Beef Rendang

★★★★4.9· 876 ratings

·Serves 4

About this Dish

The original rendang from West Sumatra, considered by CNN to be the world's most delicious food. Slow-cooked beef in coconut milk over hours until completely dry and coated in caramelised paste. The result keeps for weeks without refrigeration — the original preservation food.

IngredientsServes 4

🥩Beef chuck or brisket, 1kg cut into large 5cm cubes

🥥Coconut milk, 800ml (2 cans, full fat)

🌿Lemongrass stalks, 3 bruised and knotted

🍃Kaffir lime leaves, 6 fresh or dried

🌶️Dried red chillies, 10-12 soaked in hot water (or 8 fresh long red chillies)

🧅Shallots, 8 peeled and roughly chopped

🧄Garlic cloves, 6 peeled

🫚Fresh galangal, 3cm piece peeled and sliced (or 1 tsp powder)

🟡Fresh turmeric, 2cm piece peeled (or 1 tsp powder)

🥥Desiccated coconut (kerisik), 4 tbsp dry-toasted in a pan until deep golden

Method

Blend the soaked chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, and turmeric together with a splash of water until you have a smooth paste. This is your rempah — the flavour base of everything.

Toast the desiccated coconut in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5-7 minutes until it turns deep golden brown and fragrant. Pound or blend it until it becomes a slightly oily paste called kerisik — this is the secret to authentic dry rendang.

Pour the coconut milk into a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot or wok over medium heat. Add the rempah paste, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves, then stir everything together and bring to a gentle simmer.

Add the beef cubes and stir to coat them well in the coconut milk mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 1.5 to 2 hours as the liquid slowly reduces.

As the liquid reduces significantly and the mixture begins to look thick and oily rather than saucy, stir more frequently to prevent burning. The coconut oil will separate and you will begin to hear a frying sound — this is exactly what you want.

Add the kerisik paste and stir it through. Continue cooking and stirring constantly for a final 20-30 minutes as the beef fries in the coconut oil and the paste darkens to a deep mahogany brown, coating every piece of meat completely.

Taste and season with salt. The finished rendang should be almost completely dry, dark brown, intensely fragrant, and the beef should be tender enough to pull apart. It tastes even better the next day and keeps at room temperature for up to a week.

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