Good morning… Today’s main recipe framework is beef rendang, a flavorful Malaysian braise.

• For more Southeast Asian cooking content, check out Michelin-starred Chef Elizabeth Haigh’s YouTube channel. It’s where we found inspiration for the recipe.

TRY SOMETHING NEW 🤯

Beef rendang framework

If you want to take your braising game to the next level in 2024, there’s no better place to start than with this savory and complex dish.

Braise components

• Braising meat: 2-4 lbs beef chuck, short rib, or cheek, cut into cubes, plus salt

• Aromatic paste: Equal parts shallot, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and galangal (if you can find it). Make enough to coat the meat chunks.

• Spices: A spoonful each of toasted & ground cumin, coriander, and coconut flakes

• Braising liquid & flavorings: Coconut milk (enough to submerge the meat) plus a few lemongrass sections and makrut lime leaves.

Serve with cooked rice.

Instructions

1) Salt & sear the beef: Generously season the meat chunks with salt on each side. Sear in batches until well browned in a Dutch oven or pot.

2) Make the aromatic paste: In a mortar & pestle or food processor, puree aromatics into a rough paste. Add to the braising pot with the meat, enough to coat each piece after mixing. Stir the mixture until the paste starts to fry and cling to each piece. Sprinkle the ground spices over top.

3) Add the remaining ingredients: Add the whole lemongrass, lime leaves, and coconut milk — enough to just cover the meat.

4) Braise: Cover the Dutch oven and pop into a 300°F oven for 3-5 hours or until the meat is completely fork tender. Let it rest and cool out of the oven for at least an hour.

5) Shred & serve: Pull meat to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust with more salt, if needed. Serve over rice!

THROWBACK TIME 🍳

Frozen vegetable protocols

We’ve all bought an excess of vegetables at the store only to have them go bad in the fridge. How do you use them wisely? By carefully prepping and freezing them for later use:

1) Freeze aromatics: dice aromatic base vegetables into an ice tray, and pop out cubes for quicker cooking.

2) Par-cook & freeze main vegetables: You can batch-cook cubed vegetables, then freeze them. Reheat or stir in a portion into a dish in minutes.

3) Make your own “freezer meals”: This works well with curries, chilies, casseroles, and soups. Load them up with vegetables and freeze in portions for a microwave-ready dinner.

A favorite moment from the video is to batch freeze specific aromatic blends, like sofrito, ginger-garlic paste, or the Cajun “holy trinity”: diced bell pepper, onion, and celery. From there, you can crank out cuisine-specific dishes with a lot less prep.

THE LEFTOVER SHELF 🥡

Dirty rice

Go ahead and prep a bunch of frozen Cajun trinity so you can make this dirty rice recipe on the fly. It’s an easy and hearty dinner to have in your weeknight arsenal.

Dish framework

• 1 part ground meat/ground sausage

• 1 part rice

• 1/2 part frozen Cajun trinity: equal parts bell pepper, onion, celery

• Favorite Cajun seasoning to taste (or a sprinkle each paprika, cayenne, oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper)

• 2 part chicken broth or water

To assemble

1) In a cast iron pan, sear the ground meat over medium heat until mostly cooked through. Break it up into fine bits with a wooden spoon as it browns.

2) Add the frozen trinity of aromatic vegetables and the Cajun seasonings. Stir until the aromatics have softened and the spices are fragrant. Taste and adjust; It should be heavily flavored since the rice will absorb most of the seasoning.

3) Add the rice and broth, stir everything together, then cover and simmer for ~20 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Enjoy.

FOOD TRENDS EXPLAINED 🚀

Sleepytime mocktails

What’s up with the mocktail nightcap trend?

In general, mocktails have been gaining traction over the past few years. #Mocktail has over 1 billion hits on TikTok, and the non-alcholic drink industry is booming. And at the start of each new year, mocktails and other NA habits (like dry January) become popular.

Bedtime mocktails have likely always been around, but like any other food trend, a specific concoction first caught traction on TikTok. The frontrunner is known as the Sleepy Girl Mocktail, whose key ingredients are tart cherry juice, magnesium powder served over a bubbly base. .

Does this combination work? Maybe.

1. Tart Cherry Juice: Tart cherries are a natural source of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles.

2. Magnesium Powder: It has been suggested that magnesium may have a calming effect on the nervous system, potentially helping to alleviate anxiety and improve sleep quality. However, more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between magnesium and sleep.

But compared to a traditional nightcap, a non-alcoholic option will likely result in better sleep. Either way, it’s an option to satisfy the appetite before tucking in.

READER Q&A 🧠

Chicken tender troubles

Answer: You're not. The chicken tender, which is a smaller independent muscle from the main breast, can come loose if it's still attached. Often, chicken breasts are sold at the store with the tender removed and packaged/sold separately.

If the tender comes loose, cook them separately since they’ll heat through much faster than the thicker breast (or save them and fry them up later.)

• Beware of the thin white tendon/sinew running down the middle of it. You can remove it pretty easily with a knife or by grabbing onto it with a paper towel and pulling it out.

If you want to keep the chicken breast and tender as one piece, we always recommend butterflying or pounding out the breast into an even thickness. This is the single most important preparation you can do for juicy chicken that doesn’t overcook. Hope that helps!

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

READER PHOTO SUBMISSION OF THE WEEK 🏆

Champion chicken

This week’s dinner winner is David L., who made smoked Spanish dry rub chicken thighs. Well done!

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Do meal kits help or hurt cooking creativity?

In a minute or less: The weekend braise routine

What we’re watching: Plant-based protein meal prep

Food science: Steak hierarchy of needs

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