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Beef rendang is a spicy, rich, and creamy Indonesian/Malaysian beef stew made with beef, spices, and coconut milk. This is the best and most authentic beef rendang recipe you will find online!
Table of Contents
Authentic Beef Rendang Recipe
Rendang is a rich and tender coconut beef stew known for its intense and complex flavors. Called rendang daging in local Indonesian and Malaysian languages, it is arguably the most famous beef recipe in Indonesia, Malaysia, and to a lesser extent, Singapore.
Other than that, it’s also the #1 dish on the World’s 50 Best Foods compiled by CNN. As more chefs learn to cook beef rendang, there have been many controversies about the recipe and cooking methods of the dish.
In 2018, a Masterchef UK judge criticized a Malaysian-born contestant’s rendang for not being crispy. His comment drew massive uproars on social media with many Asians pointing out that rendang is not meant to be crispy but rather a rich and tender stew.
Ultimately, the protein used in the recipe is never deep-fried, but simmered and then stewed for hours with spices and coconut milk. The end result should be a rich, tender, and deeply flavorful meat stew.
Make a batch of this Malaysian beef rendang recipe and enjoy bowls of spicy, creamy, and tender beef stew for days. It is the most authentic beef rendang recipe you’ll find online with over 700 votes and an average rating of 4.6!
“I never send in reviews for anything. But I felt moved to do it for the first time ever. This recipe is so delicious. I’ve spent a lot of time in Malaysia and this definitely brings back happy memories.”
– Arun
Origins Of Rendang
Beef rendang is of Indonesian origin, a delicious concoction from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia.
It is often served on ceremonial occasions to honor guests and celebrate special events, making it an integral part of Indonesian culture.
I believe the dish came to Malaysia when the Minangkabau settlers from Sumatra migrated to the southern part of the Malay Peninsula during the era of the Melaka Sultanate.
Malaysians, especially the Malay community, love rendang just as much that it has become a staple in their cuisine as well.
Beef Rendang Ingredients
Main Ingredients
The core of beef rendang is the spice paste, as well as the various aromatic spices: cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves, and star anise). Here are some of the main ingredients, including what you will need for the spice paste:
- Boneless beef short ribs – this is the best cut of beef for this recipe. Make sure to cut the beef into cubes. Make sure you don’t cut it too small as the meat might break apart after cooking.
- Coconut milk – if you like a creamier and richer taste, opt for coconut cream, which is thicker in consistency compared to coconut milk.
- Kaffir lime leaves – impart the iconic flora aroma and perfume the dish with citrusy fragrance. I recommend buying fresh leaves to get more of that citrusy flavor. They freeze really well, so you can buy a bunch and keep them in the freezer to use in Tom Yum Soup, Sambal Udang, and Beef Penang Curry.
- Spices – I use fresh cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom, but you can also use the powdered version.
- Tamarind juice – the tart tamarind balances out the richness of the coconut milk. I use tamarind pulp soaked in warm water, but you can also use tamarind puree.
- Kerisik – toasted grated coconut gives the dish a nutty and earthy flavor.
Rendang Spice Paste Ingredients
- Dried chilies – add as much or as little as you like depending on preference. You can use half the amount in this recipe for a milder stew.
- Galangal – if you cannot find galangal, skip it altogether. It tastes like ginger but it is more sour and peppery.
- Lemongrass – use only the white part, slice thinly. Smash them a little bit using the back of your knife to infuse more flavor into the dish.
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Ginger
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
Secret Ingredient Of Rendang Paste
To make the best beef rendang, you need to have the secret ingredient kerisik or toasted coconut. Many traditional Indonesian and Malaysian recipes call for kerisik. This golden-toasted shredded coconut adds immense aromas, earthy nuance, and vibrant textures to the finished dish.
Expert Tip #1: My late grandmother taught me the technique of pounding the kerisik using a traditional stone mortar and pestle. This process breaks down the fiber in the toasted shredded coconut and releases the fat contents in the toasted coconut. When adding pounded kerisik to the list of ingredients, you will have the richest, creamiest, and “lemak” (meaning “fat” in Indonesian-Malaysian language) rendang ever!
Expert Tip #2: Another technique is to slow-cook the meat on low heat, preferably over a charcoal fire, in a clay pot, and cover it with its lid. In the modern-day kitchen, you can just use a pan or pot to slowly stew and simmer the beef and reduce the liquid during the cooking process. You’ll get the most tender and melt-in-your-mouth soft meat ever!
Recipe Variations
While beef rendang is the poster child, there are other variations such as chicken rendang and lamb rendang that are equally delicious. Chicken rendang is often used as a filling in baked buns, and it is an all-time favorite of locals.
For vegans and vegetarians, you can certainly use fried tofu or tempeh. For seafood lovers, rendang prawn (shrimp) is a good option.
Regardless of which protein you use, slow-cooked beef rendang is absolutely delicious and best with steamed rice like nasi lemak.
How To Make Beef Rendang
Beef rendang, or any beef stew, is a labor of love, as it requires patience and time to achieve the perfect balance of flavors. Here’s how to make rendang the traditional way:
Step 1: Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend in a food processor until fine.
Step 2: Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry 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.
Step 3: Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar, or palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
Pro tip: To prepare the kerisik, add the grated coconut to a dry wok and stir continuously until it turns golden brown.
Step 4: Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up. Add more salt and sugar to taste. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for storage.
Make The Best and Most Authentic Rendang
The best and most authentic meat rendang should be somewhat dry (as pictured here). Please take note that this is not a curry, and the dish should never be watery like this Panang Curry. The meat should be generously coated with the rendang paste.
