Beef Rendang is often considered the crown jewel of Indonesian cuisine, and for good reason. Its rich, complex flavors unfold in waves-bright notes of lemongrass and makrut lime leaves dance with the deep richness of caramelized beef and coconut cream while the heat of chilies urges you to go for another bite. I learned how to make this Indonesian classic during a rainy afternoon spent at a friend's kitchen in Singapore, where we simmered, stirred, and shared stories over the enticing aroma of spices. This Beef Rendang recipe captures the essence of that afternoon, blending tradition with techniques that make it approachable for any home cook.
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Why My Recipe Works
- Making a homemade rendang paste from fresh aromatics and spices creates the foundation for the bold, complex flavors of authentic Rendang.
- The long cooking process slowly renders the fat and breaks down collagen into silky gelatin. This lubricates the meat, making it irresistibly tender and moist. That's why it's important to use a cut of beef (like chuck or beef shanks) that's marbled with fat and connective tissue.
- Allowing the rendang curry to reduce until it starts to caramelize around the beef is the key to the nutty aromatic flavor and rich umami of Indonesian Beef Rendang.
- Letting the Rendang rest overnight gives the spices and aromatics time to meld, creating a deeper, more harmonious flavor profile.
What is Beef Rendang?
Beef Rendang is a rich and flavorful Indonesian dish that hails from the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra. Often described as a dry curry, this dish is slow-cooked in a fragrant blend of spices, coconut milk, and herbs until the liquid evaporates, leaving the beef deeply caramelized and packed with intense flavor.
Originally, Beef Rendang was more than just a delicious meal-it was a method of preservation. In an era before refrigeration, wealthy Minangkabau farmers would prepare Rendang after slaughtering a cow for special occasions. By cooking the beef in a combination of blisteringly spicy chili (thanks to capsaicin's natural antimicrobial properties), reducing the moisture to almost nothing, and enveloping the meat in coconut fat, they created a dish that could last for weeks in Indonesia's sweltering heat.
Difference Between Indonesian and Malaysian Rendang Beef
While Indonesian and Malaysian Beef Rendang recipes share a common heritage, they differ in flavor, texture, and preparation, reflecting the culinary traditions of each region. Indonesian Beef Rendang, particularly the version from West Sumatra, is typically cooked until almost all the liquid evaporates, leaving the meat dark, caramelized, and coated in a rich, concentrated paste. This "dry" Rendang emphasizes deep, nutty, and smoky flavors. On the other hand, Malaysian Beef Rendang often retains more sauce, resulting in a creamier texture. The Malaysian version tends to be milder and sweeter with a balance of flavors emphasizing coconut milk and aromatic spices like cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom.
Ingredients
Rendang Paste
The spice paste is the heart of this Beef Rendang recipe, infusing the dish with its signature layers of bold, aromatic flavors. A blend of coriander seed, turmeric, ginger, garlic, shallots, and chili flakes creates a balance of earthy warmth, zesty brightness, and fiery heat. Traditionally, these ingredients required judicious pounding with a mortar and pestle to turn them into a smooth paste. Fortunately, a food processor will make quick work of it, saving time and reducing wear and tear on your wrists.
Herbs
The addition of fresh herbs like lemongrass stalks, galangal, and makrut lime leaves (a.k.a. kaffir lime leaves) lend the curry a fragrant, citrusy brightness that perfectly complements the richness of the beef and rendang spices. You should be able to find these herbs at Southeast Asian grocery stores, and they freeze beautifully for future use-so stock up when you can!
Beef
Choosing the right cut of beef is key to making the good Rendang. Tougher cuts like beef shanks, chuck, or short ribs are ideal, as they are rich in connective tissue and fat. As the curry cooks low and slow, the collagen in these cuts breaks down into gelatin, giving the beef a tender, buttery texture that melts in your mouth. Lean cuts won't deliver the same moist, flavorful results, so don't skimp on the marbling.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk balances the bold rendang spices with its creamy, velvety richness. Traditionally, it's pressed fresh from shredded coconut, but if that's out of reach, there's a convenient alternative that captures the flavor of fresh coconut milk. Desiccated coconut cream powder, like the kind from Kara, is made by spray-drying fresh coconut milk, preserving its full flavor and creaminess.
