Beef Rendang with Flatbreads (Roti Prata)

Roti prata cafes are working people's restaurants dotted all over Singapore. But it's not unusual for the city's cognoscenti  to meet on the weekend at these vibrant, old-fashioned establishments at 3am, after a night of bar-hopping and clubbing, to eat flatbreads with different curries, washed down with local beer. And one of the best loved curries is beef rendang - an Indonesian, coconut flavoured, rich dry curry with a fragrant, sour edge. Incredible.

In my pre-Mrs Ribeye days, I would love nothing more than to take a trip to a Far East destination and experience life off the tourist trail, at one of these types of places. I miss them. Who knows, I may even take Mrs Ribeye one day...

At my local Oriental cash and carry, beef shin is selling at an amazing £3.75 per kilo. Ideal for this dish, and meaning that this dish comes in (including the flatbreads) at a hard-to believe £1.75 per serving.

Instead of the flatbreads, you may wish to serve the rendang with my coconut rice recipe, topped with fried onions.

Serves 4

Beef Rendang

INGREDIENTS:

For the spice paste:

The flesh of a quarter of a coconut
2 stalks of lemon grass
Thumb of ginger or galangal
1 large shallot or onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 red chillies
2 dried chillies
1 teaspoon each of ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander seed and ground cinnamon
Zest and juice of 1 lime

Other ingredients:

1kg of beef shin, cut into 2cm dice
1 can of coconut milk
200ml water
1 tablespoon of tamarind paste
2 stalks of lemon grass, bashed
2 tablespoons of demerara or palm sugar
Juice of 1 lime

Blend the spice paste ingredients and place in a large pan or wok over a moderate heat. Add the beef and lightly brown, until the spices become fragrant. Add the other ingredients and turn heat down to low. Cook until the liquid has almost entirely evaporated (3 hours approx). serve with the roti prata, or coconut rice.

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Roti Prata

INGREDIENTS:

300g plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
50g melted butter, plus 50g extra for coating
100ml milk at room temperature
4 tablespoons of sunflower or vegetable oil

Mix the flour salt and butter in a bowl until you have breadcrumbs. Work in the milk until you have a sticky, pliable dough. Transfer to a board and knead until the dough has lost its stickiness (approx 10 mins). Divide into 8 balls and coat with more butter. Leave to rest in a cool place (not the fridge) for 4-5 hours. Preheat a pan with a half tablespoon of oil, per flatbread, until blisteringly hot. Roll each ball to a paper thickness and fry one-at-a-time on each side until the bread is puffed-up and toasted. Drain on kitchen paper before serving.