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.
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:
- Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
- Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry them until aromatic.
- Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked.
- Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar/palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
- 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.
- Add salt to taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste.
- Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight.
Cook’s Note:
- 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.”
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{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }
That beef rendang looks like how my aunt usually made them. Can you believe tht iv never made rendang before? lol.
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this sounds delicious…although I think I threw out my frozen kafir lime leaves. do you know if these leaves are readily available in Asian markets?
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Ooh, beef rendang!
Props to you for making it from scratch. But as you said, you were handsomely rewarded.
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I’ve never made rendang all the way from scratch, but I can see how delicious yours is!
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Oh! I didn’t know it didn’t have shrimp paste in it. Maybe all the beef rendangs I had before were oversalted? Ha ha. Looks delicious!
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Oh wow. I’ve heard lots and lots of good things about beef rendang and it’s been on my list of things to make for a long time. This looks fantastic! I’ll feast vicariously for now, with hopes of making this soon.
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looks yummy ! We tried a beef rendang from a packet recently and it sucked :-( Will try your recipe next time, it looks much more authentic !
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It will be easier for me to use the rendang spices packing that we can get it from the supermarket. Hahaa, lazy people use lazy way. :)
Rendang, long time never eat.
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mmmmm, one of my favourite beef curries. Looks great! My second fave is massaman.
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I thought you did not post a beef recipe because you are not a red-meat lover?
Yum yum rendang….where is my rice?
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My mother has a very good beef rendang recipe that makes the best beef rendang. Yours look just like her beef rendang. I am sure your beef rendang recipe is very good. Home sick. :(
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Raks replied:
Hi Tina,
Would you like to share your mom’s beef rendang recipe with the rest of us? Please and Thank You.
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Beef rendang is a dish that I’ve not try out… yet! the cooking steps are just too daunting for me at the moment. I might give your recipe a try one of these days, because your picture makes me drool again. ;-)
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I never made that either. Which is not shocking since I didn’t cook till last month. Plus, the ingredient list is a bit too long huh. I tried a packaged-spices for rendang last week. It doesn’t turn out anything like the photos in the box!
But rendang lasts a long time if you make a big batch, right. I know someone who froze hers and it lasted her a week. So, it really worth the trouble.
Thanks for the sharing. It must be a pain and rewarding at the same time.
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Clap clap clap!!!! Beef Rendang! Love this dish and you are right…explosive flavors! Your’s looks absolutely perfect!
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Brilliant! this is so awesome and absolutely fantastic!
It is truly amazing and very interesting! Thanks for this! Delicious!!!
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Thanks for catering to us beef lovers Bee, I will have to try this soon!
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wow, kudos for making rendang from scratch! I usually just buy the packet mix. :p Do you know of any good brand out there? I haven’t found any that tastes like the real deal.
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This looks absolutely delightful! The weather around here is getting colder, and I think this would be just perfect for a chilly fall night.
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i just devoured i bowl of rendang with lemang. urs look nice too!
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Would it work just as well to use dried galangal instead of fresh? If so, how much should be used?
-fay
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This is one of my all-time favorite Malaysian dishes, yet I’ve never tried to make it. But the lemongrass in my herb garden is ready to be harvested, and here is your recipe — I think the universe is trying to tell me that it’s time to make beef rendang!
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This beef rendang recipe looks do moist and delicious. I can see the spices and the kerisik coating each piece of the beef rendang meat, I love it.
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i can smell it, almost taste it. u r bad, bee, making me suffer.
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Fay – I have never used dried galangal before so just use double the amount, or you can use more ginger.
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Veron – yes, you can get frozen kaffir lime leaves at Asian stores, but sometimes, they are not available. I believe it’s seasonal. But you should keep them in your fridge, they last FOREVER!
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This is bookmarked to try. I am drooling here :) Will email you sometime soon.
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This is the best read by far. The photos are so enticing. It is surprising you can get all the ingredients over in US. Looking at the rendang I involuntarily thought of lemang that goes with it. Who is Lone Ranger without Tonto? Love it!!