How to Make Beef Rendang
To make this Beef Rendang recipe, start by preparing the rendang spice paste. Combine shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric, ground coriander, chili flakes, and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. This spice paste is the flavor foundation of this dish, so make sure there are no clumps-it should be creamy and fragrant. If the paste feels too thick or dry, add a tablespoon of water to help it along.
Next, heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add some vegetable oil. Sear the beef pieces in batches until each side is beautifully browned. Browning is a crucial step-Maillard browning enhances the savory depth of the beef by developing complex, caramelized flavors. Avoid overcrowding the pan, as this traps steam and prevents proper browning. Once browned, set the beef aside.
Using the same pot, fry the smashed lemongrass stalks, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal in the remaining oil until their aromas fill your kitchen. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the spice paste. Fry it while stirring constantly to prevent sticking or burning. If the mixture starts to scorch, lower the heat and add a splash of water to keep it from burning.
Prepare the coconut milk by rehydrating coconut cream powder in warm water, or use canned coconut milk if that's what you have on hand. Stir the coconut milk into the pot along with a bit of palm sugar for balance. Return the beef to the pot and bring everything to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot loosely to allow steam to escape, and cook on low heat for several hours. Stir occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom and to evenly coat the beef in the rich curry sauce.
As the curry simmers, the liquid will gradually reduce, thickening the sauce and concentrating its flavors. After about three to four hours, the sauce will have nearly evaporated, leaving the beef coated in a dark, caramelized paste. At this stage, increase the heat slightly to fry the remaining sauce in the rendered oil, further intensifying the dish's flavor. Keep stirring to avoid burning, and stop when the beef is richly browned and the sauce clings to it like a glaze.
For the best results, let the beef rendang rest overnight in the fridge before serving. This allows the flavors to meld and deepen, creating an even more flavorful dish. When stored properly, the low moisture content of this dish makes it perfect for reheating and enjoying with steamed rice over several days-just as it was originally intended.
By the way, if you don't have the time to make this version of Rendang, I've developed a faster Chicken Rendang recipe that comes together in about an hour and still delivers a wallop of flavor.
Recipe
Beef Rendang
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2.5 centimeters fresh ginger (roughly chopped)
- 25 grams garlic (roughly chopped)
- 200 grams shallots (4 large roughly chopped)
- 3 tablespoons chili pepper flakes (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 900 grams beef shanks or shortribs (cut into large cubes)
- 2 stalks lemongrass (white part only, smashed)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (or 1 teaspoon Makrut lime zest)
- 2.5 centimeters galangal (sliced into coins)
- 2 packs coconut cream powder (or 1 can coconut milk)
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (brown sugar or palm sugar can be substituted)
Instructions
Why it works- Add all the 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed, ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric, 2.5 centimeters fresh ginger, 25 grams garlic, 200 grams shallots, and 3 tablespoons chili pepper flakes to a food processor and run until there are no clumps left and you have a smooth spice paste. You'll need to scape the bowl down a few times. It's possible to double the recipe and freeze half for another time.
- Add the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium high heat until shimmering. Fry the 900 grams beef shanks in batches, allowing each surface to brown before turning. Transfer the browned beef to a bowl and repeat with the remaining meat.
- Smash 2 stalks lemongrass and add them to the pot along with 4 kaffir lime leaves, and 2.5 centimeters galangal to the hot oil and fry until fragrant. Transfer to the bowl with the browned beef, leaving the oil in the pot.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, and then add the spice paste ingredients. Fry, stirring constantly until very fragrant and most of the moisture has evaporated (about 10-15 minutes). If the paste starts burning, reduce the heat and add a bit of water.
- Rehydrate the 2 packs coconut cream powder in 2 cups of water and then add it to the pot along with the 1 tablespoon coconut sugar. Return the beef and herbs to the pot and stir to combine.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and loosely cover it with a lid (you want some steam to escape). Stir the Rendang periodically and simmer for 3-4 hours until the meat is very tender. You can speed this process up by cooking in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes.
- Once the meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated (about 4 hours), remove the lid and turn up the heat. At this point, there should be quite a bit of oil in the pot from the meat, so you're essentially frying the sauce and concentrating the flavors. You'll need to stir the mixture constantly to prevent it from burning, but you want to evaporate as much liquid as you can without burning the meat. Keep in mind that oil does not evaporate during cooking, so you will still have a bit of oil at the bottom of the pan.
