Rendang Brisket with Papaya Salad

Cook Time 8 hours

Servings 8

Ingredients

1.5-1.8kg brisket, brought out of fridge 1-2 hours before cooking

2 tbsp Rendang curry paste

200ml coconut milk

1 lemongrass stalk, bruised

Salad

1 tbsp caster sugar

1-2 birds-eye chilli, finely sliced

½ punnet tomato, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp fish sauce

½ pomelo, pith removed, broken into segments

1 cup shredded green papaya

1 Lebanese cucumber, seeds removed, julienned

1 tbsp raw peanuts, toasted and chopped

2 sprigs each of coriander and mint, leaves picked

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

Place lemongrass stalk into a baking dish. Spread the curry paste all over the brisket, season with salt and place the fat side of the brisket up on top of the lemongrass. Pour coconut milk and 500ml of water into the tray. Cover with a scrunched-up piece of baking paper and then tightly cover with two sheets of foil and cook for 6-7 hours or until very tender. You’ll know it’s tender when it has a slight wobble and a spoon can be pushed into meat easily. Remove foil and baking paper and cook for a further hour to form a darker crust.

For the salad, use a mortar and pestle to crush the sugar with the chilli, half the peanuts and cucumber. Add the lime juice and fish sauce and crush again, then add the pomelo, tomatoes and papaya. Stir everything together and pound gently, ensuring everything is evenly combined. Add the herbs at the very last minute.

Slice the brisket. Serve with salad and steamed rice and garnish with extra crushed peanuts.