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Beef Rendang Recipe (Rendang Daging)
September 30th, 2008Recipes, Indonesian Recipes, Recipes, Malaysian Recipes, Recipes174 Comments
I am sure many of my readers in Malaysia and Singapore have been wondering why haven’t I posted a beef rendang or “rendang daging” recipe? Good news, the wait is finally over and here is my recipe of arguably the most famous beef dish in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Beef rendang is of Indonesian origin–a much-celebrated recipe from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia–and often served at ceremonial occasions and to honored guests. After spending hours making my beef rendang, I totally understand why. Beef rendang is not your everyday beef dish that one can whip up in a jiffy, the time–not to mention patience and dedication–alone is probably a main obstacle for most people. If you must know, it took me almost 3 hours to concoct a pot of this aromatic and extraordinarily scrumptious beef rendang. For those of you who have never tried beef rendang, I can only describe it as “a rich and tender coconut beef stew which is explosively flavorful,” one that is certain to win you over if you taste it.
I believe beef rendang was introduced to Malaysia when the Minangkabau settlers from Sumatra migrated to the southern part of the Malay peninsula during the era of the Melaka Sultanate, but I could be wrong. In any case, beef rendang is a very popular dish for many Malaysians, especially the Malay community.
No beef rendang is made exactly the same. If you are willing to spend time in the kitchen preparing the spice paste, toasting the grated coconut to make golden-hued “kerisik” (toasted coconut in Malay language), and then patiently cook and stew the meat over very low heat so as to dry up the liquid and make the meat tender, you will be rewarded handsomely. Like I did with my beef rendang.
Another fact about beef rendang that I absolutely have to share with you: it only gets better with time, so much so that the Minangkabaus save them for months as the complex taste and flavor develop over time. For everyday home cooks, I will advise you to serve them once the beef rendang is done, but save some leftover as it only gets better overnight.
For those of you who wish to learn more about beef rendang, check out this article on Wikipedia, or you can just feast your eyes with my beef rendang photos above, and try my beef rendang recipe.
(Click Page 2 for the Beef Rendang Recipe)
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This is a fantastic fantastic beef rendang recipe! My whole family loves it. Each time I cook, I will cook 1kg of beef and yet not enough. I increased all the ingredients proportionately to 1kg of beef used. The only difference I did was to add in a packet of pre-mix beef rendang powder. It still tasted great but my neighbour found the overall spices flavour overpowering. Do you think I should :-
A) omit this premix altogether
B) use 1/2 a packet premix with 1kg of beef
C) use 1 whole packet of premix but increase my beef to 2kg
(the rest of the ingredients will be for 1kg of beef)
Appreciate your help as I intend to cook for a potluck lunch this coming Saturday. Thanks!
This is amazing, I have looked this up as I am also going to try cooking this weekend! I used sauce packet mix previously – so pedas, watery (even after boiling for ages) and no flavour. Very frustrating as I am in the UK and fresh ingredients are not that easy to get.
Why not try using more coconut milk? Think this is what I will do now I’ve read this recipe. Good luck!
@teo ai li since Bee Yinn Low gave us the recipe of the Randang spices, why have to waste money to buy a packet Rendang Mix !! Keep that for travel as I often bring along this prepacked curry paste to Australia or any Western countries as I can get good and cheap meat especially in the market just 3 hrs before closing for weekends in Melbourne Victoria Market, they cut the price to 80 %++ !! For Stewing beef only A$ 0.80 per kg !!
Since it is so, so yummy, I will cook this one day as I will cook Ipoh Laksa tomorrow !!
I actually lived in West Sumatra and indeed the Rendang Daging Sapi originated from there. They also speak with a slightly different dialect. Especially the last sylable was changed.
Rendang is often cooked until it is dry and thus easy to eat what one is on the road.
I’ve made this before and it is fantastic. I plan to cook it on New Years Eve but will need to use about 3 pounds of beef – should I just double everything up? I’m just a bit worried that star anise and cinammon can be over powering.
