DIY Food Kits: Beef Rendang Buns from Your Local (Support Local)
Your Local at Home Beef Rendang Buns Kit
The pandemic and the quarantine gave rise to new trends in the food industry. One of them is the do-it-yourself (DIY) food kits. Since many of us were locked down in our houses and encouraged not to go out as much as possible, food establishments began offering some of their items in DIY kits. New York burger chain Shake Shack began offering the DIY ShackBurger Kit, and ramen joint Mendokoro Ramenba, which is known for not allowing takeaway, came up with their Take Home Ramen Kit (they say that DIY kits are better than takeaway in retaining the ramen quality).
At first, I was hesitant of this trend for two reasons. First, I don’t want to ruin my food. The last thing I want is to have an amazing dish (like Mendokoro’s ramen) and mess it up. Second, I still believe that nothing beats the experience of eating the food in the establishment itself.
But times have changed and the industry has adapted. Food spots are doing their best to bring our favorite dishes to our homes so we can enjoy it without risking our health. So foodies, including myself, should begin to appreciate this trend. (Because of the quarantine, I was able to hone my chopping and cooking skills. So I’m now more confident of trying DIY food kits. Ruining the food is less likely to happen. LOL.)
So I’m launching a new series called DIY Food Kits. Hopefully, I’ll get to feature at least 1 food kit per month. Let me start with Your Local’s Beef Rendang Buns.
The Food Spot and Kit
Your Local is a pan-Asian restaurant that adds a modern and international twist to classic dishes. For example, they apply the Italian pasta fettuccine to Malaysian/Singaporean noodle soup Laksa, and use lamb for Rendang (Malay coconut stew) which is not traditional. The same goes for their appetizer buns. They turned the Malay Beef Rendang and Singaporean Chili Crab into a filling and sandwiched it between Chinese Mantou (steamed bun).
Before we continue, I have a confession to make: I have never eaten at Your Local prior to me ordering their DIY kit. I’ve been wanting to but never had the opportunity. But when I saw their Facebook and Instagram ads of their DIY kits (Your Local got me there!), I thought it’s my chance to try their food.
My Your Local at Home Beef Rendang Buns Kit
What captivated me are the ingredients. Because it comes with cilantro (and pickled cucumber for the beef rendang version), I thought that it would closely resemble the Taiwanese Gua Bao, which I miss.
I got the rendang because I’m allergic to crab. To the uninitiated, rendang is a dish made with a protein—typically beef but chicken is sometimes used—stewed in coconut milk and spices, such as galangal, lemongrass, and turmeric, among many others. It’s a popular dish in Indonesia, Malaysian, and Singapore, and has achieved worldwide recognition. CNN made a poll of more than 35,000 people and rendang hailed top 1 in the World’s 50 Best Foods list. Wow!
The Ingredients and Instructions
Aside from the beef rendang filling and mantou, the ingredients are smoked aioli, tonkatsu sauce, pickled cucumbers, cilantro, and togarashi (a Japanese spice mix) and sesame seeds. Because of the tonkatsu sauce and togarashi, there’s also Japanese flavors to this dish.
Here are the instructions:
I didn’t make a step-by-step photoshoot of the cooking process. So just let your imagination work! LOL.
The Finished Product
I strictly followed the instructions and I’m glad I didn’t mess up my buns. So here’s how it looks:
My Beef Rendang Buns. I’m glad I didn’t mess it up!
My greatest concern was frying up the buns, as I don’t have a deep fryer. I just fried it on its 2 sides and it turned out well, resulting to a nice golden color. The mantou was nicely sweet, crisp outside, and fluffy inside.
The beef rendang filling is coconut-y and flavorful, reminding me of Malay flavors. In fact, when I opened its package, there was a nice whiff of coconut aroma. The aioli give a nice garlic flavor, the coriander a refreshing taste, the pickles a nice tartness, and the tonkatsu sauce a hint of sweetness. In short, it’s a world of flavors and textures. It’s amazing!
Get your Beef Rendang or Chili Crab Buns DIY kits now!