A true winter warmer comfort meal, this pork rendang is a recipe you'll have on repeat.

Recipes & Styling Natalie Homan | Photographs Brendan Homan

Pork rendang with roti
serves 4-6

1kg pork scotch, diced into 2cm pieces
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
3 star anise
6 cardamom pods
4 cloves
2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp tamarind puree
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 kaffir lime leaves
400ml coconut cream
⅓ cup desiccated coconut
½ pineapple, cut into wedges
2 cups mixed herbs, for example Thai basil, coriander
2-3 cups steamed rice, to serve

for paste
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled
6 dried red chillies, reconstituted in boiling water
2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, roughly chopped

for roti
200g plain flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup melted butter
¼ cup warm water

Process paste ingredients in food processor until smooth. Heat a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-to-high heat. Add oil and pork pieces and cook until browned (you may need to do this in batches). Set aside. Add paste to saucepan and fry until fragrant and dry.

Return meat to pan, with any accumulated juices, and add spices, tamarind, fish sauce, lime leaves and coconut cream. Bring to boil then partially cover with a lid and simmer for two hours.

Meanwhile, toast coconut over low heat in a small frypan until golden. Add toasted coconut to cooked rendang and simmer for 10 minutes. For roti, place flour, salt, ¼ cup melted butter and water into medium bowl and mix to form a dough. Transfer to floured bench and knead until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and rest for 30 minutes.

Then, divide dough into 4 and roll each out on floured bench until 2mm thick, brush with melted butter and fold into thirds, brush with more butter and fold into thirds again. You will be left with a small rectangular piece of dough. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.

Heat a medium cast-iron pan over medium-to-high heat. Roll out dough until 1mm thick and place in hot pan, cooking for 1 minute on each side, or until golden and slightly charred.

Wrap roti in a tea towel to keep warm while rest are cooking. Wipe out pan with paper towel and place pineapple wedges in hot pan and cook on both sides until charred.

Serve rendang with roti, charred pineapple, steamed rice and plenty of fresh herbs on the side.

 

This article first appeared in the April 2023 issue of SALIFE magazine.