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:
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Blitz curry paste ingredient in food processor;
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Brown the beef;
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Cook off the curry paste – releases amazing flavour!
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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!
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Biryani (it’s amazing!)
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Dal (Indian lentil curry)
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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.
marc says
Just curious i am thinking about buying a sous vide and precooking , however i have learned to marinate my beef with pineapple to tenderize it , and trust me it works well , so to my point will this work with using pretendrerized meat like chuck roast /pot roast or is better to stay with the recipe as written? Also i had a friend the a restaurant that served Malaysian food and he served me a dish call rendang dang with a spring roll that was light and filled with vegetables and a spicy red sauce that i cannot forget but can’t reproduce or find can you help?
Kim says
Hi Marc – I just did what you are asking. I sous vide my beef shin and rump steak prior to cutting it up and incorporating it in the curry. I did not brown the meat before sous vide or before adding it in the curry. It was nice and brown from the time in the sous vide. Sous vide @ 145F for 24 hours. Then followed the recipe exactly — just no browning necessary. I still cooked it as long as Nagi recommends and it came out melting 🙂 Hope this helps answer your question
Diana says
Nagi – this meal is just delightful. I made it on Sunday afternoon using chuck steak from my butcher and my family was almost silent! Thank you.
Jason Lee says
I’ve made this twice – with a Sirloin Joint I got for cheaps and with Chicken Thighs. My methodology was different but the recipe was identical and on both occasions was superb. No, it was sublime. No wait, sublimely superb!
For the beef: I followed your instructions except pressure cooked for 45 minutes and then reduced on the hob – I didn’t brown but will try that next time for sure. This was a time related decision.
For the chicken thighs: I browned skinside down in the pan and removed to fry the paste and then everything went in the pan as normal except I only added the cream of the coconut tin. Just before the end I removed the chicken thighs, deboned them and cut them up into chunks and put them back in the pan for the sauce to thicken around – took just over an hour, start to finish. I’d try skinless, boneless next time to see if the bone has added anything – it would be quicker without the skin and bone.
This exceeded my expectations, the chicken might actually be better – no kidding – and want to say thank you very much! This is a 5 star recipe and, although there are plenty of different rendang recipes online (it seems every man and his dog has there own recipe), I am always on the search for perfection and I would be nervous to try another! I ‘ll likely never bother 🙂
P.S – I tried your restaurant coconut rice and it was superb. I’ll always have this with my Beef Rendang – the coconut powder is a revelation(although I used the Maggi version and only needed half the amount of powder you have in the recipe)
P.P.S – I noticed at my local Chinese supermarket they have frozen grated coconut – which I would need to dry fry and grind to make ‘real’ kerisik. I’ve been using desiccated coconut – is there much of a difference? I suppose the real question is, is it worth it?
Nagi says
So pleased to hear that Jason! Love all your feedback 🙂 I haven’t tried this with frozen grated coconut, love to know what you think if you do try it!! N xx
Jason Lee says
Plop! I also meant to say that I love, nay LOVE, the copious notes. I’m an extremely keen home cook but not particularly intuitive – they helped tremendously,
Mike G says
Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I had to make some substitutions, and I’m *really* not good with spicy food so I only put in a couple of chili peppers, but it ended up tasting fantastic! I was surprised at how easy it was to make, given the complexity of the taste 🙂
Nagi says
So pleased to hear that Mike! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x
Richard Stone says
This was bloody awesome!!!
Rendang is one of our favourite dishes. The restaurant we used to go to couldn’t guarantee it being peanut free so we haven’t been able to take our kids there (our son has a nut allergy). This is the first time we have ever cooked one of our restaurant favourites at home and thought it was just as good- and that’s a testament to your recipe, not my cooking!
Thank you for posting this – we will definitely cook it again- many times.
I didn’t quite nail the coconut rice – the flavour was good but not the texture. Think I added a bit to much liquid as I can’t get our stove to do a real low simmer.
Overall – 9/10!!
Nagi says
That’s wonderful to hear Richard! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed this! N xx
Lucas says
The first time I had rendang was in Malaysia. It truly is the king of curry. I have visited Bali and have ordered Rendang and have been disappointed at times.
I tried this recipe and wow. Now I am empowered to make my own authentic rendang. It was everything I would have hoped for. The whole family loved it. When I cook it for visitors I take the seeds out of the chilies as they may find it a little hot.
This curry blows your head off not with heat but flavor. Absolute winner.
Nagi says
I’m so pleased to hear that Lucas! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
Mel says
I tried this recipe and it was very good. I had an issue with grinding the spices. I could not get the lemon grass to be grounded using a food processor. I ended just putting all the spices in a cheesecloth and let it simmer in the broth. Please teach me how to grind the spices. Thanks.
Nagi says
Hi Mel! It does come down to how powerful your food processor is 🙂 It helps to add a bit more liquid – try adding an extra tablespoon or 2 or water, it will cook out when you cook the curry so it’s fine to do so. Adding liquid can help process things better. Glad you enjoyed it though! N xx
Stephanie Burbank says
If made in advance, how do you recommend reheating?
