A delicious Indonesian beef rendang recipe to take you on a journey to Bali from your kitchen
What is beef rendang?
Beef Rendang is an Indonesian curry (from Sumatra) and is considered by many as the king of all curries! To say it’s extravagantly delicious is an understatement. There are very few curries in this world with such incredibly complex flavors as this one
Originating from Indonesia, the sauce of this curry is made with aromatic spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise, as well as fresh aromatics including lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and galangal.
Unlike many curries, beef rendang is what’s called a dry curry, which means there isn’t much sauce.
However, the meat is ultra-tender and has a thick coating of sauce on each piece, so when the meat literally falls apart at the touch, it mixes with the rice, flavoring it just as much as saucy curries like Thai green curry.
If you love Southeast Asian curries, Beef rendang is undoubtedly one of the best!
The secret coconut-based ingredient
Have you wondered why online recipes or restaurant dishes don’t taste at all like during your trip to Indonesia? The answer lies in a coconut.
To make the best Rendang, you need the secret ingredient which is kerisik, or toasted coconut paste.
It’s grated coconut, then toasted and then blended to get a sort of paste. It’s a fundamental element if you want to have an authentic tasting beef rendang
A dish that improves with time
The next day and the day after, the flavors of this Indonesian beef curry develop and intensify. Reheated in a pot over medium heat, it’s simply divine.
Which cut of beef to use for beef rendang?
Any cut known as “slow-cooking”, so: chuck, boiling beef, stewing beef, brisket, … Depending on your region, it will have different names but tell yourself that if it’s used in broths and stewed dishes in your region, it will be suitable for making a delicious beef rendang
The main ingredients of beef rendang
Coconut: To make the kerisik. Use fresh or dry grated coconut, if dry then you need to add a little coconut oil in the blender
Fish sauce: Optional seasoning, brings a nice saltiness
Star anise: The badiane brings an anise flavor, unsurprisingly
Galangal: Cousin of ginger, you can substitute it with ginger but you’ll lose a bit of flavor
Lemongrass: be sure to read my instructions on how to peel lemongrass
Kaffir lime leaves: Aromatic, bring a lemony scent and a slight bitterness.
Authentic Indonesian Beef Rendang
Ingredients
- 700 g beef stewing beef (chuck, brisket, beef for bourguignon, carbonnade)
- 500 ml coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 100 g grated coconut for the kerisik
- 6 leaves kaffir torn into pieces
- Fish sauce to season a little, optional
Rendang paste
- 10 g chili peppers dried
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 shallots minced
- 1 stalk lemongrass finely chopped
- 5 cm of galangal chopped
- 5 cm of ginger chopped
- 8 cloves
- 5 cloves green cardamom
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 star anise
Procédé
For the kerisik
- Toast the coconut in a pan over medium heat without fat, stirring constantly, until dark brown.100 g grated coconut
- Grind the toasted coconut with a mortar and pestle or in a blender until you get an oily paste. If needed, add a little coconut oil
For the paste
- Grind the dried chili peppers and spices in a blender until very fine.10 g chili peppers, 8 cloves, 5 cloves green cardamom, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 star anise
- Add the galangal, ginger, lemongrass, shallots, and garlic.6 cloves garlic, 4 shallots, 5 cm of galangal, 5 cm of ginger, 1 stalk lemongrass
- Blend until smooth, adding a tiny bit of water if necessary.
For the curry
- Bring the coconut milk to a boil in a large pot500 ml coconut milk
- Add the Rendang paste and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the paste thickens and the coconut oil begins to separate from the paste.
- Add the beef and mix with the paste.700 g beef
- Add the remaining coconut milk and scrape any bits of curry paste stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Incorporate the kerisik, tamarind concentrate, and salt.2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate, 1 teaspoon salt
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Add the kaffir lime leaves and simmer for another 10 minutes.6 leaves kaffir
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and fish sauce if necessary.Fish sauce
- Serve with white rice or sticky rice.
