of the Perak Rendang Tok :)  I cooked this dish last Hari Raya in readiness for this month MFF . I may not be a good cook when it comes to malay dishes but with the help and guidance from my malay colleague, I managed to pull through and Wild Boar had a great time walloping this Perak speciality.   To all my muslim friends and colleagues, I would like to wish all of you an early greeting " Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri "   Drive safe and have a great time with your family and relatives this coming Raya.

these are the ingredients used for making the rempah
for cooking Rendang Tok

the hours taken to slowly cook this dish is truly worth it

as the end result is a pot of delicious rendang tok

you can guess who ate the most...yea

the Wild Boar !

I bought the best lemang jagung to go 

with the Rendang Tok I cooked :) 

Rendang Tok Perak - Flavour Magazine

Ingredients:-

50g cumin
50g coriander seeds
40 g fennel seeds

Spice paste
150g shallots
100 g galangal , sliced
30g ginger, sliced
30g fresh turmeric root, sliced
40g dried red chillies, seeded and soaked
40g garlic

100ml oil
5 cm cinnamon stick
4 star anise
10 cloves
30g black peppercorns, crushed

1kg beef, cut into cubes
1 litre thick coconut milk
3 stalks lemongrass, crushed
gula melaka  to taste  * I used about 75g
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
250g freshly grated coconut, dry roasted and pounded to make kerisik
200 g coconut shavings, dry roasted until lightly browned
2 turmeric leaves, roughly torn

Method:-

In a dry wok or pan, fry the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin separately, until aromatic. Grind all the seeds together until powdery. Set aside.  

Blend the spice paste ingredients finely. 

Heat the oil in a wok over low heat. Fry the cinnamon, star anise and cloves until fragrant.  Add the spice paste, peppercorns and the ground coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin. Cook , stirring until fragrant- about 5-10 minutes.

Add the beef, coconut milk and crushed lemongrass. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until gravy is thick and beef is tender.  Add the kerisik, toasted coconut shavings and turmeric leaves. Lower heat and cook, stirring continuously, until rendang is dry and oil appears.

"I am submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest Perak month

hosted by WendyKK of Table for 2..or more "

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