Beef Rendang with Potatoes and Cauliflower

I very rarely eat meat twice in a day. But even though we had Bò Nướng Hành Hương (Vietnamese Beef-Onion Roll) for lunch, Sundays are a great day for me to do a slow-cooked stew for dinner. So we had beef twice yesterday. There were no complaints from the boys and the littlest one even asked for a second helping.

Beef rendang is of Indonesian origin, from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia and is often served at ceremonial occasions and to special guests. But beware, beef rendang is not your everyday beef dish that you can whip up in a jiffy; it takes a good four hours of cooking, not including all the chopping and prep. Plus, I think that letting it sit overnight actually helped develop the flavors.

No beef rendang is made exactly the same, so I didn't feel too badly about taking some culinary liberties with the dish. I added in potatoes and cauliflower with this version

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless beef, cubed
• 2 T butter
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 C diced onion
• 2 T crushed garlic
• 1 T minced ginger
• 1 t minced turmeric
• 3 T maple syrup
• 1  C coconut milk
• 2 C water
• 2 t fish sauce
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 4 T soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
• 2 T tamarind paste
• 1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch long)
• 3 star anise
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 1 pound red potatoes, cubed
• 2 C cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• cooked brown rice for serving

Procedure

Melt butter in a splash of olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Cook until softened and aromatic, approximately 5 minutes. Add the beef and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the beef is lightly browned on all sides.

Pour in the maple syrup, coconut milk, water, vinegar, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Whisk in the tamarind paste until smooth. Add in the spices - cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom pods. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, until the meat is tender.

Add in the potatoes and cook for another 40 minutes. Add in the cauliflower and cook for another 10 minutes. Uncover and bring back to a boil until the sauce is thickened into a gravy.

Serve hot over brown rice.