Rendang - Masakan melayu tradisional

Rendang merupakan masakan daging yang disediakan dengan santan, lada, bawang, daun kunyit, daun limau purut dan kerisik. Rendang sesuai dihidangkan sebagai lauk, dimana ia dimakan dengan lemang, nasi, pulut kuning atau pulut kunyit, ketupat palas atau ketupat pulut, ketupat nasi, roti atau diratah makan begitu saja. Kebanyakkan bahagian daging lembu yang digunakan untuk membuat rendang ialah daging batang pinang. Rasa dagingnya yang lembut dan sedap. Rendang amat popular dan disajikan sebagai hidangan pada hari-hari perayaan seperti Aidilfitri dan Aidiladha mahupun disaji pada kenduri-kenduri seperti tamat berzanji, majlis perkahwinan, majlis berkatan atau bersunat, kenduri doa selamat, kenduri harijadi dan sebagainya.

Rendang is a dish which originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia, and is now commonly served across the country. One of the characteristic foods of Minangkabau culture, it is served at ceremonial occasions and to honour guests. Also popular in Malaysia and Singapore, rendang is traditionally prepared by the Malay community during festive occasions. Though rendang is sometimes described as being like a curry, and the name is sometimes applied to curried meat dishes in Malaysia, authentic rendang is nothing like a curry. In Malay classical literature, rendang is mentioned in Hikayat Amir Hamzah as early as the 1550s.
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.

There are two kinds of rendang: dried and wet. Dried rendang can be kept for 3–4 months, and it is for ceremonial occasions or to honour guests. Wet rendang, also known as kalio, can be found in Minangkabau restaurants, and without refrigeration, it should be consumed within a month.
Rendang is often served with rice in Indonesia, but in Malaysia it is also served with ketupat (a compressed rice cake) and lemang (glutinous rice barbecued in bamboo tubes).