Rendang Curry a tasty versatile dish

Inspired by a recipe from The Doctors kitchen and the quest to get more veg into our diet I have come up with this quick and easy meal that the whole family will love. This is a curry popular in Malaysia and Indonesia. I have listed how to make the past yourself in advance but you can also buy a jar in a supermarket or Asian shop. To make a perfect curry paste you would roast and grind all spices yourself but I have created an easier version for you here!

First make the paste, this can be done days in advance or when you need it but takes 10 mins to make. Traditionally you toast the spices and blitz them (you need a coffee grinder or similar) but I have created a quicker version using ground spices. You can get all of these spices in your local Asian Supermarket and then you can make it in a normal bender.

Paste (makes 200g)

5cm lemongrass, chopped
1 shallot chopped
5 cloves garlic
5cm ginger, grated
5g-turmeric grated
1 red chilli chopped
15g desiccated coconut
1tsp cumin powder
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
Seeds from 5 green cardamom pods
Pinch star anise powder (or 1 whole)
Pinch ground cloves
Zest & juice 1 lime

Method

On a medium heat, in a dry pan, fry off the lemongrass, shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric & chilli for 2-3 mins until they begin to colour, add in the coconut for 1 min.

Cool then blitz with all other spices to form a paste, I use my Optimum Vac 2 Blender, this will keep in a jar in your fridge for up to 4 weeks. You only need half this quantity to make the curry below.

Serves: 4 people Prep time: 20 mins

Ingredients :

2 tbsp. coconut oil
300g celeriac peeled and cut into 3cm pieces.
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4tsp rending curry paste
150g Edamame beans
250ml coconut cream
400ml veg stock
1tbsp soy sauce
150 green beans, topped, tailed & halved
Zest and juice 1 lime
15g cashew nuts, toasted
Coriander to serve
Serve with steamed basmati rice.

Method :
1. Put on the rice to cook.
2. Put the celeriac in a steamer to cook for 8-10 mins
3. Put the onions in a pan with the coconut oil and cook for 5 mins, add in the paste and beans and stir for 1 min.
4. Add in the coconut cream, stock & soy sauce and simmer for 5 mins.
5. Put the green beans onto steam for 2 mins, then rinse in cold water to stop over cooking.
6. Add in the celeriac and beans to pan and stir.
7. Top with limejuice and coriander.

Edamame beans are unprocessed Soybeans, You can buy them frozen in your local Asian Supermarket. There are lots of nutritional benefits of eating unprocessed Soybeans as you can read in the Irish Independent article by Dietician Orla Walsh.

Variations: There are so many variations here. You can use other veg, e.g. squash, pumpkin, sweet potato or any steamed veg. You can add chicken if you like (best to add chopped breasts with the edamame beans). You can make a beautiful beef Rendang and cook in a slow cooker (use only 300ml stock).

Serving suggestions: Serve immediately but is also delicious over the next 2-3 days.

Storage: This will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be frozen (although the veg can get a bit soft and mushy)