Fast Forward Rendang

Rendang is made from beef (or occasionally chicken, mutton, water buffalo, duck, or vegetables like jackfruit or cassava) slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone, allowing the meat to absorb the spicy condiments. The cooking process changes from boiling to frying as the liquid evaporates. The slow cooking process allows the meat to absorb all the spices and to become tender. The spices may include ginger, galangal, turmeric leaf, lemon grass and chillies. Chicken or duck rendang also contains tamarind and is usually not cooked for as long as beef rendang. (excerpt from Wikipedia)

That's quite a good explanation of what rendang is from Wikipedia. Thank you wiki.

Yesterday we went to Tescos to do some groceries. Somehow we were going to run out of some stuffs and last weekend... we were lazy to go. Going to Tescos means i don't need to cook dinner.. hehehhehee.. well.. that was my diabolical plan too. We ate at the food court.. the foods not all that bad. Urmm.. i kinda like the Tomyam soup there.

Going to Tescos was also to get outta the house and enjoy some free aircon.. hahahhahaha.. Poor Dommy couldn't go. And also to let Boy practise his driving. We got quite a lot of stuffs to stock up. We were like squirrels stocking up for winter. Dad got a new toothbrush and Boy got some swanky "big man smell" shower foam. He don't wanna smell like a Johnson baby anymore. *lol* I think both were quite happy after that.

I bought some sliced beef too and decide to cook it today. This whole day while working.. i was thinking what to do with the beef. I don't really cook beef except corned beef. So i was kinda thinking what to do with it.

Then walla... i found this.

Supa Maggi

If you really can't cook very well like me, the above stuffs are life-savers. I got a wee bit ambitious and bought it a while ago.. but never did try it. So today was the day.

I snip open the package... (before reading the instructions) at 6pm. hehehhehee

Then i was reading the instructions and was going.. urmm.. i don't have coconut milk.. tumeric leaf.. nop.. i don't have that... kerisik (grated, toasted, grounded coconut paste).. urmm.. never bought that before... and some other leaf. But hey.. i have lemon grass.. and urmm.. i have tumeric.. and ginger.. and lots of shallots and garlic.. *LOL*

So i thought.. how wrong can this go rite?

First i filled up the pot with water and bring to boil.. drop the spices from the supa maggi pack in.. urmm.. smells good :) I didn't have coconut milk... so i mix 2 big spoons of milk powder with some water and added to the pot. Then i plonk all the beef in and.. and smashed some lemon grass in and bring it to boil. In the process.. i added shallots.. a big knob of ginger.. and garlic.. and my yellow tumeric friend. (wrong choice) *LOL*

Since i didn't have tumeric leaf... i took some parsley leaf and lemon leaf from the garden.. :)

They were all dancing very happily in the pot until.. i realise they have achieved a yellow tinge while dancing too close with the tumeric. Urmm... nevermind. Then i added a wee bit of salt.. and then tasted it.. hmmm.. then i remembered stormy mentioned last time about some sugar.. so i added some sugar... then it went a wee bit sweet.. so i added a wee bit more salt.. hehehhee..

I still have quite a bit of liquids in the pot and it was getting close to 7pm... and dad is getting hungry. Alamak. Matilaaa.. I tasted it again.. and it was berry spicy.. i imagine i have smoke coming outta my ears. So i figured a little bit more milk will sorta thicken the sauce and make it less spicy and be easy to the tummy. A little bit more milk went it.. and more dancing and more yellow tinge.. hahahhahahahaha

Here's the end product.

kinda look like yellow curry

its all this yellow culprit's fault

fast-forward steam fish paste with sesame oil & garlic + shallots
this is Boy and my favourite
(we had bits of kiwi on it the last time.. it was tangy and weird.. hahhahahaha)

uncooked greens..

Moral of the story is...
1) Read instructions first
2) Don't cook it if u don't have all the ingredients
3) Don't simply plonk yellow tumeric into pots of rendang
4) Tumeric leaf and tumeric is different
5) Cook earlier because rendang takes a while to cook and for all the liquids to dissapear

The good thing from this fast forward rendang was... dad really enjoyed it. He was grinning from ear to ear because i called it rendang even though it was yellow.. hahahahhaa.. And he had 2 servings of rice. I am lucky because my dad and Boy hardly complains about my cooking now. Even though sometimes i come up with craps. hehehehhehe

Tomorrow i will cook them a proper dinner with less adventures.

Now i really have to cook rendang the correct way with Stormy's recipe. And this time, i'll do it the original way. God help me. If i succeed.. i'll post the recipe here :)

My Favourite Mistake ~ Sheryl Crow

This song seems kinda apt now :) Goodnite folks ^.^