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Help! Whenever I try to make beef rendang the meat always turns out like dried leather — tough. Any advice?
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You sure know your rendang well! YOur delicious looking beef rendang really whets my Indonesian appetite.
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My mouth is literally watering right now – delish!
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Thank you for the recipe. I tried it yesterday and it was absolutely delicious!
I have tried many recipes but none is to my liking. Thanks again.
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Rasa, I can’t wait to make this dish. I love spicy food and Indonesian spices. Your photo looks so good too!
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Where are you in the US? I would like to visit you (to try on those food) I miss Malaysian food so much!
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hi, beef rendang is always one of my favourite dishes. there are so many versions available depending on the cook. i love the flavour that is dominated by red onion/shallot flavour. one of the methods to reduce the cooking time is to use home made spice paste as what i do at home. the cooking time is only about 1-1.5 hours instead of 3-4 hours or even the whole day when one wants it to be dark in colour.
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YUM! I’ve just finished my beef rendang for ied. it’s always lovely with lontong (what do you call this in malay?).
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That looks tasty! I am looking forward to trying Beef Rendang.
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This is my favorite dish when I come to Malaysia (usually 4 or 5 times a year as I’m an expat living in Bangkok). This sounds wonderful. Must try it :-)
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I have tried to make beef rendang a couple of times, but the meat always turned out tough instead of soft… any idea why that is?
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Looks yummy will have to try this .
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This is the recipe that drawn me to your blog (and I’m very glad that I’ve found your blog!). I am making this for lunch today (with instant paste, unfortunately) and started making them last night with a pressure cooker in the hope that the beef will be tender and more flavour-infused by today.
The use of toasted coconut is interesting and it added more fragrance to my beef rendang. I also used fried red onions in the spice paste and also for garnishing.
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HI there! I’m making this at the moment and can’t find anywhere a reference to where I should add the water? I’m going to take a guess and add it with the coconut milk. I hope it goes well!
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I would like to try your recipe, but I am affraid that my beef will come out hard. Is there secret to soften the beef?
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People listen to me,
I have looked a lot for the ultimate Rendang recipe. I had it many times since I was a child. I was made by many different cooks. Some at home and some in restaurants. believe it or not all these encounters were in Saudi arabia where we have a big malay influence in the western region due to ancient immagration to Mekkah AlMukarramah.
I think this dish is more like a signature dish for a malay/indonesian chef. This recipe is by far the best Rendang I ever had. However, I remember one of the ingredients that is missing here. which is ground (macademia like nuts). and a tea spoon of tomato paste to add some colour.
Very Very recommendable.
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Moaz – yes, you can use candle nuts in this beef rendang recipe, which is great to add in as it will make the beef rendang even creamier. Thanks for nice words.
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My husband and I and two other couples get together once a month for an International dinner night. This month we cooked Malaysian food and I made this beef rendang. Absolutely incredible! My husband loves my cooking and has many favorite dishes but he thought this was the BEST dish I have ever made. I felt pretty proud that my dish was the best one there :) Thanks for such an awesome recipe.
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Tried this recipe and it turned out excellent. We used to go to our favourite restaurant for beef rendang and now we can have it straight from the kitchen. Husband likes it a lot too.
My rendang was “pale” as I couldn’t find gula melaka so I used brown sugar instead. I boiled the beef for about an hour before adding it to the spice so that it is really soft and tender.
Your recipe is very easy to follow and the instructions are clear. I also made the spice paste from scratch and it turned out all right. Lots of work but it’s worth it. Husband said I should share this recipe with everyone we know.
Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!
ps: If you would like, I can share my rendang’s version pic!
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this looks absolutley amazing. my girlfriend is vegetarian. would tou work with this recipe instead of beef?
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Meat is key to rendang dish and what makes rendang flavorful. If you really have to, I supposed you can try it with potatoes, carrots and chickpeas. But not tofu.
