The KING OF ALL CURRIES is here!!! Beef Rendang has incredible depth of flavour, with complexity and many layers of spices. It’s straight forward to make, though it does take time and perhaps a trip to the Asian grocery store (though Sydney-siders will find everything at Woolies). Watch the video and drool!
Beef Rendang
This Beef Rendang recipe is from a payroll lady at a company I used to work for. It’s her Malaysian mother’s recipe. I still remember, so many years later, how we used to bond over food at the water cooler!
I actually first published this recipe a couple of years ago but I’ve made some minor improvements that will make your life easier without changing the flavour at all. Plus I made a recipe video!
Beef Rendang is the king of all curries!
What is Beef Rendang?
Beef Rendang is a Malaysian curry and is considered by many to be the king of all curries! To say it’s extravagantly delicious is an understatement. There are very few curries in this world with such amazingly complex flavours.
Originally from Indonesia though now more well known as a Malaysia curry, the sauce 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 a dry curry which means there is not loads of sauce. However, the meat is so ridiculously tender and has a thick coating of sauce on each piece, so when the meat literally falls apart at a touch, it mixes through rice, flavouring it like saucy curries.
If you love South East Asian curries, Beef Rendang is without a doubt one of the best!
Here in Sydney, you can get all the ingredients for Beef Rendang at Woolworths and Coles. Seriously!
How to make Beef Rendang
Though there’s a fair few ingredients in this, some of which may not be familiar to you and are certainly not everyday ingredients even in my world, it’s actually quite a straightforward recipe:
- Blitz curry paste ingredient in food processor;
- Brown the beef;
- Cook off the curry paste – releases amazing flavour!
- Add everything else in and slow cook until the beef is ultra tender.
An interesting cooking method with Beef Rendang is the way it gets the deep brown colour. All throughout the video, right up until the very end, you will notice that the sauce is a pale brown colour. It’s not until the very end when the sauce reduces right down and the oil separates that it turns brown, essentially the browning of the beef in the oil of the sauce.
This Beef Rendang can be made in a slow cooker, but I find it easiest to make it all on the stove. Especially given it starts on the stove with the browning of the beef and spice paste, then finishes on the stove with the reducing of the sauce and browning of the beef (this part cannot be done in a slow cooker).
This is one of those recipes that just gets better with time. So whenever possible, I try to make this a day or two in advance. It also freezes extremely well.
I serve this with my Restaurant Style Coconut Rice because it’s my copycat of the coconut rice you get at the posh modern Asian restaurants! – Nagi xx
PS You see those bits stuck on the beef that could be shredded coconut?? It’s not. It’s bits of shredded BEEF. Because it’s so tender by the end, when you’re stirring it, some bits do flake off. YUM!
MORE GREAT CURRIES OF THE WORLD!
- Biryani (it’s amazing!)
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Dal (Indian lentil curry)
- Thai Red Curry
- Massaman Curry
- Browse the Curry Collection
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Beef Rendang recipe video!
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Beef Rendang
Ingredients
Spice Paste
- 12 dried chilies, rehydrated in boiling water, or 12 large fresh (Note 1a)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (Note 1b)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 lemongrass stalks, white part only, sliced (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh galangal, finely chopped (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola or peanut oil)
Curry
- 2 lb/ 1 kg chuck steak, or other slow cooking beef, cut into 4cm / 1.6" cubes (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp oil (vegetable, peanut, canola)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 tsp clove powder
- 3 star anise
- 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
- 1 lemongrass stick, bottom half of the stick only and smashed (Note 5)
- 400ml / 14 oz coconut milk (1 standard can)
- 2 tsp tamarind puree / paste, or tamarind pulp soaked in 1 tbsp of hot water, seeds removed (Note 6)
- 4 large kaffir lime leaves (or 6 small) , very finely sliced (Note 7)
- 1/3 cup desiccated coconut (finely shredded coconut)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or grated palm sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place Spice Paste ingredients in a small food processor and whizz until fine. NOTE: If using dried chilli and you know your food processor is not that powerful, chop the chilli first.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add half the beef and brown, then remove onto plate. Repeat with remaining beef.
- Lower heat to medium low. Add Spice Paste and cook for 2 - 3 minutes until the wetness has reduced and the spice paste darkens (don't breathe in too much, the chilli will make you cough!).
- Add remaining Curry ingredients and beef. Stir to combine.
- Bring to simmer, then immediately turn down the heat to low or medium low so the sauce is bubbling very gently.
- Put the lid on the pot and leave it to simmer for 1 hr 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and check the beef to see how tender it is. You don't want it to be "fall apart at a touch" at this stage, but it should be quite tender. If it is fall apart already, remove the beef from the pot before proceeding.
- Turn up heat to medium and reduce sauce for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring every now and then at first, then frequently towards the end until the beef browns and the sauce reduces to a paste that coats the beef. (Note 9)
- The beef should now be very tender, fall apart at a touch. If not, add a splash of water and keep cooking. Remove from heat and serve with plain or Restaurant Style Coconut Rice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Dozer’s got a boo boo. i.e. Shredded his paw by tearing manically across a bed of oyster shells in pursuit of a pelican.
Let’s not feel too sorry for him though. He’s been pretty pampered.
I thought I’m pretty tolerant of spiciness but even with 6 chilies, it felt pretty spicy.
But still really good and the aroma! Thank you for the recipe.
You’re so welcome J-Mom, you can always reduce the chillies to suit 🙂
I made it yesterday to leave it overnight so I can eat it the next day. The flavor is amazing. The only problem I had was that the meat is chewy. I used chuck meat like suggested. Any idea why is that so?
Also, what’s the best way to reheat the rendang? I steam it.
Hi Rory, if it was chewy it sounds like it needed to cook a little longer to break down. To reheat I usually zap it in the microwave 🙂
This recipe is a keeper! I have made it over and over again and have never been disappointed.
I was craving this tonight but my husband put our dutch oven in the fridge one too many times…. I was so happy to see there are directions for the Instant Pot– I’m about to try it now.
One question for you; is there a different between tamarind puree and tamarind concentrate? I’ve noticed my stomach is always a little crazy the next day and I’m South Indian so I know it’s not the heat. I’m thinking I’m using the wrong Tamarind possibly.
I made this last week using your recipe but with light coconut milk instead of the full cream, I might try full cream next time. It was phenomenal. The only problem, it was way too spicy and my insides felt like they were on fire for many hours afterwards haha. Next time I will use maybe 8 chilis instead of the 12. Or would it be okay to use 12 but with seeds removed in 4 of the chilis?
Thank you for the recipe.
This was soooo good. My husband was working from home and said the cooking smells had his mouth watering for hours, but the taste was even better than he’d expected.
I reduced the chilli to 75% of recommended as I was feeding kids too, and it was perfect for them, while there was still enough heat to satisfy the adults. Wish I had found this recipe at the beginning of winter instead of the beginning of summer. Will definitely be making again!
Wahoo, that’s great Helen!!
Hi, can I substitute the beef with chicken?
Hi Mel, the recipe as written unfortunately won’t work with chicken ❤️
A little confused on your note 8 regarding slow cooker method. It calls for adding water, however there is no water in the recipe. How much water should be added?
Yet another winner Nagi. Made more than a few rendangs before, and can’t argue this is defo the king of curries. I doubled the quantities of everything except chillies.
Also fried off the coconut on low flame first, as I’m a sucker for that toasted aroma and taste.
Followed up to step 5 then popped it in the oven at 170 for 3 hrs with the lid off. Stirring every hour. Awesome.
Sounds like you nailed it Ian, I’m so happy you love this recipe – N x