Rendang Curry with Tofu

Rendang Curry by Prima Taste is a Dry Beef Curry sauce kit. The box says Best Singapore Favorites. Lately I’ve been trying out a couple of exotic food kits, so this one piqued my interest. Although 28 oz of beef tenderloins  were required, I’m not a beef person and decided to try using tofu instead. I invited two other people to join me for this experience. All of us like rich, spicy food and all the better if it is restaurant quality at home.

To start, I took two packages of extra firm tofu (packaged in water) and sliced each into eight no nine slabs like a loaf of bread. I laid these on a clean dishtowel to drain the excess moisture out of them which aids in absorbing the flavors of the sauce.

Choosing toasted sesame oil, I coated the bottom of an iron skillet until the oil was fragrant. I cut each slab of tofu in to eight chunks and laid them in the pan, letting them brown slightly. Then took those out and set aside until all of the tofu was browned.

Meanwhile, basmati rice (not in the box) simmered in another pan. The box says it also goes well with mashed potatoes, something I’d like to try next time.

One of two enormous packets contained a slightly oily red paste that upon first inspection looks like tomatoes, but turns out to be an exotic blend of Galangal, Palm Sugar, Pandan Leaf, Candlenut, Ginger Salt and Lemon grass to name a few. The minute it hit the hot skillet a pleasing fragrant aroma wafted through the house. Each of the guests commented about it.

The second packet held a dry, powdery mix of coconut milk solids. I hadn’t seen coconut processed this way before, but after adding the required amount of water, the sauce began to look much more like a curry. After following the cooking instructions I added the tofu to the sauce. When it was heated through, we served it over rice. Each of us had a small plate, and there was enough left over for each of us to have another meal.

It made an abundance of sauce as well. We were all satisfied with the flavor and talked about having seconds, but were full.

I found it a bit on the sweet side, as mentioned above palm sugar contributed to this. I’m not a fan of sweet curries. Although the taste was sensational, the spicy kick was surprising but not overwhelming. For a bit of variation, the addition of baby green beans, julienned carrots, or sautéed onions would be welcome.

All in all, we found Rendang Curry very tasty, and everyone enjoyed it. I’ll be looking for this on store shelves.