A Trip to Indonesia - Beef Rendang, Vegetable Salad with Spice Dressing and Pickled Mint Cucumbers

This is a meal I wanted to make many times in Canada and just never had the time ... I brought the recipes with me and it is now a favorite.

Beef Rendang  (serve with rice - I prefer Jasmine)

Ingredients

1 kg rump steak

2 onions, rough chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbs chopped fresh ginger

4 small red chilies

1/2 cup water

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tbs tamarind sauce

1 tsp turmeric

10 curry leaves or 1 tbs curry powder

stem of lemon grass, 10 cm long

4 cups coconut milk

Directions

Remove fat from steak, cut into cubes or slices, place in a dutch oven.  In a food processor, combine onion, garlic, ginger, chilies and water, blend until smooth.  Add the mixture to the steak and mix.  Add coriander, tamarind sauce, turmeric, curry and lemon grass, stir until combined.  Stir in coconut milk.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to very low, simmer for 30 more minutes, stirring frequently, until the meat is very tender and liquid has been mostly absorbed, remove lemongrass and serve over rice.

Vegetable Salad with Spice Dressing

Ingredients

1 head romaine lettuce or spinach

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1/4 cup scallions, sliced fine

1/2 cup bean sprouts

1 can baby corn, chopped

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

1/4 cup snow peas, chopped

Spice Dressing Ingredients

2 tbs peanut oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 small red chili, chopped

1 tbs rice vinegar

1/3 cup water

Directions

Slice lettuce or spinach thinly, add red pepper, carrot, scallions, bean sprouts, baby corn, cucumber & snow peas.

To make dressing: heat oil in a pan, add garlic, ginger and chili, stir-fry over medium head for 1 minute.  Add vinegar and water, simmer for 1 minute, allow to cool.

To serve, add dressing to vegetables, toss until combined.

Pickled mint cucumbers

Ingredients

1 large cucumber

1 tbs raw sugar

2 tbs cider vinegar

2 tbs water

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs chopped fresh mint

Directions

Peel cucumber and thinly slice.  Combine sugar, vinegar, water, salt and mint.  Pour over cucumber and serve as an accompaniment.