Chuck steak braised low and long in a coconut-thick spice paste of dried chillies, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric and toasted coconut, until the sauce reduces to a dark, oily coating that clings to every piece. A Minangkabau dish from West Sumatra: slow cooking is the whole point. Serve with steamed rice and pickled cucumber.

Rendang is the dry curry from the Minangkabau highlands of West Sumatra, traditionally cooked for Eid and other major celebrations because the long cook keeps the meat preserved for days without refrigeration. The dish goes through three textural stages: gulai (wet curry) at the start, kalio (medium) in the middle, and rendang (dry, sticky, almost confit) at the end. Most Western versions stop at kalio; the proper rendang takes four hours or more.

The toasted coconut (kerisik) is the structural ingredient. Shredded coconut dry-toasted in a pan until deep gold, then ground to a paste in a mortar with a few drops of oil. The kerisik thickens the sauce and gives the rendang its signature dark colour and nutty depth that fresh coconut milk alone cannot produce.

Chuck steak is the right cut. The connective tissue dissolves into the sauce over the long cook, glazing each piece; lean cuts like rump or topside would go dry and stringy. The spice paste (chillies soaked and softened, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, shallot, ginger, turmeric all pounded together) is fried out for fifteen minutes before the meat goes in. Patience is the only real ingredient. Serve with steamed rice.