Nenek Habsah's Mutton Rendang - a dish of great memories
we hung out with an 84 year-old former Malay food stall owner for Hari Raya!
as part of observing Eid-ul-Adha about a week ago, I got the golden opportunity to rub shoulders alongside PERTAPIS volunteers to participate in a 2-day ‘Korban’ event. for the uninitiated, the observance of Korban/Qurbani during the 12th month of the Islamic calendar includes sacrificing reared animals (such as sheeps, goats and cows) & subsequently distributing portions of the resulting carcasses to underprivileged communities. this ritual is also to commemorate the Quranic story where Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) sacrificed his son Ishmael (Ismail) as an act obedience to God.
one of the beneficiaries that PERTAPIS serves (& that we had the chance to cook with) was 84 year-old Mdm Habsah Binte Mat, a former canteen cook who once ran a stall at Tanjong Pagar Terminal (now PSA Tanjong Pagar Complex). we got to spend the afternoon with her learning her SPECIAL recipe of Rendang Kambing while listening to stories of her past.
from memory, Nenek Habsah narrated to us her young days, hailing from Kampong Alor Janggus, Kedah and moving to Singapore in 1955. she also tells us that her late husband, who passed on about 40 years ago, was a band player who played for cabaret nightclubs such as the now defunct New World Amusement Park. she would often follow him on his performances, donned fabulously in red kebaya to dance along to his music.
when asked about how she learnt to cook so many Malay dishes in her time as a stall owner, she explained how she learnt it all from her late husband who also seasonally worked as a galley cook on ships sending pilgrims on Haj. while not being able to cook anymore due to her disability, she still remembers recipes by heart and was more than excited when we suggested that she teach us her own recipe for Rendang. while being somewhat similar to other Rendang recipes, her way of making it involves special elements such as the use of dried chillies (as opposed to fresh red chillies) and searing the meat pieces before adding in the grounded spice pastes, giving the Rendang a unique bright RED colour & a more pronounced flavour. she also insists that that kerisik ‘toasted coconut’ in Rendang should be made from scratch and not store-bought.
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Nenek Habsah’s Mutton Rendang
(serves 6-8)
1 kg mutton leg/ribs/shoulder (you can also use beef)
8 lime leaves
3 pcs daun salam (Indonesian bay leaf)
1 turmeric leaf, knotted
salt, to taste
2-3 tbsp palm sugar / brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 litre coconut milk
1 cup grated coconut
spice paste ingredients
80g dried red chillies, soaked and deseeded
4 medium red onion
5 cloves garlic, peeled
20g galangal, peeled
20g ginger, peeled
2 sticks lemongrass
dry spices:
3 cloves
5 cardamom pods
2 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
directions
blend the dried chillies into a fine paste and set aside. then, combine onion, garlic, galangal, ginger and lemongrass in a blender and pour until smooth. set aside.
to make the ‘kerisik’ or toasted coconut condiment, slowly toast the shredded coconut on a pan on medium heat, stirring regularly until evenly browned (colour resembling milk chocolate). then, ground the coconut until fine using a food processor or mortar & set aside.
in a pot or wok, heat oil and add the meat pieces. sear until all sides get a nice browning. remove the meat and set aside. in the same pot with the residual oil, place the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and star anise. then, pour in the chilli paste into the same pot and sauté until fragrant, for about 5 minutes. then, add in the other blended ingredients a and fry for another 6-8 minutes.
reintroduce the meat and stir fry to coat the meat with the spice paste. pour in the coconut milk, lime leaves, daun salam and turmeric leaf & let it simmer and then cover the pot. cook the meat for 1-1.5 hours or until tender. remove lid, add kerisik & season with salt and sugar and reduce the sauce until it becomes thick & the oil starts to split away.
serve with warm rice or white bread & enjoy!
looking for more mutton/lamb recipes? check these out!:
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Hmm Nenek Habsah's recipe is very close to my mum's. She also swore by fresh homemade kerisik, which does make a huge difference to both the taste and texture.
Of course, as a kid, I was the designated kerisik fryer, so I wasn't very appreciative at the time 😝. Took a full 40 min to get it completely dry and golden over a low flame - and you can't walk away even for a second, at least during the last 10-15 min.
Mum also used dried chilli cos it adds a nice smoky element, but it can turn slightly bitter, so she would temper it with some fresh chilli if necessary.