I tried this the other week got most of the spices from the indian food shop
near the Kebab shop in tortosa had to substitue Galangal for ginger root

Recipe: Beef Rendang (Rendang Daging) or Spicy Beef Stew with Coconut

Ingredients:

1 1 / 2 pound boneless beef short ribs (cut into cubes)
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch long)
5 Cloves
3 star anise or chinese 5 spice powder
1 Lemongrass (cut into 4-inch length and Pound)
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup water
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp (soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds)
6 Kaffir lime leaves (very finely sliced)
6 tablespoons kerisik (toasted coconut)
1 tablespoon sugar / palm sugar or to taste
Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

5 shallots
1 inch galangal
3 Lemongrass (white part only)
5 Cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
10-12 small dried Chilli (soaked in warm water and de-seeded)

Method:

1.Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
2.Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, Cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry them until aromatic.
3.Add the beef and the pound Lemongrass and stir for 1 minute.
4.Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water, and simmer on medium heat, Stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked.
5.Add the Kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar / palm sugar, Stirring to blend well with the meat.
6.Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 - 1 1 / 2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up.
7.Add salt to taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste.
8.Serve immediately with Steamed rice and save some for overnight.
Cook's Note:

1.To prepare the kerisik or toasted coconut, just add the grated coconut to a dry wok and stir continuosly until they turn golden brown.
Substitute desicated coconut if you can't get fresh

It tasted great

we buy fresh ginger root in carrefour

Dear Tim Nice

Is it politically correct to say "kaffir" Limes?

Just wondered...

Well that is what they call the leaves in Malaysia and the US host of this  site doesn't say its a swear word so I guess its OK

What does it mean in South Africa Then? ::)

Or can't you put that on the Forum? :-/

The original meaning of the word is 'heathen', 'unbeliever' or 'infidel', from the Arabic 'kafir' and is still being used with this meaning by Muslims

The term 'Kaffirs' has no connection with the South African word but rather originated in India where it meant infidel, a word that accurately described the residents of Cookham Dean in the early 19th century. Mostly these were a rough lot of vagrant workers partly employed to pick the Cassir cherries for which Cookham Dean was famous. An alternative school believes 'Kaffirs' to be a corruption of the word “Cassir”.

Today it is considered to be a major insult.
Although it's use in botany (to wit: Kaffir lime leaves) is acceptable.  

See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffir

Tim and Nosocks

Thanks for the info.

In South Africa it is a height of insult degradation to be of little worth. South Africa too is affected vocabulary and terminology, by the Indian migration to Natal to work in the sugar plantations many decades ago!.

Likewise, WO(riental)G(entleman) also came out of the Colonial war in Indian, but is used in teh past in SA as an insult on a par with the other word referred to a K5.

Dag boet (Ebrovoice),

Being a souf efrikan ook  ;D i grew up with the expression, my dad forbade us from using it .

the word has many spellings

Kaffer - pure souf efrikan  ;)
Kefir - what a milk drink is called in germany
kaffir - derives from the muslem for a heathen
Kaffa  - The Nguni languages, called the Kaffa languages in the 19th century
Kaffraria or British Kaffraria, a former designation for King William's Town and East London, South Africa.
Sunbeam Kaffir, an engine from the Sunbeam Car Company

And we hereby end the lesson on Tim's Leaqves  ;D


And totsiens to Ebrovoice  :)
nosocks

(( Including this posting I have now reached the PM bottom level  ;) ))

My old dad always told me the letters 'W O G S' was what was printed on the overalls of local labour brought in to work for the military in the middle east and basically meant:
Working On Government Service
Did he lie to me?

Many acronyms for this I am afraid... :-/
WOG Watch Officer's Guide
WOG Water-Oil-Gas (valves, pressure)
WOG Way Out Games (old TV game show)
WOG Weight on Gear
WOG Westernised Oriental Gentleman
WOG Westinghouse Owners Group
WoG Whole of Government (Australia)
WOG With Other Goods
WOG Without Girlfriend
WOG Without Guarantee
WOG Woman of God
WOG Word of God
WOG Work Order Generator
WOG Work Out Gardener (prisoner status; Victoria, Australia prison system)
WOG Working On Government (apocryphal: circa 1900s British Empire acronym stenciled on shirts of laborers assigned to government projects)
WOG Worthy Oriental Gentleman
WoG Wrath of God (game)

Let the jury decide

Can somebody please tell me exactly where the Indian food shop is in Tortosa?
Many thanks  :)

Hi Susanita

If coming from the Corona Hotel or Sabecos, go over the Old Bridge into Tortosa, walking preferrably

When you get to the pedestrian crossing and trafic lights on the far side turn left and walk down
the side street towards the Cathedral, take the first left and there will be a Kebab shop on your right the Indian shop is next but one on the corner

Regards Tim

Great!  Thanks a lot for the speedy reply  :)

wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2009 at 5:46pm:

we buy fresh ginger root in carrefour

We got some today in the Eroski at the bottom end of Amposta.
Anyone know where you can get fish sauce.  The Asia shop was out of stock when we last looked.

You could always make your own....soak decent anchovies (not the tiny tinned fillets but the whole salted ones in a jar) in warm water for a while and drain though a seive.Hey presto,Nham pla or fish sauce.

Never thought of that.  I thought the stuff you buy was fermented ?

What has fish sauce got to do with Malaysian Roof Rendering ?
Oh sorry, misread that - the monitor is a bit too bright !!   ::)

Bigyin wrote on Sep 5^th, 2009 at 11:06pm:

Never thought of that.  I thought the stuff you buy was fermented ?

Does that mean you can drink it?

Somehow doesn't seem as appealing at a Gin and Tonic ice and a slice