Malay cuisine: Mutton-Beef

Roast Leg of Lamb ala Toms

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Ingredients
1 leg of lamb (about 4 1/2 pounds)
1 handful fresh sage
1 clove garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced
Olive oil
1 handful fresh rosemary
3 ounces pancetta, sliced

Method
With a knife, follow the lamb bone down about 4 inches (you are just making a 'tunnel' where you are cutting the meat away from the bone). Do this from the top end and the bottom end.
Roll the leg into a roast shape and tie with cotton butcher's twine.
Pierce the meat at an angle with a sharp pointed knife 6 to 8 times at random around the leg.
Where you have made the incisions, open them up a bit by poking your fingers down in them to make a bit of space.
Using a pestle and mortar smash up half the sage with the garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt. When its pulped, add the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the other half of the sage and the rosemary roughly chopped.
Stuff the mixture into all the incisions and gaps you have made with the knife. Then stuff the pancetta deep into the gaps along the bone and the incisions. This gives a lovely fragrant flavor to the meat. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown lamb on all sides.
Place lamb in roasting pan and roast in a preheated 425 f oven for 30 to 40 minutes for medium rare, 1 hour for well done. (A meat thermometer inserted in center should read 160 or 165 degrees F or a thinbladed knife inserted to the center for 20 seconds should feel lukewarm on your lips.)
Let sit at room temperature about 10 minutes covered loosely with foil before carving, so juices can run to center.
Remove strings and slice meat thinly across the roll.
Serve with Deep fried french beans and mint sauce.
To reheat carved lamb, place slices on a sheet pan, cover with a wet towel, and bake 5 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Beef rendang recipe

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Ingredients
1 1/4 liters Coconut milk from 2 old coconuts
1 Turmeric leaf, torn and knotted
5 Kaffir lime leaves
1 stalk Lemon grass, bruised
1-2 pieces Asam Gelugur
10 Red chilies, finely sliced
1 kg Beef, fat and sinew removed, cut into 3 cm cubes
Spices (ground)
3 tablespoons Chopped galangal
1/2 tablespoon Chopped turmeric
1/2 tablespoon Chopped ginger
200 g Red chilies
4 Shallots
Salt

How to prepare:
Simmer coconut milk with turmeric leaf, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, asam gelugur, sliced chilies and ground spices until the milk thickens and becomes oily.
Reduce heat.
Add beef and cook until tender.
Stir occasionally until the spices dry and turn brown.
To serve:
Serve Beef Rendang with ketupat or hot rice.

Kampong Johnson's Rendang

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Ingredients
500 - 600 gm beef - cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 can Jackfruit – drained
1 packet ChanHong Instant Rendang Mix
1 400 ml can of coconut milk (70% saturated fat)
1 stalk lemon grass - crushed (optional)
4 - 5 kaffir lime leaves(optional)
2 tbsp kerisik
3 tbsp cooking oil

Rendang Minangkabau

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Ingredients
A
2 lbs beef
2 cans coconut cream - 400 ml can
1 piece Asam keping
2 - 3 pieces tumeric leaves - tear up
B
Ingredients to be ground:
1/2 cup bird's eye chilies/chilly api
1 inch knob galangal, peeled
1 inch knob ginger, peeled
1 inch knob turmeric, peeled
2 stalks lemon grass (used only the bottom white tender part) 1 lb shallots, peeled
1 whole bulb garlic, peeled
C
4 - 5 pieces kaffir lime leaves
1/2 cup Kerisek
2 teaspoons salt or to taste

Method
To prepare the kerisik.
The best is of course, to get freshly grated coconut.
Spread this on plate in a thin layer and microwave it on high for 3 mins, stir and microwave again for 1 min. Repeat until the coconut is totally dry and starts to brown a little.
Or,
Use dessicated coconut in a can.
Transfer dessicated coconut into a heated wok (no oil, no water) and over a SLOW fire, fry until it is fragrant and browned. Keep stirring ALL the time. If you undercook, it won't release it's oil when pounded. If it's overcooked, it will taste burnt. This is a slow process and you will just have to be patient. I would say the color of the kerisik when it's ready is close to the color of the skin of toasted almonds (the regular almonds, not the small dark almonds).
While browned coconut is still hot, pound it until it is very fine and oil is released. A food processor won't do the job. You can either pound it in a (granite) mortar & pestle or use a spice mill. The paste will look smooth but not smooth to the touch and should feel only slightly gritty. Set it aside. You will know you have made perfect kerisik when after sitting for a while, the oil rises to the surface and the coconut paste 'sets' at the bottom. When you insert a spoon to scoop it out, it seems that the coconut paste has hardened but it's not. If you drop it by the spoonful, it will for about 2 seconds hold it's shape and then spread. This kerisik, if you care to taste it at this point, doesn't taste good - bland and just very slightly bitterish. It is however, very fragrant.
Kerisik keeps well refrigerated in an air-tight container - I'd say about a month or so. You will need to let it come to room temperature before using it, or it will break your spoon trying to scoop it out! I have also freezed kerisik successfully.
To cook the Rendang
Cut beef into 1/2 inch thick slices with the grain. Set aside.
Into pressure cooker, put ingredients A and B. Add enough water so that it is above the meat. Close the lid and pressurized for 15 - 20 minutes.
Remove lid when pressure is released totally.
Check meat to see if it is tender enough.
Return pot to the fire , add kerisik, kaffir lime leaves and continue simmering, stirring all the time, until meat is tender and gravy thick.
Stir in salt to taste.

Daging Goreng Kunyit (Dry-Fried Beef with Potato)

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Ingredients
(Serves 4-6)
1lb beef, thinly sliced
Water, enough to cover the beef in the pan or wok
4 tbsp veggie oil (or any kind of cooking oil)
1 potato, peeled and cut into wedges
3/4 tbsp turmeric powder
1 each of green and red bell pepper or capsicums, cubed
1 yellow onion, sliced 1/3-1/2 in width
Pinch of salt, black pepper and sugar

Method
1. Put the beef in a pan or wok and add water enough to cover the beef. Cook until the water has completely dried. Stir occasionally.
2. Add in the oil, potato and turmeric powder. Stir regularly until the beef looks crunchy and the potato is soft.
3. Add the bell peppers, onion, salt, pepper and sugar. Continue stirring for a minute.
4. Serves with warm white rice.