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Today, I decided to try this recipe! As a Malaysian, I should really make an effort to make Beef Rendang from scratch, WITHOUT using pre-mix :)) I’ve given this link to my friends on so many occasions whenever they asked me for Beef Rendang recipe! And they all have great comments! Needless to say, they were absolutely right! It’s easy to follow and I even made the “kerisik” (toasted coconut) myself. It’s worth the extra work! :))
i should be able to substitute beef with chicken right?
no, rendang is really a beef dish and is not a dish which lends itself to substitute chicken
As a Malaysian, I can categorically say that you CAN use chicken – we make this all the time! Because of the kind of chicken we get in Malaysia (battery chicken essentially…), combined with the high humidity, chicken rendang doesn’t last very long if not kept refrigerated almost at all times. The best approach is to cook the rendang sauce/gravy until almost the desired consistency, and then add either shallow-fried or roasted chicken pieces (boneless or otherwise) to the sauce. Living in London, I’ve even made turkey rendang!! Next: lamb rendang!
When making beef rendang, there was mention of a spice mix. Can you tell me the name of a packaged spice mix that produces the right flavor. I tried several available to me here in USA and did not find them adequate. Their flavor was not as I remembered (and preferred) while in Malaysia.
Please don’t be shy about brand names since I need to know which ones to try.
Terima Kasih banyak.
Ron
Any brand is fine.
Ron you dipshit, the whole point of this recipe is to make the dish from scratch. Thanks.
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I was hoping that this recipe can be substitued with chicken pieces.
Yes, you can use cut up chicken preferably bone-in, skin-on to make a great Chicken Rendang.
What a great looking recipe! I’m trying to make it in Brazil, but I could only find dehydrated galangal, kaffir limes and lemongrass. Do you think I could substitute the fresh ones for the dry? Should I soak them in water first?
Thank you
I don’t understand “save some for overnight.”
I never have any left over…..:)
in indo, there are many instant ingridients (indofood) for rendang. it just make simple, you simply add instant KARA coconut milk. ready !! :)
in indo, there are many instant ingridients (indofood) for rendang. it just make simple, you just simply add instant KARA coconut milk. ready !! :)
What kind of dried chilli do you use? Also if I make my own toasted coconut do I get the unsweetened kind and then toast in oven? Or sweetened kind? Thanks!
Yes, unsweetened coconut. For dried chilies, I like dried chili arbol.
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I followed the recipe exactly but the chuck meat didn’t tenderize. Any ideas why this would be?
BEN,
The cooking process takes time… I made this yesterday and it took me about 3 hours! I spent the first hour, stirring the pot while the meat is simmering at medium heat. By then, the meat is almost cooked. Cover the lid and leave it for another 1 – 1.5 hours at low heat. :)
For Rendang you can use almost any kind of meat. Chicken, duck, fish, ell, or even egg. Rendang originated from Indonesia, but I think Malaysia had develop another different taste of rendang. I’ve been to Malaysia and tasted Malaysian rendang, it is as good as any rendang that I had tasted but it have a different touch. Like in West Sumatra, different area had different taste of rendang. For example there is rendang Pariaman and rendang Maninjau. Pariaman are the most popular rendang in Indonesia because a lot of West Sumatra restaurants owners are from Pariaman.
I love beef rendang and haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I was wondering is it possible to make the spice paste a few days in advance and should you keep it in the fridge or freezer?
Yes, of course.
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Hi just wondering with the toasted coconut, does it have to be fresh coconut or can I use dried coconut?
regard
Emma
Fresh coconut.
dessicated coconut is fine for making kerisik if you can’t find fresh coconut. whizz it up in a spice blender if you have one.
I’m cooking this right now and it smells wonderful. I’ve just added a few extra chilli’s as I’m a masochist. The taste is already rich and wonderful. Thank you.
OK so far so good, tastes fine, a bit sweet, one major problem I ran into is that the lemongrass I can get here is obviously semi-dry and no matter how much I pounded it and shredded it the dish is full of little bit of shredded plastic :-(
Had to save the dish by removing all the beef, and pushing the sauce through a seive to get rid of the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves :-( . I’ll know not to pound or shred our local lemongrass or dried lime leaves, maybe just crush them and add as bouquet garni wrapped in something like a small garlic net. Tasting it so far it is unusual, tasty but still a bit sweet for me.