Nicole NG says
Hi Nagi,
I came across your website when I was looking through different beef rendang recipe! I love you give out a lot of cooking tips and the sceince behind it ! (ie: the browning and scrap the brown bits when cooking the paste !)
Will definitely be following your posts! Tried it out today and yummm!!! I’m even tempted to get a Dutch oven pot for the browning process !
Thank you and keep cooking and posting
Lori says
This isn’t Nicole from Victoria, is it?? I was looking for a Beef Rendang recipe, and I’m wondering if this is the one I had on Sunday!
Nagi says
Thanks for your message Nicole! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this – and I’m glad you found me too! N xx
loladobispo says
Hello Nagi, I discovered your recipes in December and I am slowly trying all the recipes. So far : delicious. I buy my chilies from a thai shop and I used 10 in the beef Rendang recipe and it is too strong too eat. I have 3 questions please, what do I do know to save the dish ? And what kind of chilies was I supposed to use ? Did I misread the recipe and the paste was to be halved ? Thanks for your help and for your website !
Lola
Annie says
Hi Nagi, jst made this and the flavour is awesone but it won’t reduce to your lovely dark brown dry curry. What am I doibg wrong.
Nagi says
HI Annie! Keep cooking it down, right at the end the sauce will split into clear fat and the coloured sauce, The beef ends up browning in the fat!
Chris says
Not sure how you’re calculating your nutritional facts but I really don’t think you’re getting 379 calories from fat!
Nagi says
Hi Chris! Between the fatty beef cut used and coconut milk plus oil in the recipe, I think that sounds right! 🙂
YN from Canada says
Thank You Nagi! You are awesome! 😉
Nagi says
You tried it?? 🙂 N x
Nagi says
I thought sliders were anything on mini buns????!!!
Haven says
Don’t be confused, Rendang is originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia. History records according to historian from Andalas University, Prof. Dr. Gusti Asnan, rendang has become food widely spread since Minang people started wandering and sailing to Malaka for trade in early 16th century. Even the Netherlands adapted “Rijsttafel” (“rice table” following the hidang presentation of “nasi Padang” from the Padang region of West Sumatra) which includes Rendang.
It is True that some Asian country has made their own version of rendang but the ROOT of them all is from Indonesia through the trading era stated above. Even culinary figure Anthony Bourdain and K.F Seetoh, insists Indonesia to register it to UNESCO, (before other countries claim it as their culture). So stating “Rendang is a Malaysian Curry” in your recipe is totally misleading, unles you have historical proof that beaten the oldest one.
Addie says
Are you from indonesia? Because it’s all too common when indonesians get a bit all touchy over what comes from where. Honestly though these fights/arguments/disagreements are getting way too petty. Nagi got the recipe from a Malaysian friend so this is most likely the Malaysian version of rendang. We all know there are several different types of rendang even in Indonesia itself no? It’s a very petty thing to argue about, considering the fact that Malaysia and Indonesia share quite a lot of things in common. Funnily enough, Thailand and Malaysia do share some traditional foods too, yet I never see them fighting over it claiming what’s whose.
Btw Nagi, recipe is fantastic! I can’t wait to try it out! 🙂
Nagi says
Thanks Addie!!! PS I think you’re right, it’s kind of like the way us Aussies and New Zealander’s are always “arguing” about who invented Pavlova!! 😂
Nagi says
Hi Haven! I appreciate people’s input 🙂 I believe i wrote in the post that it’s roots are believed to be originally from Indonesia but here in Australia, it is better known as a Malaysian curry and also this version I share is not Indonesian e.g. doesn’t use candlenut as a thickener which I believe is in the traditional Indonesian version 🙂
Linh says
I am making this now and it is bubbling away on the stove and it smells incredible. Can’t wait to eat it, exactly what I need for the bitterly cold Melbourne winter. Thanks Nagi.
Linh says
I am making this now and it is bubbling away on the stove and it smells incredible. Can’t wait to eat it, exactly what I need for the bitter cold Melbourne weather. Thanks Nagi.
Nagi says
I hope you loved it Linh!! PS It’s 26C here in Sydney today….what the?????
bubble am says
This dish is delicious, easy to do. Eat with steamed rice is great. I can eat 2 bowls of rice when eating with this dish.
Nagi says
Great to hear Bubble! So pleased you enjoyed it – N x
Helen Strawson says
OMG!! Made this yesterday, hubby and I ate it this evening. Absolutely bloody delicious!! We have another portion in the freezer, can’t wait to eat it. Love your blog, Nagi, always look forward to new posts. Keep ’em coming 🙂
Nagi says
I’m SO PLEASED to hear that! This is a personal favourite of mine that I make to impress friends who love Asian food! So glad you loved it too 🙂 N xx
Hilary says
This was seriously good! Nagi you are my go to for traditional tasting Asian cooking without all the hoohaa, can’t beat your Satay Chicken and sauce
Nagi says
That’s fantastic to hear Nancy! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
Vitoria Reitberger says
Nagi , I appreciate your effort in what you shared to all.
Above all simply loved your mom’s too,
convey my sincere thankfulness to her in taking her time to share her delights.
Appreciate your mom:-)
Ciao
Nagi says
Awww, I’m sending this to mum, she will love reading this! N xx