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Jason replied:
thanks a million…i’m gonna cook it this weekend and i’ll give you the verdict. just in case though, are there any good vegetarian malaysian recipes you could recommend? :)
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Hmm…strictly vegetarian? No seafood, too?
Actually, most of the curry dish I have on my blog can be done without meat and still taste delicious. You can add potatoes, carrots, lady’s fingers, green beans, tomatoes and other vegetables good for stew into curry. I like to add oil tofu into curries, too.
Some stir fry dishes I have can also be done with tofu, but please make sure you use the hard or fried tofu so they don’t disintegrate in your process of cooking.
Reminder, rendang is definitely a meat dish. Hope this helps.
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hey…thanks for the receipe. Here’s my attempt.
http://shrestaurants.blogspot.com/2009/05/beef-rendang.html
Didn’t (couldn’t!) leave it long enough for the sauce to go totally dry – but it was superb nethertheless.
Cheers
Steve
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Hello,
Your rendang look really appetizing..btw, i read through your recipe, in the ingredient mention 1 cup of water, but i didn’t see it was included in the method/instruction, could you please clarify, thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
ita
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
I just updated the recipe, it was a careless omission.
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Hi,
I’ve always cooked rendang from instant packets so decided to attempt one from scratch. Tried this excellent rendang recipe but with a pressure cooker to get the meat tender (omitting the cup of water). The flavour of the sauce with the tender meat was incredible. However, wasn’t really satisfied because the colour of the rendang turned out really pale! I suppose there is no substitute for that slow cooking eh? It’s the slow cooking for 3 hours which turns it a brown colour right? Thanks for this recipe!
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beef rendang is originally from padang.
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Just made this from scratch with fresh ingredients (including coconut scraped out of fresh Thai coconuts, then fried right before addition). I added 3x kemiri to it. I wish I had some daun salam to add, but I don’t. :(
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Salute Jay. I hope you like the taste. I love lots of kerisik too.
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I love Beef Rendang but I only ever ordered it never made – didn’t know it took so much effort!
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Yes, beef rendang is not easy to make, you need a lot of patience.
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Fantastic Recipe! My mum and dad loved it.
Though one thing is that I had to alter certain ingredients because of inavailability from the supermarket. Can’t wait for more!
You can see how it turned out at http://j2k3blogs.com/?p=1921
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Your beef rendang looks great!
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Can I use chicken instead of beef?is the ingredient same?some of rendang recepi use ketumbar(in malay).can I add it also?
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I tried it and it was fantastic. Thanks for the recipe.
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
LT, that’s great that you love the recipe. :)
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Thank you for sharing the recipe, my children absolutely love it. I used all fresh ingredients and it was worth it.
I wonder how you would suggest making this in a crockpot or a slow cooker? Do you think I would be successful if I did all of the preparation you said in the wok and then at the end put it all in the slow cooker on low and let it cook during the day? Maybe that would be too long of a time?
I would love to be able to make this for dinner by preparing it in the morning and having it ready by dinnertime. Otherwise I will have to wait until sundays to eat it!
Thanks again!
(I also used your how to make shrimp crucnhy suggestions = genius…just great secret)
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rendang is one of my all time favourites and your photo of the dish looks amazing.
i was wondering if it could be made with a slow cooker and how long that would take if so?
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Cherie – have never made it with a slow cooker. You can try though. But I find foods cooked with slow cooker is not as good.
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I’m just back in the states from a couple of weeks in Singapore where I had beef rendang for the first time. This looks like a great recipe, I am going to try it this Saturday.
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I was SO excited to make this recipe, and it took me hours to collect all of the ingredients to make it from scratch. It was fun, but I was dissapointed because I followed all of your directions exactly, which said to cover the dish while it simmered, so the sauce never reduced. It turned out with way to much liquid that didn’t soak into the meat, and I cooked it for longer than the recommended time.
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
I don’t know what happened. I have readers who tried this recipe and had great success, you can read the comments. Sauce reduces with heat and cooking time because it will vaporize, if it’s still too much liquid for you, then turn up the heat and uncover and keep stirring until the sauce dries up.
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