What is your favourite Raya memory? For kampung kids, communal cooking of rendang, ketupat and dodol might be among their earliest memories of Raya, redolent with the aroma of caramelising coconut milk and firewood, Raya songs playing on the radio and the happy chatter of neighbours cooking up a storm.
For families with parents from different states, the Great Rendang Debate always arises towards the end of Ramadan. Each side will go into detail why the rendang from their home state is superior in flavour, aroma, texture, spiciness, right down to which is better as leftovers.
Some families would opt to make beef, chicken, cockles, lamb or other halal meat or seafood rendang in different styles to placate both parties, and to the delight of their guests. This option would also cause another debate on which rendang is superior, proof that there are no winners or losers in the Great Rendang Debate, only happy tastebuds and full bellies.
There are four components to a great rendang : spices, paste, meat or seafood, and the creamy coconut milk base. Chefs, home cooks and rendang connoisseurs agree that quality coconut milk is a key ingredient for an exceptional rendang.
Ayam Brand™ understands the challenges of bringing heritage recipes to life from recipes passed down over centuries, and the needs of our busy lifestyles, health related dietary concerns, and limited cooking time.
Ayam Brand has been providing the great taste and health benefits of coconut milk, in convenient packs for decades. Ayam Brand™ Coconut Milk is hygienically squeezed from selected ripe coconuts, then sealed in convenient tetra packs using Ultra High Temperature (UHT) technology. It is as good as squeezing by hand but without the hassle of cleaning up after. The standardisation on quality, thickness and quantity in each pack will take the guess work out of making rendang for cooks from the ‘agak-agak’ tradition.
You can use Ayam Brand Santan, Ayam Brand Santan Trim (45% reduced in fat) or Ayam Brand Santan Super Light (only 5% of fat!) depending on your preference.
In time for Raya, Ayam Brand has introduced its limited edition Ayam Brand Santan 200ml with easy open cap – so you can use what you need, seal the cap and refrigerate the rest for later. While the packaging format is new during this limited period, the taste and the recipe are the same with existing Ayam Brand Santan.
Working with three experienced and passionate home cooks, Ayam Brand brings you three unique rendang recipes. Each recipe is a family treasure, experimented and perfected on by generations with love and care.
If you haven’t decided on this Raya’s rendang, there’s still time to try out these recipes to find your favorite. Will it be Rendang Kerang, Rendang Ayam Cili Padi with Pulut Kuning or Rendang Daging Pedas Perak?
This Rendang Kerang dish is a tradition for Wana Kamal (@wanakamal_79) and brings back memories as it was her late father’s favourite rendang for Hari Raya. She loves the childhood memory of picking fresh cili padi from the garden and shucking fresh cockles with her sister for the dish.
“To make life easier, I now boil the cockles before shucking as they open up but I miss the old days and the time with my family. Overcooking cockles can make them tough and chewy. To make a good Rendang Kerang you need two handfuls of bird’s eye chilli and Ayam Brand coconut milk,” Wana says.
While many are of the opinion that beef works best in rendang, Amirah (@mira.sofia.saufi) feels that the spices and santan used in Rendang Ayam Cili padi brings out the best in kampung chicken, especially when paired with glutinous rice.
“Growing up, I was exposed to different types of Rendang but for Hari Raya, Rendang Ayam Cili Padi is a must have. She shared her recipe with me, and I continue the tradition. She would add a lot more cili padi than I would cause she loves spiciness. To recreate the recipe, I love using Ayam Brand Coconut Milk especially with the easy open cap they now have. Glutinous rice works best with this rendang as it holds more of the gravy, and the texture is stickier and creamy to complement the spiciness but it is also great with lemang or ketupat! ” she adds.
Perakians love of spicy food is well known. Zarra’s (@zarra.riana) take on rendang is her Family’s Rendang Daging Pedas that is famed for its texture.
“While Rendang Tok uses kerisik, Rendang Daging Pedas uses thick shredded coconut in order to get the soft texture similar to Serunding, a type of meat floss. Cooking on low heat and for many hours creates a tender beef, and a mellowness of flavours as all the spices and herbs have time to become friends in the Ayam Brand coconut milk,” Zarra name explains.
So who is the winner of the Great Rendang Debate? That is for you to decide – whip up these three heritage recipes and make your favorite The One this Raya.
Try out the convenience of the new easy open Ayam Brand Santan 200ml and participate in the Ayam Brand Masak dan Menang contest. Simply whip up your rendang or other dishes using Ayam Brand Coconut milk, take a pix and upload to your Facebook or Instagram account and use the hashtag #santanayambrand to be in the running for all-in-one cooker prizes worth up to RM17,200 from innochef! For details visit https://www.ayambrand.com.my/index.php/masak-menang-contest
Find all these recipes and more at www.ayambrand.com.my
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