Delicious beef rendang makes an amazing meal
One of my favourite Indonesian curries is rendang. Although beef rendang is the most popular, chicken rendang is also very good!
I normally use beef short ribs because I love the flavour but today I used sirloin as I had it on hand. Stewing beef could also be used, which is cheaper but, like short ribs takes longer to become tender enough to serve.
The history of the beef rendang…
It is believed that beef rendang and other rendangs for that matter has Indian origins because of the cooking process and spices used.
Indian merchants brought the recipe to Indonesia and there it was adjust to local taste using local ingredients. Ginger was probably originally added instead of galangal and in some beef rendang recipes it still is.
Modern day rendang originated in West Sumatra by the Minangkabau people. Originally it was prepared to take on long journeys as the spices and salt helped preserve the curry.
It is actually better when stored for a few days after cooking though I haven’t tried taking it on a long journey without refrigeration and probably won’t do that anytime soon.
Beef rendang is also hugely popular in Malaysia and Singapore.
Special ingredients…
Most of the ingredients in an authentic beef rendang can be easily sourced at your local supermarket.
One of the ingredients, kerisik may not be as easily found but it is easy to make. Kerisik is grated, toasted coconut.
To make it, simply add grated fresh or frozen coconut to a dry frying pan and toast it over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant.
About the chillies…
In this authentic beef rendang recipe you use dried and soaked chillies in the rendang paste.
I use about 12 but you should always add chillies to taste! If 12 sounds like too many, use less! You could also add more if you want to turn that zing into a zap.
If you find it difficult to find whole dried chillies, you could just add chilli powder to taste. Chilli powder is one ingredient you can add at any time during cooking. If you add it at the end to top up the heat, just be sure to simmer it in the sauce a while to cook out the raw flavour.
Working ahead…
This beef rendang recipe is pretty straight forward and doesn’t require a lot of preparation.
That said, you could always prepare the toasted coconut and chop the beef a couple of days ahead of serving.
I do recommend getting all your ingredients together before starting cooking though. This can also be done ahead of time.
It’s aways best to have all your ingredients in front of you before starting so that you don’t have to start looking for or preparing ingredients while the rendang is cooking.
Step by step photos
What do you serve with beef rendang?
You might like to take this beef rendang and make it into a feast. It's of course delicious served simply with boil rice or steamed rice but the addition of one or more of the following will always go down well!
Chicken with Sambal Matah: A Balinese favourite made with shredded or grilled chicken topped with sambal matah, a raw chilli relish of shallots, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and lime juice. Often served with homemade sambal oelek.
Devil Chicken Curry: A spicy Eurasian-Malaysian dish from the Kristang community, traditionally made with leftover roast meats, potatoes, mustard seeds, vinegar, and chillies.
Malaysian Chicken Curry (Kari Ayam): A homely, aromatic curry made with chicken, potatoes, curry leaves, coconut milk, and a robust spice blend.
Soto Ayam (Turmeric Chicken Soup): A fragrant soup of shredded chicken, turmeric broth, vermicelli noodles, and boiled egg, topped with fried shallots and lime.
Babi Kecap: Tender pork belly slow-cooked with garlic, ginger, star anise, and kecap manis until sticky and rich.
Sambal La La: Fresh clams stir-fried with sambal, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass — spicy, salty, and slightly briny.
Mee Goreng: Yellow noodles stir-fried with sambal, sweet soy sauce, prawns, tofu, and vegetables, slightly smoky, spicy, and sweet.
Looking for more Malaysian recipes? Try these:
- Beef Rendang
- Chicken Rendang
- Singapore Style Bak Kut Teh
- Ayam Masak Merah - Fried Chicken in Thick Tomato Sauce
- Seafood Laksa
- Chicken Kapitan
- Malaysian Chicken Curry - Kari Ayam
- Malaysian Devil Curry
- Butter Egg Floss Prawns
- Mee Goreng
- Nasi Goreng
- Ikan Bakar - Malaysian Fried Fish
- Indonesian Blackened Grilled Fish
Have you tried this beef rendang recipe?
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Beef Rendang
Ingredients
- 70ml ( ¼ cup) coconut or rapeseed (canola) oil
- 1 x 5cm (2 inch) cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 4 cardamom pods, lightly bruised
- 2 lemon grass stalks, white parts only, thinly sliced
- 800g (28 oz) beef short ribs, sirloin or stewing steak
- 400ml (1 ½ cups) thick tinned (canned) coconut milk
- 250ml (1 cup) water
- 1 ½ tsp tamarind concentrate
- 5 lime leaves, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 6 tbsp toasted fresh or frozen grated coconut (kerisik)
- 1 tsp palm sugar – or more to taste
- salt to taste
- 2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced to garnish
- 3 spring onions (scallions) thinly sliced to garnish
- FOR THE RENDANG PASTE
- 6 shallots, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 inch galangal, roughly chopped
- 2 lime leaves, stemmed and roughly chopped
- 2 lemon grass, white parts only, thinly sliced
- 12 dried red chillies, soaked in water for 20 minutes
Instructions
- Start by preparing the rendang paste. For ease, you could place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine paste. For best results, use a pestle and mortar but be warned, this could take about 30 minutes so I usually use a food processor. Set aside until ready to use.
- Heat the oil in a clay pot, wok or large pan over medium-high heat. When visibly hot, stir in the whole spices and allow to infuse into the hot oil for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the prepared rendang paste and fry for about a minute to cook out the rawness.
- Now add the thinly sliced lemongrass and the beef and stir it all up well to combine. Fry for about 5 minutes to brown and then add the coconut milk and enough water to cover. I usually add about 250ml (1 cup) water and then top it up during cooking as required.
- Stir in the tamarind, toasted coconut (kerisik), sugar and lime leaves and allow to simmer for 60 to 90 minutes depending on the cut of beef you use. Don't rush this as you want the meat to be deliciously tender before serving.
- Season with salt to taste and add more sugar if you want, also to taste. Serve garnished with the sliced spur chillies and spring onions (scallions).
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 639Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 306mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 7gSugar: 21gProtein: 43g
Sab says
Thank's Dan for yet another top recipe, I have made other Randangs but none as good as this one.
I paired it with green split pea and veg dhal and rice.. Awesome!!!!! Mr and Mrs Sab loved it...10/10
Dan Toombs says
That’s great and really good choice of sides!
Dan