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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes » Entrées

    Malaysian/Indonesian Beef Rendang

    Published: Jul 20, 2018 · Modified: Dec 7, 2020 by Pailin Chongchitnant · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Voted the most delicious food in the world, this Indonesian/Malaysian beef rendang is one of the most complex flavoured dishes I've ever made. Herbs, spices and coconut milk are slowly cooked and reduced into a thick flavourful sauce that coats the fork tender beef.

    It's a dish that takes patience, but it's quite easy and is well worth every minute spent. Beef is my favourite but you can also try making chicken rendang, using bone-in dark meat chicken.

    PS. Don't have a few hours to make rendang quite yet? Try this bo luc lac recipe which is a Vietnamese favourite, also known as shaking beef. It's much faster and easier, but will satisfy your beef cravings!

    Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

    All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

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    Malaysian/Indonesian Beef Rendang

    ★★★★★ 5 from 9 reviews
    • Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
    • Yield: Serves 4
    Print Recipe
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    Ingredients

    Paste

    • 10g dried mild chilies (I'm using guajillo)
    • 6 cloves garlic
    • ½ cup shallots, chopped
    • 1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
    • 2-inch pc galangal, chopped
    • 2-inch pc ginger, chopped
    • 8 pc cloves
    • 5 pc green cardamom
    • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1 pc star anise
    • 4 candlenuts

    Curry

    • 1½ lb (700g) stew beef such as chuck or boneless short ribs
    • 2 cups coconut milk
    • 2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ¼ cup dried shredded coconut (for making kerisik, see note)
    • 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn into chunks
    • Optional: Fish sauce for seasoning adjustment

    Note: Kerisik is toasted coconut paste for adding and rich, toasty aroma.

    Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use


    Instructions

    To make the kerisik: (You can make this in advance or while the beef cooks.) Toast the coconut in a dry saute pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until dark brown. Grind in a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder until it becomes and oily paste.

    To make the paste: Grind dry chilies and spices in a coffee grinder until fine, then add candlenuts and grind until fine. In a blender, add galangal, ginger, lemongrass, shallots and garlic and blend until smooth, adding water as needed. Once fine, add the ground dry spices and blend to mix.

    For the curry: Bring ½ cup of coconut milk to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the curry paste and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the paste is thick, and the coconut oil is starting to sizzle away from the paste.

    Add the beef and toss to mix with the paste, add the remaining coconut milk and scrape off any bits of curry paste that might be stuck to the bottom of the pot.

    Add salt and tamarind, then keep the pot loosely covered, let it simmer on low heat for 2.5-3 hours or until beef is fork tender. In the beginning, stir it every 20 minutes or so, but as the sauce gets thicker, you need to stir more frequently to make sure the curry paste doesn't stick and burn to the bottom of the pot. Towards the end I stir it every 5 minutes. You should have a very thick, not runny sauce, and you can add more water if it gets too dry as it cooks. If the beef is done, but there is too much liquid, just open the pot and stir for a few more minutes to let it reduce.

    In the last few minutes of cooking stir in 1 tablespoon of kerisik, and roughly tear kaffir lime leaves into chunks and stir them in, letting them cook for a few more minutes to infuse. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

    Serve with rice, enjoy!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Amanda W.

      September 03, 2023 at 4:26 pm

      This is the second time I have made this. It is really fantastic! I tinkered a little in this go round by doubling the chiles (and adding a couple chile de arbol) and adding shrimp paste to the rempah (instead of fish sauce at the end). Also doubled the kerisik. I used trimmed blade steak. Delicious tonight and I'm looking forward to the leftovers later this week!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Cary

      June 26, 2023 at 2:31 pm

      This was a hassle to make. Cooking it for that long feels like I just made spiced mush. I would only do this again if I were to use chicken which cooks faster.

      Reply
    3. Charles

      May 31, 2023 at 11:03 am

      Making this rendang for the second time, it is truly delicious with many layers of flavour. I slow cook it for 5 hours. Curious to know why you don't caremalise the beef? I definitely works without!

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        June 07, 2023 at 10:57 am

        Glad to hear you love it! Browning beef for stewing is not a traditional technique used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and in fact I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make given the strong flavours of the herbs and spices. It might make some difference, but it might be subtle and may not be worth the extra step. It will definitely not hurt if you want to try it out!

        Reply
    4. Chris Page

      January 29, 2023 at 7:27 pm

      Gave your recipe a shot today at the start of my holidays. Amazing stuff!! Thank you. Hands down my fave curry of all time.

      Reply
    5. Entropy

      March 01, 2022 at 3:02 pm

      I'm making it for about the 5th time right now, but this time, I'm experimenting with a pressure cooker. Hopefully I can knock a couple hours off the 5 or so it usually takes me, begining to end. If it works I'll make it more often because....wow is it good!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Tracy

      December 31, 2021 at 1:07 am

      This is super tasty and love it. Thanks for sharing. Can I use pork for this recipe?

      Reply
    7. jandee

      December 06, 2021 at 6:28 am

      This turned out amazing! Thanks for the detailed recipe. You are the best!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Carlos Y

      June 24, 2021 at 11:46 am

      Wonderful recipe!
      I make big batches at the time and freeze them. My Kaffir lime tree provides fresh leaves! I keep it in a pot and bring it in in the winter. This year I used my own lemon grass grown from stacks bought at the store. I wouldn’t change anything. I add some fresh ground cloves and cardamom at the very end for fragrance. Toasted coconut is a must!

      Reply
    9. Denny

      May 01, 2021 at 10:20 pm

      Pailin, some Indonesian chefs add turmeric & turmeric leaf to add flavor to the dish. I would like to try adding a spoonful of fish sauce to see how it may affect the taste. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    10. Joyce Stolte

      March 01, 2021 at 5:24 am

      Supertasty rendang! Thank you, I really enjoy your way of cooking 🥰
      Do you have suggestions for me how to cook this recipe in the slowcooker?
      What do I need tot adjust?

      I made it on the stove, that was delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Krittika

        October 02, 2022 at 5:47 am

        Made this over a dozen times using this recipe. It is definitely one of the most delicious foods in the world. I recommend using tbe fish sauce as it gives a well rounded flavour.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    11. billy.time

      February 13, 2021 at 1:28 pm

      สวัสดีครับ🙏
      สูตรนี้อร่อยมาก.
      It's super tasty. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe with us.
      I added some mint to it as garnish after finishing.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    12. Wendy

      December 28, 2020 at 10:42 am

      En éste momento está cocinandose. Para mi gusto demasiado picante pero según mi marido (es malayo) debería haberle puesto más Chile ja ja ja, nunca llueve a gusto de todos saludos desde Guadalajara - España y cuídate mucho

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    13. Stephen Chan

      December 08, 2020 at 11:21 pm

      Love this, this is exactly a restaurant-grade recipe, I could totally eat this alone with rice for days.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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