My baker friends have been a constant source of inspiration for me in the last two months. I have not cooked traditional Malaysian cuisines for some time now. Having read Zaeda's testimony in her blog that a way to win a man's heart is through his stomach, and that how her husband always look forward to home-cooked dinner, I think to myself; "There must be some truth to this adage". Zaeda talked about her mother's secret recipe named "Rendang Babu", and said she doesn't know how the name came about. From what little I know, "Babu" in Tamil means "male or boy". This recipe could have been inspired by a fusion of Indian and Malay curry - perhaps Indian ingredients cooked in traditional Malay style, and hence rendang + babu? Could this be right? A fusion recipe? A powerful combination of explosive Indian and Malay flavors that will tempt even the strongest will to resist?
Here's a look at the ingredients for the rendang paste (adapted from Zaeda's blog):
30g dried chilli
1 medium-sized onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
3cm ginger
Homemade Rendang Paste
Other ingredients:1 kg beef (the shin is an excellent choice - cut into chunky cubes of 3cmx 3cm)
1 cinnamon stick
100ml evaporated milk
50gm tomato puree
salt and sugar to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Cooking Method:
1. Heat oil to saute cinnamon stick and rendang paste until fragrant.
2. Add tomato puree and milk, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended.
3. Add beef cubes and let it simmer in the curry until tender (approximately 1 hour).
4. Add salt and sugar to taste. Remove from heat, and you are ready to serve.
Rendang Babu simmering in the pot
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