Celebrity MasterChef Tamil judge Sashi Cheliah shares his special Lamb Rendang recipe that opened doors to MasterChef Australia | HT Exclusive

Chef Sashi Cheliah, who is currently a judge on Celebrity MasterChef Tamil exclusively reveals the recipe to his favourite dish to HT Lifestyle.

Chef Sashi Cheliah is currently one of the judges on Celebrity MasterChef Tamil, eight years after he won Season 10 of MasterChef Australia. Having been born and raised in Singapore, he says the Singaporean dish that changed his life years ago still holds special meaning for him in more ways than one. And it’s not just the flavour, but the memory behind it.

“It was the first dish I cooked for MasterChef Australia, and it eventually earned me my apron to participate in the competition. Every time I cook it, it takes me back to that moment,” he exclusively tells HT Lifestyle while sharing the recipe, adding, “It’s a rich and aromatic dish that combines lamb with chilli, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, turmeric, coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves. The secret is in the slow cooking, which allows all those flavours to develop and the lamb to become beautifully tender.”

Chef Sashi Cheliah’s special Lamb Rendang recipe:

Ingredients

For the rendang paste:

30 dried chillies, soaked and deseeded

2 red chillies, roughly chopped

2 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped

20 g fresh turmeric

20 g fresh ginger

50 g young galangal

250 g shallots

2 cloves garlic

For the rendang:

4 tbsp coconut oil

1 kg lamb, preferably rump, cut into small pieces

20 g kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped

100 g palm sugar

400 ml coconut milk

100 g shredded coconut, toasted

2 tsp salt

1 cup water

Cooking method

Make the paste: Blend the dried and fresh chillies, lemongrass, turmeric, ginger, galangal, shallots and garlic until you have a smooth paste.

Cook the paste: Heat the coconut oil in a large pan and fry the paste for about 5 minutes until fragrant.

Add the lamb: Add the lamb and coat it well in the rendang paste.

Build the flavours: Add the kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar, coconut milk, toasted coconut and water. Bring everything to a gentle boil.

Slow cook: Reduce the heat and simmer for about 1–1½ hours, or until the lamb is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Stir occasionally.

Season: Taste and adjust the salt if required.

Serve: Serve hot with coconut rice or steamed rice.

Sashi Cheliah is currently a judge on Celebrity MasterChef Tamil alongside chefs Venkatesh Bhat and Shreeya Adka. Samantha Ruth Prabhu is the celebrity host, along with RJ Vijay. It airs on Sony VIZHA from Monday to Friday at 8 PM, and can also be streamed on Sony LIV.