Name: Eight-hour ox cheek rendang
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 tbsp vegetable oil; 800g ox cheek trimmed and cut into 3cm chunks; 1 cinnamon stick; 4 star anise; 4 cloves; 6 cardamom pods crushed; 2 lemongrass stalks bashed; 400ml coconut milk; 4 tbsp tamarind paste; 8 lime leaves stalks removed, finely sliced; 4 tbsp light brown sugar; 4 tbsp tamarind paste; 8 lime leaves stalks removed, finely sliced; 4 tbsp light brown sugar; 4 tbsp dessicated coconut; Handful coriander chopped, to serve; 200g shallots roughly chopped; 1 garlic bulb cloves separated; 4 lemongrass stalks bases only, finely chopped; thumb-sized piece galangal roughly chopped, or 1 tbsp galangal paste; thumb-sized piece ginger roughly chopped; 10 dried red chillies soaked in hot water until soft

Eight-hour ox cheek rendang on a plate with fresh coriander

4 tbsp vegetable oil
800g ox cheek
trimmed and cut into 3cm chunks
1 cinnamon stick
4 star anise
4 cloves
6 cardamom pods
crushed
2 lemongrass stalks
bashed
400ml coconut milk
4 tbsp tamarind paste
8 lime leaves
stalks removed, finely sliced
4 tbsp light brown sugar
4 tbsp tamarind paste
8 lime leaves
stalks removed, finely sliced
4 tbsp light brown sugar
4 tbsp dessicated coconut
Handful coriander
chopped, to serve

REMPAH (SPICE PASTE)

200g shallots
roughly chopped
1 garlic bulb
cloves separated
4 lemongrass stalks
bases only, finely chopped
thumb-sized piece galangal
roughly chopped, or 1 tbsp galangal paste
thumb-sized piece ginger
roughly chopped
10 dried red chillies
soaked in hot water until soft

Method

step 1
Pound all the rempah ingredients using a pestle and mortar or whizz in a small blender until you get a fine paste.
step 2
In a deep casserole, heat the oil over a medium heat. Sprinkle the ox cheek with salt, then sear in the hot pot until browned. Remove and set aside.
step 3
Add the whole spices and lemongrass stalks to the oil in the pot, followed by the rempah. Fry for 10 mins until aromatic. Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3.
step 4
Stir the coconut milk and tamarind into the spices, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Return the ox cheek to the pot, along with the lime leaves, sugar, 2 tsp of fine sea salt and just enough of the water to cover the meat.
step 5
Bring to a gentle boil, then cover and put the whole pot in the oven for 7 hrs. Midway through, toast the coconut in a dry pan until golden and add to the rendang. Stir through to make sure the ingredients aren’t catching at the bottom of the pot.
step 6
The rendang is ready when the meat is fall-apart tender and the sauce is rich and thick – just coating the meat. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or sugar if you like, and serve scattered with coriander.