Recipe: Batu Lesung’s Rendang Tofu
Jeremy Nguee, chef and founder of Batu Lesung Spice Company.
His exceptional culinary skills were on display as he demonstrated this recipe. Here, Jeremy pan fries some tofu.
The key to every delicious rendang dish is a good rempah, a piquant and concentrated paste of spices. Considered to be the backbone of cooking across the Malay archipelago, rempah is the secret blend responsible for imbuing local favourites like Beef rendang and Nyonya Laksa with their bold, intense flavours.¹ A simple Google search will lead you to a plethora of recipes for rempah online, but most would usually contain some measure of shallots, dried and fresh chillies, garlic, ginger, candlenuts, galangal, lemongrass, and belachan (a fermented shrimp paste) in varying ratios.²
When it comes to rendang, many variations exist around the world as well. Believed to be of Minangkabau descent, with origins in West Sumatra, Indonesia.³ the name of the dish is also thought to come from the Indonesian word ‘merandang’ or ‘randang’, which means ‘slowly’. This is in clear reference to the lengthy cooking process that accompanies any rendang dish. Meat, usually beef, must typically be cooked first in a mixture of spices, then simmered in coconut milk. The use of low heat throughout serves to add flavour to the meat, while tenderising it. Meanwhile, rendang begins to take its shape — starting out first as ‘gulai’, a wet gravy that gradually thickens to a gravy known as ‘kalio’ with further cooking.⁴ This gravy is finally absorbed by the meat to form a dish of blistering spiciness that some say tastes even better the next day.
In fact, rendang was traditionally made in large quantities and wrapped in banana leaves to be consumed on long journeys because of its long shelf life, and ability to help preserve meats.² Today, rendang has become more of an everyday favourite that is widely enjoyed across Southeast Asia, in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. You won’t be surprised to find many families having their own heirloom recipes for rendang and rempah too! Just ask Jeremy Nguee, chef and founder of Batu Lesung Spice Company. His label of artisanal spice pastes is inspired by heritage family recipes and the labour of love that goes into preparing the complex flavours of Southeast Asian cooking.
It is something Jeremy reminds us about as we watch him move calmly through his kitchen. “Making rempah is not difficult, it’s just tedious,” He tells us, before going on to explain the degree of patience this seemingly unassuming spice blend requires. The list of steps is long: The ingredients have to be finely chopped and blended, or more traditionally, pounded in a mortar and pestle. The paste must then be fried in oil and gently caramelised on low heat. Being on high alert at your stove comes next as constant adjustments need to be made while stir-frying to prevent the batch of rempah from burning, or from tasting raw and unbalanced.
“Perfecting it will be a never-ending endeavour,” Jeremy admits.
He has come close though – Batu Lesung’s Rendang Rempah is one of the brand’s most popular pastes to date. It also happens to be the first paste created for the brand. Halal-certified and made with only 13 ingredients, their Rendang Rempah can be used to make a whole slew of dishes, from more traditional meat rendang to fusion dishes like rendang pastas and even rendang puffs.
Here, we share a simple, family- and vegetarian-friendly recipe created by Jeremy that can be whipped up in under 15 minutes.
Rendang Tofu
Ingredients (serves two):
1 packet of Batu Lesung’s Rendang Rempah
200ml coconut cream
1 firm tofu or tau kwa
100g of mushrooms of your choice
Garnish:
Cherry tomatoes, sliced
Fried shallots
Cilantro
Instructions:
1. Cut the firm tofu into slices. Jeremy prefers his slices thick, but as he says, it’s all up you!
2. Heat some olive oil in a pan. Then, pan-fry the sliced tofu — this part will almost certainly come with some very loud sizzling. Once the tofu is golden brown, set aside.
3. Stir fry your mushrooms next. “Use the same pan so you don’t have to wash so many dishes,” Jeremy tells us with a glint in his eye. We are definitely taking notes.
He also throws in a few skilful tosses, but if you haven’t quite perfected your frying skills, relying on a good old spatula works just fine. Add more olive oil to the pan if necessary, and salt to taste. When mushrooms are golden brown and cooked through, set aside.
4. In a pot, combine the Batu Lesung Rendang Rempah and coconut cream. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
5. Heat the rendang mixture on low heat. Don’t forget to stir constantly!
6. When the rendang mixture reaches your desired consistency, you may remove it from heat.
A key tip from Jeremy is to take things slow. “This part really cannot be rushed, you don’t want the rendang to burn,” He says.
7. Plate the tofu and mushrooms, and spoon the rendang mixture over them. The dish may be served at this point, or you can choose to take it up a notch with some garnishing — which Jeremy is all for getting creative with. His choices for the day were sliced tomatoes, a generous sprinkling of fried shallots, and some fresh cilantro.
Citations:
[1] Lim, S. (2016, October 16). Kitchen Language: What Is Rempah? Retrieved from https://guide.michelin.com/sg/en/article/dining-out/what-is-rempah.
[2] Oseland, J. (2006). Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. New York: Norton, W. W. & Company.
[3] Nurmufida, Muthia & Wangrimen, Gervasius & Reinalta, Risty & Leonardi, Kevin. (2017). Rendang: The Treasure of Minangkabau. Journal of Ethnic Foods. 4. 10.1016.
[4] Khoo, H. (2018, April 5). 3 things to know about rendang, beyond the fact that it's not crispy. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/3-things-to-know-about-rendang.
By KIMBERLY NG of Public Culture, an editorial experience studio that believes in connection over communication. This feature was photographed by Christopher Wong for Boutique Fairs Singapore.