Mutton is generally tougher than lamb. Cooking it until tender can take time. If overcooked, it will shrink and lose its texture. A useful tip for mutton rendang and other mutton dishes is to pressure cook the mutton with ginger paste and garlic paste. This makes cooking easier while keeping the flavor.
Mutton rendang or rendang kambing can be cooked in two ways. One is dry-style, with the rempah paste clinging to the meat. The other has a thick, curry-like gravy. Once cooked and rested, the gravy soaks into the mutton, coating the pieces.
The result is tender, soft mutton in a spicy, creamy curry, with a fragrant aroma from fresh herbs and turmeric leaves (NASI KERABU/HERBS RICE).
Ingredients
For the Mutton
½ kilo mutton, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ tbsp ginger paste
½ tbsp garlic paste
Some water
(Pressure cook these ingredients to soften the mutton. Separate the cooked
mutton from the liquid.)
3 red chilies
4 dried red chilies
1 lemongrass
1-inch fresh turmeric
1-inch galangal
4 shallots
Some water
(Blend these ingredients together.)
Other Ingredients
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
½ cup thick coconut milk
1 dried tamarind piece
2 tbsp kerisik
Salt to taste
1 turmeric leaf, sliced
Method
Add rendang paste, star anise, cinnamon, coconut
milk, tamarind piece, and the liquid from the mutton into a wok.
Stir and simmer to thicken the mixture.
Add the mutton and kerisik.
Season with salt.
Stir well, remove from heat and combine in the
turmeric leaf.