- The rendang beef is done when almost no sauce is left and the meat is dark brown. Ideally, you'll let this sit overnight for the flavors to evenly distribute into the meat. During this time, the meat will turn chocolate-colored, and the flavors will deepen. Serve the beef rendang with steamed rice.
Nutrition Facts
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Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Regine, sorry to hear that. You won't be able to make the oil disappear as oil does not evaporate. The directions do not say to get rid of the oil, they say to reduce the sauce until there's ALMOST none left. If you get rid of all of the sauce, the meat will burn. I'm not really sure how I can make this more clear, but if you have suggestions I'm open to considering it.
cineasregine says
Correction to my prior post. I meant "no more sauce."
cineasregine says
The exact same thing that happened to Victor happened. Everything was going well. The meat was super tasty and then in the last step which says meat is done when there is more sauce, I ended up overcooking the meat in my attempt to also make the oil disappear. What i should have done when there was no more sauce but only oil was to stop cooking and drain oil, or remove meat out of the remaining oil. I will need to redo. Maybe you want to revise your instructions since
the same thing that happened to Victor happened to me. Thanks. Regine
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi fullcontactbabymomma, "stew meat" is usually the left over bits of a bigger cut of meat, so it's hard to say without seeing it as depending on the place and the day it can vary widely. You want to use meat with a lot of fat and gristle marbled in. If it's mostly red with no white in it, it's probably not going to work very well. But if it does have a lot of fat and connective tissue it should be perfect.
fullcontactbabymomma says
I have some beef stew meet I'd like to use up -- with the long cooking time, do you think stew meat would work?
Judi Kane says
I have had it a few times in Bali.Ubud has several restaurants that serve it.The best version I had was in Sanur at a restaurant called CharMing
Nonetheless I liked this recipe as well,if not better!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Karen, thanks for the nice note! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed my Rendang. Even within Indonesia I think there are a lot of regional differences in the way Rendang is prepared. Same goes for Malaysia and Singapore. What I notice a lot though is that Malaysian rendang tends to be more wet (have more of a sauce). As for where to get great Rendang in Bali, it's a West Sumatran dish originally so I've never tried looking for it in Bali.
Karen says
We were moving to Malaysia and I wanted to start learning how to cook food from that region so I googled "easy rendang recipe" and chose to try yours as it seems the easiest to follow and the recipe had photos that will help me as I am an amateur cook and do not know my way around the kitchen very well. Lo and behold - it came out really well! My spouse and I loved it! We lived in Europe at that time and the ingredients were difficult to find fresh (or were too expensive) so I used jarred lemongrass and galangal paste. Thanks to the photos, I knew when my rendang was ready. Now that we are in Malaysia, I've tried several Rendangs and I must say, the one I made following your recipe is still our favorite! What is the difference between Malaysian and Indonesian Rendangs? I guess we prefer the Indonesian version. We are headed to Bali in February - would you know where we can get good Rendang?
Thank you Marc for this recipe! I will make it again and keep it in my recipe box ?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Victor, sorry to hear it did not turn out. Once the liquid evaporates, you'll start to hear the beef sizzle as it fries, once this starts you don't need to let it go very long, hope it turns out better for you next time.
Victor Araujo says
So I made this today. All was going well, it smelled fantasic and was reducing as it should. When I got to the last step, I cranked the heat and was stirring and stirring waiting for the liquid to evaporate. I knew there was a lot of oil in there but there was so much liquid I just kept going. Well once I saw it wasnt reducing anymore I realized it must all be oil. Took it off the heat and 10 minutes later saw I burnt it to a crisp. The color looked right the whole time but I guess I should have tried a piece instead of letting it go. So I ruined it on my first attempt unfortunately.
Monika says
Hi Marc,
I'm an Indonesian and rendang is one of our family recipe.
In Indonesia, we add richer flavor to rendang, by adding "daun kunyit" or "turmeric leaves". And add also :
- tamarind water (3 -5 tbs)
- candle nut (grind)
- shredded coconut
This is the original recipe of Rendang, which coming from West Sumatra - Indonesia.
