My eyes are crying stinging tears
and its not even 7 AM yet. I just keep chopping the onions, though, because I
am on a mission. As the morning wakes up, the smoke from my efforts to brown
the lamb shanks catches the rays of sunlight streaming through the kitchen
window. Fragrant spices like curry and ginger rise out in the steam as I stir,
and the puppy at my feet seems to like it, as she sniffs upwards and even licks
the air for what she must view to be tangible flavors.
It’s just a Wednesday, but I woke up
this morning with a task, and I object to being overwhelmed by it. Lamb
Rendang…I got this.
I just turned 26, and while I don’t
love birthdays, I do love that mine so closely follows NYE as to offer me a
second chance at New Year’s resolutions. So, my revamped intention for this
year is a refusal to be overwhelmed. I just want to see an elephant and get my
fork out.
Let me explain. When we started
medical school, our professors tried to equate the impending onslaught of
material to learn with drinking out of a fire hydrant or my more favored
expression, with eating an elephant: one bite at a time. They did not expect us to take lightly the
responsibility set before us, but they also did not want us to be paralyzed by
it. I understood that we just start somewhere, persevere, and work out our
worry in action (okay, I added that last part, but it seems like a valiant game
plan).
I realize nothing I do in the kitchen
is of major consequence, but my free time in this space can fortify a mentality
that cherishes the opportunity to learn new things, and does not let the
possibility of failure keep me from trying in the first place. It also teaches
me a methodology to use in approaching those “elephants:” just start chopping,
just stir, just do all the necessary small steps diligently until your major
accomplishment comes to surprising fruition.
I don’t know what your elephants
are, but we all have them. Sometimes they are unrelenting and sometimes a
singular task, but whatever it is that threatens to overwhelm you, just look it
straight in the eye, say a little prayer, and get your fork out.
Lamb
Rendang
From The Crepes of Wrath
For the Paste:
1
onion, chopped
6
cloves garlic, chopped
2
teaspoons curry powder
1
teaspoon kosher salt
1
teaspoon ground coriander
½
teaspoon ground ginger
½
teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
zest
of 1 orange
For the Lamb:
3
tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2
1-pound lamb shanks
1
teaspoon kosher salt
½
teaspoon ground black pepper
juice
of 1 orange
1
14-ounce can coconut milk
3
teaspoons brown sugar
rice
or bread, for serving
Combine all of your paste ingredients in a food processor
or blend with a mortar and pestle (or just chop incredibly finely) and mix
until a paste is formed. Set aside.
Rub your lamb shanks with salt and pepper, and heat a
heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add in your oil and heat, then add in the
shanks and cook for 5-6 minutes or so, turning, so that all of the sides become
a little browned. Remove the shanks to a plate and set aside.
Add your paste to the pot, reduce the heat to medium and
cook until fragrant, stirring frequently, for about 8-10 minutes, until the
paste’s liquid has reduced by half. Add in the orange juice, orange zest,
coconut milk and sugar and stir to combine. Add the shanks back to the pot,
reduce the heat to medium-low, loosely cover (I put my lid on my pot a bit
askew so that some of the evaporating liquid can escape) and simmer for 4 hours
or so, until the meat is falling off of the bone.
Once the meat is tender, remove the bones from the pot and
begin stirring the meat over medium-high heat, so that the liquid continues to
evaporate and the meat caramelizes and fries. When almost all of the liquid is
gone and the meat is nicely browned, you are ready to eat. Serve it with over
rice or with vegetables, or even with a fried egg.
Pictures
tomorrow; my Rendang is still simmering!!
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