Beef Rendang

From the kitchen of Carly

Indonesian dry curry that simmers low and slow until the coconut milk reduces into a dark, glossy paste that coats every piece of beef. Rich, deeply spiced, and even better the next day. Cook this on Saturday for Sunday dinner. The flavor depth doubles after a night in the fridge.

Beef Rendang

Rendang is patient food, a slow build of heat and spice that rewards you with beef so tender it falls apart on your tongue. The magic happens in two stages: first you build an aromatic paste that makes your kitchen smell like a market in Penang, then you let time and coconut cream do the work, reducing the sauce until it clings to every piece of meat like a dark, glossy coat. This is the version you go back to.

Prep
15 min
Cook
1 hr 45 min
Total
2 hr
Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 1 lbbeef chuck or stewing beef, cubed
  • 5 tbspvegetable oil
  • 1cinnamon stick
  • 3whole cloves
  • 3star anise pods
  • 3green cardamom pods
  • 1 cupcoconut cream
  • 1 cupwater
  • 2 tbsptamarind paste
  • 6kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 tbsppalm or brown sugar
  • 5shallots, peeled
  • 2lemongrass stalks, bruised and chopped
  • 1 thumbfresh ginger, sliced
  • 4garlic cloves
  • 6dried red chilies, soaked

Instructions

  1. Make the spice paste: blend the shallots, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and soaked dried chilies in a food processor with a splash of water until you have a smooth paste.

  2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the spice paste, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, and cardamom pods. Fry, stirring, for 5 minutes until deeply fragrant. The kitchen will smell incredible.

  3. Add the cubed beef. Stir to coat in the paste and let it sear for 1 minute on each side.

  4. Pour in the coconut cream, water, and tamarind paste. Drop in the lime leaves. Stir to combine.

  5. Bring to a gentle bubble, then drop the heat to the lowest setting. Cover partially and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

  6. Uncover. Stir in the sugar. Continue cooking, uncovered now, for another 30 to 45 minutes. The sauce will reduce, darken, and start to cling to the meat.

  7. When the liquid is mostly gone and the rendang looks like a dark, oily glaze coating the beef, taste and adjust salt and sugar.

  8. Serve over steamed jasmine or coconut rice. Rendang is even better the next day; reheat gently with a splash of water if needed.

Make ahead and storage

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, flavor actually improves overnight. Freezes beautifully for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge and reheat gently with a little water to loosen the sauce back up.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Soak your dried chilies in hot water for 10 minutes before blending, they'll break down easier and give you a smoother paste without watering it down too much.
  • Don't skip the 15-minute stirs during the first hour, they keep the meat cooking evenly and prevent the paste from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  • The rendang is done when the sauce has nearly disappeared and clings to the meat in a glaze, not when there's still visible liquid. This is what gives rendang its signature texture.
  • Make it a day ahead, it tastes deeper and the flavors have time to marry. Store in the fridge and reheat gently with a splash of water or coconut cream.

Variations

  • Chicken rendang: use skinless chicken thighs instead of beef, cut into bite-sized pieces and reduce the second simmer to 15 to 20 minutes since they cook faster.
  • Vegetable rendang: swap the beef for cauliflower florets or eggplant, reduce the total cooking time to 45 minutes total (20 minutes covered, 25 uncovered), the vegetables will soften quickly.
  • Spicier version: add an extra 2 to 3 dried chilies and a fresh Thai chili or two to the paste if you like real heat, the coconut cream will still balance it.
  • Thinner sauce style: if you prefer more sauce clinging to the rice, stop cooking when there's still about 1/4 cup of liquid left instead of reducing it all the way down.
Substitutions
  • tamarind paste to 1 tbsp lime juice + 1 tsp sugar. Tamarind has a unique sour note; the substitute gets close enough.
  • dried red chilies to 2 tbsp red chili paste or sambal oelek. Adjust to your heat tolerance. The dish should have noticeable warmth, not searing heat.
  • kaffir lime leaves to zest of 1 lime. Lime leaves are best. Lime zest is the fallback most US grocery stores let you do.

Pairs well with: Steamed jasmine or coconut rice (essential), Cucumber and red onion salad with rice vinegar, Cold beer or a lime soda