Beef Rendang...

When it comes to their cooking, the Minangkabau of Sumatra are known for a dish called Rendang. I cooked up a batch tonight. Chunks of beef cooked for hours with coconut milk, a spice paste (made from shallots, garlic, fresh galangal, ginger and turmeric, dried Ancho and New Mexico chilies, toasted coconut and spices - nutmeg, coriander, cumin, black pepper and allspice), lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, daun salam leaves, and cinnamon sticks, until the sauce has almost completely evaporated, leaving a thick and luscious coating on the tender cubes of meat.

To accompany it, I cooked up some rice and made a batch of salad, acar. Shredded cabbage, carrots, cucumber, and onions tossed with a simple dressing of vinegar, water, sugar, salt and fresh ginger. Very tasty stuff.