Cheers,
Monika
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Amrat, galangal has a very unique flavor and it's going to be hard to replace. If you can't find it, your best bet would probably be to just leave it out. The rendang won't taste quite the same without it but it's better than throwing in a substitute that changes the flavor of the rest of the dish.
amrat haq says
Hi Marc. I've been looking for a good rendang recipe for a long time. Planning on trying this soon. Only problem is I can't find galangal in Pakistan. Any idea what I can replace it with?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Donna, glad to hear you've been enjoying it! Not sure you'll get the same level of flavor without browning the meat and paste first in another pan, but curious to hear how it turns out. As for tamarind, it's probably a regional variation. Tamarind is quite tart and will likely make it sour with a bit more sweetness.
Donna says
Hi Marc. I have referred to this recipe time and time again and it's just lovely. I am attempting it in the slow cooker today. I made the paste and then put it all in on high so that it reduces. I'll let you know how it goes but my question is... I've seen recipes which include tamarind. What do you think? Personally, I don't see how this dish could be any more flavoursome! Many thanks
Dai Jiawen says
It's wet because it's oil. not gravy. when the beef is dry and brown you can stop cooking. From there you can add water/stock/coconut milk etc to make a light curry, water/stock for a brown curry, or continue fry to a dark brown to make rendang.
Dai Jiawen says
Wow 10 mins. that's really fast! Thank you!
Oz says
for how many kilos of beef?
Here are the things:
a. pressure cooker allows the beef to be tendered quickly
b. If you prefer to have a little bit wet beef rendang you can have more liquids of coconut milk, else if you want a drier version then you just need to open the pressure cooker lid by releasing first the pressure, continue cooking in medium-small heat and reduce the liquid until in preferred condition. If you happens to add a lot of coconut milk, it only will result an "extra" curry sauce to be a best friend for rice.
750gr of beef chunk 1,5 liter of coconut milk.
hope it helps
Dai Jiawen says
Dear Oz,
how much coconut milk to use in the pressure cooker? thanks.
Marc Matsumoto says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Yep, that should be no problem. How long you can keep it there will depend on the type and temperature of your freezer (a freezer that collects frost is better at long-term storage than a frostless type, and colder is better)
Michael says
can the paste be stored in the freezer to use at a later date--made this recipe few days ago and is one of my best tasting curries-thx for the great recipe.
Feby says
Glad to see my hometown's recipe on this website. By the way there are some difference between yours and my family recipe, like the meat didn't fried beforehand. And also because it means for preservation beef rendang can be enjoyed by its half-dried form, so when its reheated at the seventh day the beef will dry and dark brown ^^
Marc Matsumoto says
yes, read the small print below for canned coconut milk equivalents.
Bella says
Can i use coconut milk instead of coconut cream?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sharmila, You can make rending with chicken, but you'll need to change the recipe a bit as following these directions exactly will get you dried out stringy chicken. In terms of quantity you can probably substitute 1:1, but be sure to use bone-in-skin-on chicken thighs. Breast meat is too lean and will end up dry and gross. You can brown the chicken like you do the beef, and then fry the paste the same way. The part that is different is the cooking time once you add the coconut milk. The chicken should be pretty tender after 45 minutes to an hour. Over cooking it will start drying it out, so remove the chicken from the liquid and then bring the liquid to a boil until it's reduces down to the thick sauce. Then you can return the chicken to the pot to coat with sauce and serve. I don't recommend doing the final step as the chicken like won't release enough oil to do the frying step and this will just make the chicken tough.
Sharmila says
Hi, I'm looking fr a perfect rendang recipe.. & this seems to fit perfectly.. The only problem is that, I want to substitute the beef meat with chicken.. So what is the ratio of chicken that I should be adding to this recipe and will there be any flavours that I should add fr replacing the beef meat? I'm gonna use this recipe fr a cooking competition, so I hope it'll work. Thanks in advance 🙂
Alcris John Bicada says
We just cooked and Ate Beef Rendang today with my classmates! this was the recipe the teacher wanted us to cook! it was so delicious! 😀 i love it!
