Exotic Jackfruit Rendang “Raja Arjuna”

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 6 small onions, red
• 4 garlic cloves, fresh
• 4 small chili peppers, green
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp dill, fresh
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, frozen
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce (saus tiram)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 1 tbsp rice wine (Arak masak)
• 400 g jackfruit
• 200 g pumpkin(s) (Labu jepang) or kohlrabi
• 200 g zucchini
• 200 g eggplant(s)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 pinch of citric acid
• 8 macadamia nuts
• 6 small onions, red
• 4 garlic cloves, fresh
• 1 pepper, red, long
• 4 stalks of lemongrass, fresh
• 15 g galangal, fresh or frozen
• 20 g turmeric, fresh or frozen
• 10 g fresh ginger
• 12 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 4 cardamom pods
• 8 bay leaves, Indonesian (salam leaves)
• 8 kaffir lime leaves, frozen
• 2 star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 200 ml coconut milk, creamy
• 350 ml orange juice
• 3 lemons, fully ripe
• 3 tbsp tamarind syrup
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 2 tbsp rice wine (Arak masak)
• Coconut palm sugar
• Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 3 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes

A truly royal rendang, spicy, refined, with a dreamy taste.

Remove the seeds and surrounding brown husks from a piece of fresh jackfruit (this can weigh up to 25 kg). Cut 400 g into bite-sized pieces. Peel the small red onions and slice them thinly crosswise. Cut off both ends of the garlic and press them into the marinating bowl using a garlic press. Wash the green chilies, remove the stems, and slice them crosswise. Heat a small pan, add the coconut oil, and let it heat up. Add the sliced ​​onions and brown lightly. As soon as they start to color, add the chili pieces and fry for a minute. Add to the marinating bowl. Wash the dill and leaves. Finely chop the dill. Stack two kaffir lime leaves on top of each other, roll them up lengthwise, and cut thin slices from the roll. Add them to the marinating bowl along with the dill. Now add the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and arak. Mix everything well. Add the scallop fruit pieces and mix well. Marinate at room temperature for two to three hours, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, prepare the other ingredients for the rendang: Peel the squash (Labu jepang), remove the soft center core, and cut the flesh into bite-sized pieces. Wash the zucchini and eggplant, trim the stem and tip, and cut crosswise into 1 cm thick slices. Mix salt and citric acid and rub the cut surfaces with it. Let it soak for about 20 minutes, then rinse and dry the slices. In the meantime, finely chop the macadamia nuts, peel and finely dice the small onions and garlic cloves. Remove the stem from the red chili pepper, cut the pod lengthwise, unfold it, remove the seeds, cut lengthwise into strips, and cut these crosswise into 2 cm long pieces. Cut off the tough root stem from the lemongrass, remove the dark green or brown outer leaves, and cut thin slices from the white parts. Remove any remaining outer green leaves. Wash, peel, slice, and finely dice the galangal, turmeric, and ginger. Gather all the ingredients from the cumin to the cinnamon sticks. They will be used whole. Measure the liquid ingredients and combine them in a large jar. Heat a medium-sized pan or wok until very hot, add 6 tablespoons of coconut oil, and heat to approximately 200°C. First, toast the macadamia nuts until light brown, then add the lemongrass and toast for 2 minutes. Now add the onions, garlic cloves, and chili peppers. Toast for four minutes, stirring constantly. Deglaze with the coconut milk mixture, mix well, and simmer, covered, for five minutes at reduced heat. Remove from heat, transfer to another container, and let cool. Clean the pan and add the eggplant slices, then the zucchini slices. Roast the labu jepang pieces and place the roasted pieces in a 3-liter casserole dish. Finally, add the scallop pieces: Brush off the marinade and roast them with 6 tablespoons of coconut oil until they begin to caramelize. Add them to the casserole dish along with their marinade. Juice the lemons. Pour the cooled coconut milk mixture into a blender and blend on the lowest setting for 30 seconds until coarsely pureed. Add the lemon juice and blend on the highest setting for 60 seconds until finely pureed. Add all the ingredients, from cumin to cinnamon stick, to the casserole dish, whole. Pour in the sambal rendang from the blender. Rinse the blender container with a little orange juice and add this to the casserole dish. Mix thoroughly and return to the stovetop. Bring to a boil, stir, and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then remove the lid and let it thicken slightly for 15 minutes.