After I started working in Singapore, the first team outing was to a local Chinese restaurant. The had ordered Vegetarian Fish. Being a pure Vegetarian I was literally expecting disaster and also since it was the first outing with my colleagues I was rehearsing different ways how to say no to them. I asked a girl sitting next to me to explain the dish (politically correct) she went like this is made out of Mock fish blah blah.. I never heard about mock meats before that. So nervously waiting for my dish to arrive. Once there I tried a bit must admit the first time when I tasted I didn’t like it at all. After so many years, now I started to like some of the dishes. Rendang is usually done using beef (of course there are chicken version too). Last year I visited Gokul – Vegetarian restaurant in Serangoon road (little India) we ordered few local dishes. Rendang was one of it. It tasted excellent. One of my colleagues asked me to post in my blog too. I referred few sites in net and finally I came up with my own mixes. Loved it. I have used Mock Lamb but you can try with Mock chicken or Tempeh
Ingredients
For Paste:
Shallots / Small onion – 5
Garlic – 5 pods
Lemon grass – 2 Stalk
Dry Red chillies – 3-4
Red chillies – 2
Galangal – 1/2 inch
Turmeric – 1/2 inch
For Rendang
Mock Lamb – 1 pocket (I have used store brought frozen)
Coconut Milk – 1 cup
Lemon Grass – 1 stalk
Tamarind paste – 1 teaspoon (Optional)
Lemon leaves /Kaffir Lime Leaves – 3 (slice thinly)
Toasted Desiccated coconut (Kerisik) – 2 tablespoon
Sugar – 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Lime juice to taste
Oil – 2 teaspoon (Coconut oil)
Method:
Toast Desiccated coconut. Pound to powder.
First let’s make the paste. Soak Red chillies in water for 1 hr. Drain the water. Take blender add peeled Ginger, garlic, Shallots, Turmeric root. Chopped Lemon grass, Red chillies and Soaked Chillies. Grind it to thick paste with required water
Heat coconut oil. Add grinded paste. Fry till nice aroma released (for 3-4 mins) in low flame.Add Coconut milk
Add Lemon grass, Kaffir Leaves and 1/2 cup of water. Boil till Masala reduced into 3/4th. Add Mock Lamb, Tamarind paste (if using) and required salt. Continue to cook.
Add sugar, Toasted coconut powder. Cook for another min. Switch it off
Add Lime juice and mix well
Serve hot