Debbie says
We ate beef Rendang in Malaysia last year and I have wanted to recreate it ever since!! This recipe is perfectly delicious! Only difficulty I had was finding fresh galangal so I had to use paste but I will definately be making it again.
anites says
Another info of this gorgeous dish, in West Sumatra rendang is often made with the meat of water buffalo which is widely available there (people use this animal to plough the paddy field). The meat is tougher than beef and it's ecxellent for a dish that has to be cooked for a long time like rendang.
anites says
There are many versions of rendang. The original one (West Sumatran Minangkabau rendang or often called rendang padang) do not use star anise and seldom use kerisik. They are usually used in Malaysian version of rendang. But most of rendang padang recipe call for tumeric leaves.
simpleword says
Delicious take on rendang! My only suggestions would be to add a star anise or 3 and don't forget the kerisik (toasted coconut) which I think is essential to rendang. Probably my favorite dish in the world!
Marc Matsumoto says
That should work well!
kawininjarider1 says
Can I cook this using a lodge dutch oven?
mika says
did this twice already, great instructions. we actually ended up doing this once after discussing with my friends that this was chosen in a bbc vote as the world's tastiest dish. having done it following these instructions to the t I cannot but concur. 🙂 last time I added some toasted coconut flakes in the end, this time it turned out so perfect that there was no need for them. thanks!
Oz says
My mom usually uses pressure cooker. The Minangs even cook it which can take days, literally (but for their Padang restaurant in which they need to prepare a lot) 🙂
Michael Bradley says
#6 sitting overnight without refrigerator, right?
P.s. did this recipe once already: phenomenal! I did marinate in pineapple juice for an hour to tenderize.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Catherine, if you're based in the US, "chili flakes" are usually made with a combination of chili peppers. While heat varies by brand it's likely that these are going to be spicier than Asian chili flakes (which are usually made with a single type of chili). This curry is supposed to be quite hot (capsaicin is an antimicrobial and rending was originally a way to preserve meat), but use your best judgement on the amount of heat your and your diners can take.
Catherine George says
Hi Marc, question about "chilli pepper flakes" - can't find anything called that at grocer. Do you mean chilli flakes? Are they the same? You say you used 3 tablespoons - that seems a lot of chilli flakes/very hot?
Ben Banerjee says
Wen have done this 3 times now and on the last 2 occaisions we haven't bothered with step 5. It comes out just as fantastic. Another tip is to leave the lemongrass whole but split it 1-2cm from the stalk into fine strands. This allows you to remove the lemon grass whole at the end as it can be annoying and overpowering.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Charlotte, you could, but it's going to be a lot more work and a lot more dishwashing as you'll still need to do steps 1-4 in a pan over a stove (you need the high temperatures to achieve caramelization which is where this gets all its great flavor from) and then you'll also probably want to return it to a pan over a stove for step 5.
Charlotte Cuttle says
I am thinking of putting this in the slow cooker and setting it on low and cook it for 8 hours. Can this be done? Do I need to do anything different to avoid it burning. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
MrsPunkAs says
My 14 year old thinks this is the best recipe in the world. It really is worth taking the time to make it slowly and let the flavours develop and colour. I've also found that using fresh or frozen stalks of lemongrass are far superior to the frozen lemongrass paste in the supermarket, it contains too many additives and just isn't the same.
MrsPunkAs says
Hi Maggie I have been zapping mine in the microwave - stirring every 2 mins to even out the heat. It's great left for a day or two in the fridge to develop first though, like you say.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Maggie, that should work. As for the oil, it's up to you. Traditionally it's left in, but if it looks like too much for your tastes I'd skim some off.
Maggie says
Erm, if stove top is preferred, can we add some water to reheat? I don't use a microwave...
It's cooking in the oven now and the aroma is OMG awesome
Chef in South east Asia says
In actual fact Rendang differs from Sumatra to Java to Malaysia and Singapore also even cooked in the Phillipines by the Mindanao and other regional people. Some people prefer a little gravy/sauce because it actually compliments other accompaniments served at the same time alongside the Rendang. Alot of people when cooking the Rendang will actually add a bit more coconut cream at the end for this purpose. A recipe is a guide line for a Rendang choose what one you prefer to your taste!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Maggie, I like reheating in the microwave, being careful not to overdo it as there's too little liquid left to reheat it effectively in a pan.
Maggie says
Looks relish! Gotta try this weekend. What's the best way to reheat this dish if we leave overnight to deepen flavors?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Hannah, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Hannah says
Absolutely delicious! Followed recipe exactly. Highly recommended.