I suggest you make a big serving (you may double or triple this recipe), so you have some leftovers. The flavors and aroma become more intense the next day that some prefer to wait and eat it on the second day. In fact, the Minangkabau saves the dish for months as the complex taste and flavor develop over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
I use boneless beef short ribs or stew beef. These cuts have a good meat-to-fat ratio that makes rendang so tender and flavorful. Cut the beef into smaller chunks to ensure that each chunk is tender and nicely coated with the aromatic rendang curry paste.
Rendang is a dry meat stew with a thick, flavorful gravy that is cooked until the meat is tender and infused with flavors and almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
No, rendang and curry are two different dishes. Rendang is a type of dry, slow-cooked meat dish while curry like this beef curry with pumpkin is a wet or semi-wet stew. The spices and ingredients used in the dishes are also different with rendang having unique flavors from coconut milk, kerisik (toasted coconut), kaffir lime leaves, and galangal.
This beef rendang recipe has 795 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Rendang
Serve this Malaysian beef rendang with rice, noodles, or bread. For an easy and traditional Malaysian weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Beef Rendang (The Best!)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless beef short ribs, cut into cubes
- 5 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 stick cinnamon, about 2-inch length
- 3 cloves
- 3 star anise
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 lemongrass, cut into 4-inch length and pounded
- 1 cup thick coconut milk , coconut cream
- 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 , or palm sugar 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
Instructions
- Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend 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 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, or palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
- Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up. Add more salt and sugar to taste. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for storage.
Video
Notes
- I recommend buying fresh kaffir lime leaves to get more of that citrusy flavor. They freeze really well, so you can buy a bunch and keep them in the freezer for later.
- To prepare the kerisik or toasted coconut, just add the grated coconut to a dry wok and stir continuously until it turns golden brown.
- Pound the kerisik using a traditional stone mortar and pestle to break down the fiber in the coconut and release its fat content in the dish.
- Slow-cook the meat on low heat, preferably over a charcoal fire, in a clay pot, and cover it with its lid.
- I suggest you make a big serving (you may double or triple this recipe), so you have some leftovers.
- Watch the cooking video for a step-by-step guide.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, Bee – I have looked at numerous recipes for BEEF RENDANG, and this is the most authentic and appealing, so I plan to make it for my daughter’s family in a few weeks. I have most of the ingredients (thanks to Amazon!), so I plan to follow your recipe accurately.
Question: do you have a video that matches this recipe, so I can feel more comfortable actually making it?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Tony, yes, the video is embedded in the post in the recipe card. Please disable your ad blocker to view the video.
Super recipe! Since I didn’t have all the ingredients I had to use what was available – in place of galanga I added more ginger and a bit of turmeric; I used dried kaffir lime leaves, I was afraid that they will feel coarse in the mouth so I left them whole so I can fish them out after (turned out I could have sliced them as they soften while cooking), didn’t have tamarind so I used a bit of sinigang mix (powdered tamarind soup base) for the acid taste. However, since it was the first time for me to cook this dish, I wasn’t too sure I have the right recipe (sorry for doubting), so I added two onions sliced thinly which I caramelized (this is on top of the shallots in the paste) before I fried the dry spices. Unfortunately, for the kerisik the closest one I found was dried desiccated coconut which I toasted, I wish I had fresh coconut to toast.Wasn’t able to take a photo as we finished it off too quickly. Will be doing this again in the (very) near future but I will use triple recipe, 1 is not enough!
Awesome thanks for trying my recipe!
-The recipe was so far down the page that I didn’t discover it until the day after I eyeballed all the ingredients you did mention. Now I have to try it the way your recipe is…
Do you take the whole spices out of the dish before serving? I didn’t do that and there were a lot of pieces to fish out of my mouth. We loved the recipe so much. Thank you!
Hi Shaunaw. Thank you for your lovely comment. I usually don’t fish out the pieces, but please feel free to pick them out as they can be quite potent if accidentally bit into.
Loved it, Bee. I like the idea Off calculating the ingredients based on the number of people who are gonna share the meal. I did not have galangal, but used ginger instead. I also use red onions in lieu of challets. I made my own kersik by toasting chopped coconut. Excellent recipe.
Thank you for your comment. I am very glad that you like the Rendang recipe.
I want to try and make this using a pressure cooker. Is there anything in particular I need to consider for this?
Hi Naz. I feel that it’s best to add the rendang to your pressure cooker at step 4 at stew setting. That will get the meat to be tender. Once it is tender, continue to cook the rendang with the lid open at low heat to allow it to dry out.
Made this a few times even with pork and this was the latest. Now revisiting it tommorow. Preparing this is like putting my soul on for show. Its very intimate, therfore it must be surgically on point, with the rest of the blade crafting the rest to coalesce into an experience that is unforgettable. I am a chef and this has been one in my top 3 of dishes to make.
Thank you for your comment, Adam. I appreciate it very much.
in US version, do u rate this as mild, medium or spicy? what wil be the mild version?
I don’t know why your question has so many downvotes ? The spiciness depends on what sort of chillies you use. For a mild version I would use dried Kashmiri chillies and a few less than what the recipe states. IMO rendang doesn’t need to be hot spiced (in Malaysia it usually isn’t).
Hi, i cant find anything fresh here (except the leaves which my vegas friend gave to me awhile ago). i can only find powder spices, do u know how many teaspoon to use for powder cinnamon cardamom cloves star anise? tks so muz
Hi Eve. It’s a shame that you can’t get any whole spices. Here are the suggested equivalents in powdered spices:
1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground star anise, 1/2 tsp ground cardomom.
I tried this recipe so many times and always turn out good.I add little touches of kecap manis, candlenut and kunyit leaves and taste alright.