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Indonesian Coconut-Curry Beef
This is a simplified version of beef rendang, a dry-style curry usually involving a long, slow simmer in coconut milk spiked with an aromatic spice paste. The fall-apart tender beef is left coated with a thick, rich and intensely flavorful sauce. Toasted coconut is a key flavoring in the dish; we use the Instant Pot's sauté function to toast the coconut as the first step, then turn off the pot by pressing Cancel; the residual heat is ideal for gently cooking the aromatics and spices. Serve the curry with plenty of steamed rice.
4
Servings
Tip
Don't use sweetened shredded coconut. It's sugariness will cause the coconut to scorch during toasting and will throw off the flavor balance in the dish.
FAST: 1½ hours
Slow: 7-8 hours
30 minutes active
Ingredients
-
½
cup unsweetened shredded coconut
-
3
Fresno or serrano chilies, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped, plus 1 chili, stemmed and thinly sliced, to serve
Directions
-
01To a 6-quart Instant Pot, add the shredded coconut, then select Normal/Medium Sauté. Cook, stirring frequently, until the coconut is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Press Cancel, then add the chopped chilies, garlic, lemon grass, ginger, shallot, turmeric, cinnamon, star anise, lime zest and 1½ teaspoons each salt and pepper. Using the pot's residual heat, cook the mixture, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the coconut milk and beef, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom, then distribute in an even layer.
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May 26, 2023
Jayne W
SO GOOD - each bite had a rainbow of reverberating umami and different tastes.
April 23, 2023
Great recipe needed a few tweaks
We loved this dish! I just had a few changes. I seared the beef chunks in the instant pot first with a little oil. Removed the beef. Toasted the spices and aromatics then deglazed the fond with coconut water making sure to scrape the bottom. If I don't use enough liquid I usually get a burn warning so the extra water was insurance. I then added the coconut milk and beef and cooked according to the recipe. I got a lot of liquid leftover but it was delicious and I didn't want to waste it so we used it to dress the dish. It was wonderful and we'll make it again.
January 11, 2023
Really good
Make this tonight. Great recipe with great flavours. Decided to double the sauce recipe since the family just loves saucy things. Served with riced cauliflower. Will definitely add this to the rotation.
I think this could be delicious but sadly mine is burnt. Like Wadi, there wasn't enough liquid for 7-8 hours. I used High Slow Cook on my Zavor Instant Pot and after less than 6 hours (when I arrived home) it was burnt on the bottom. No chance to finish the recipe. My gut said to set it on Low for that amount of time, but I default to following directions - especially from C. Kimball and team. This is my 3rd recipe from Milk Street Fast and Slow where something is over or under cooked when I follow directions to a T. If we should be using a specific product to produce your recipes, please let me know. I am super disappointed.
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Delicious. Added some red Thai chilis at end, brightness was nice.
One comment though: I used the "fast" method and for whatever reason the liquid in the pot wasn't sufficient. I adjusted by adding more coconut milk and some broth. Any other suggestions appreciated.