Spotlight

Beef Rendang Recipe (Rendang Daging)

September 30th, 2008Recipes, Indonesian Recipes, Recipes, Malay Cooking, Malaysian Food, Recipes, Malaysian Recipes, Recipes157 Comments
print Recipe: Beef Rendang (Rendang Daging) or Spicy Beef Stew with Coconut

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound boneless beef short ribs (cut into cubes)
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch long)
3 cloves
3 star anise
3 cardamom pods
1 lemongrass (cut into 4-inch length and pounded)
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup water
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp (soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds )
6 kaffir lime leaves (very finely sliced)
6 tablespoons kerisik (toasted coconut)
1 tablespoon sugar/palm sugar or to taste
Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

5 shallots
1 inch galangal
3 lemongrass (white part only)
5 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
10-12 dried chilies (soaked in warm water and seeded)

Method:

  1. Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
  2. Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry them until aromatic.
  3. Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute.
  4. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked.
  5. Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar/palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
  6. Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up.
  7. Add salt to taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste.
  8. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight.

Cook’s Note:

  1. To prepare the kerisik or toasted coconut, just add the grated coconut to a dry wok and stir continuosly until they turn golden brown.

If you like Indonesian or Malaysian cuisines, do check out Spittoon Extra’s roundup of “Waiter, there is something in my Indonesian.”

Tagged as:

SHARE THE RECIPE & PHOTOS:

Share

Get More Delicious Recipes Below:

  • Lamb Rendang (Spicy Lamb Curry)

    Lamb Rendang (Spicy Lamb Curry)

    It has been more than three years since I posted my Beef Rendang recipe. I am pleasantly surprised that to this day I still get the occasional inquiry and request with regards to protein substitution, alternative cooking methods, or the usage of a different spice mix to make the paste. Especially after September of last year, when Rendang topped the…

  • Daging Masak Kicap (Soy Sauce Beef)

    Daging Masak Kicap (Soy Sauce Beef)

    I haven’t posted Malaysian recipes for a while, so much so that sometimes I question myself if my blog’s name still fits its recent content. Malaysian food is my native cuisine and the passion, love, and enthusiasm I have will never change. Truth be told, I’ve been trying to save my Malaysian recipes, for the possible opportunity to work on…

  • Thai Panang Curry with Beef

    Thai Panang Curry with Beef

    When I requested my friends at TX Bar Organics, North Cal for their most suitable cuts of organic grass fed beef to showcase my Thai beef Panang curry post, they instantly delivered several choices, all beautifully vacuumed-packed in an ice box, and distinctively labeled. After careful deliberation, I decided on chuck roast (click on the picture gallery above), which by…

  • Cantonese Beef Stew

    Cantonese Beef Stew

    This Cantonese beef stew is inspired by the lamb stew that I had a couple of years ago in Hong Kong. Whenever it’s winter time or the weather is cold, lamb stew is a popular dish for the denizens in Hong Kong as lamb is a “heaty” meat and the clay pot stew complement it to give warmth to the…

157 comments... read them below or add one

  1. teo ai li says:

    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!

    137
    • Simon says:

      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!

      138
    • Rebecca Lee says:

      @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 !!

      152
  2. 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.

    139
  3. Karl says:

    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.

    140
  4. Pingback:Mock Rendang and new digs «

  5. LizBorneo says:

    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! :))

    142
  6. jamieyeow says:

    i should be able to substitute beef with chicken right?

    143
  7. dudi says:

    no, rendang is really a beef dish and is not a dish which lends itself to substitute chicken

    144
    • Malay says:

      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!

      147
  8. Ron (Harun) says:

    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

    145
  9. Pingback:Meal Plan: March 11 – 16 « Move to Europe

  10. sue low says:

    I was hoping that this recipe can be substitued with chicken pieces.

    149
  11. vitor569 says:

    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

    151
  12. Tama says:

    I don’t understand “save some for overnight.”

    I never have any left over…..:)

    153
  13. pixie says:

    in indo, there are many instant ingridients (indofood) for rendang. it just make simple, you simply add instant KARA coconut milk. ready !! :)

    154
  14. pixie says:

    in indo, there are many instant ingridients (indofood) for rendang. it just make simple, you just simply add instant KARA coconut milk. ready !! :)

    155
  15. Heather says:

    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!

    156

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>