Beef Rendang

Name: Beef Rendang
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8 piece Dried red chillies; 250 ml Water; 6 piece Shallots; 4 piece Garlic; 30 g Galangal; 3 piece Lemongrass stalk; 1 tsp Ground turmeric; 800 g Braising steak; 2 tbsp Vegetable oil; 400 ml Coconut milk; 6 piece Kaffir lime leaf; 1 tbsp tamarind paste; 15 g Palm sugar; 1 tsp Salt; 40 g toasted desiccated coconut (kerisik)

2 hr 15 min · 26 min active · makes ~1.85 kg · Medium

Beef Rendang: slow-cooked beef in toasted coconut and tamarind paste with galangal, creating a rich, caramelized Indonesian curry that serves four.

See more →

Beef Rendang

Beef Rendang: slow-cooked beef in toasted coconut and tamarind paste with galangal, creating a rich, caramelized Indonesian curry that serves four.

See more →

TOTAL TIME

2 hr 15 min

ACTIVE TIME

26 min

QUANTITY

~1.85 kg

DIFFICULTY

Medium

CUISINE

—

Who’s eating

Cooking for A typical adult.

This should leave everyone comfortably full.

Portions & fullness

Ingredients0/15

Tools0/9

Ingredients

0/15 gathered · 4 servings

8piece

250ml

6piece

4piece

30g

3piece

1tsp

800g

2tbsp

400ml

6piece

1tbsp

15g

1tsp

40g

#	Quantity	Notes	State
1	8piece	—	—
2	250ml	—	—
3	6piece	—	—
4	4piece	—	—
5	30g	—	—
6	3piece	—	—
7	1tsp	—	—
8	800g	—	—
9	2tbsp	—	—
10	400ml	—	—
11	6piece	—	—
12	1tbsp	—	—
13	15g	—	—
14	1tsp	—	—
15	40g	—	—

Tools

10 items

Serveware

1 item

Procedure

42 steps

1 of 42

Put the dried red chillies into the small bowl.

Dried red chillies · 8 piece

⏱ 10s

ResultDried red chillies

2 of 42

Pour just-boiled water over the chillies until they are completely submerged.

Water · 250 ml

⏱ 10s

ResultChillies in water

3 of 42

Leave the chillies to soak until they are soft and pliable.

⏱ 15 min

ResultRehydrated chillies

4 of 42

Place the shallots on the chopping board.

Shallots · 6 piece

⏱ 5s

ResultShallots

5 of 42

Peel the shallots, discarding the papery skins.

Shallots · step 4

⏱ 30s

ResultPeeled Shallots

6 of 42

Roughly chop the peeled shallots into coarse chunks.

Peeled Shallots · step 5

⏱ 30s

ResultRoughly chopped shallots

7 of 42

Scrape the chopped shallots into a small bowl and set aside.

Roughly chopped shallots · step 6

⏱ 5s

ResultRoughly chopped shallots

8 of 42

Place the garlic cloves on the chopping board.

Garlic · 4 piece

⏱ 5s

ResultGarlic

9 of 42

Crush each clove with the flat of the knife and slip off the skin.

Garlic · step 8

⏱ 20s

ResultPeeled garlic cloves

10 of 42

Add the peeled garlic cloves to the bowl with the shallots.

Peeled garlic cloves · step 9

⏱ 5s

ResultRoughly chopped shallots and peeled garlic cloves

11 of 42

Place the galangal on the chopping board.

Galangal · 30 g

⏱ 5s

ResultGalangal

12 of 42

Scrape the skin off the galangal with a peeler or the edge of a spoon.

Galangal · step 11

⏱ 20s

ResultPeeled galangal

13 of 42

Roughly chop the peeled galangal into small pieces.

Peeled galangal · step 12

⏱ 30s

ResultRoughly chopped galangal

14 of 42

Add the chopped galangal to the bowl with the shallots and garlic.

Roughly chopped galangal · step 13

⏱ 5s

ResultRoughly chopped galangal and roughly chopped shallots and peeled garlic cloves

15 of 42

Lay the lemongrass stalks on the chopping board.

Lemongrass stalk · 3 piece

⏱ 5s

ResultLemongrass stalk

16 of 42

Cut away the dry root end and the tough upper green leaves, keeping only the pale, tender centre of each stalk.

Lemongrass stalk · step 15

⏱ 20s

ResultTrimmed lemongrass

17 of 42

Slice the trimmed lemongrass stalks into thin rounds.

Trimmed lemongrass · step 16

⏱ 30s

ResultSliced lemongrass

18 of 42

Add the sliced lemongrass to the bowl with the other paste ingredients.

Sliced lemongrass · step 17

⏱ 5s

ResultSliced lemongrass and roughly chopped galangal mixtureused in step 21

19 of 42

Lift the soaked chillies out of the water and place them on the chopping board, discarding the soaking liquid.

⏱ 10s

ResultRehydrated chillies

20 of 42

Roughly chop the softened chillies.

⏱ 20s

ResultRoughly chopped chillies

21 of 42

Add the chopped soaked chillies to the bowl with all the other paste ingredients.

Sliced lemongrass and roughly chopped galangal mixture · step 18 Roughly chopped chillies · step 20

⏱ 5s

ResultRoughly chopped chilly and sliced lemongrass mixture

22 of 42

Add the ground turmeric to the bowl.

Ground turmeric · 1 tsp

⏱ 5s

ResultRoughly chopped chilly and sliced lemongrass mixture

23 of 42

Tip everything from the bowl into a food processor and blitz to a smooth, thick paste, scraping down the sides as needed.

Roughly chopped chilly and sliced lemongrass mixture · step 22

⏱ 1 min

ResultRendang spice pasteused in step 28

24 of 42

Place the braising steak on the chopping board.

Braising steak · 800 g

⏱ 5s

ResultBraising steak

25 of 42

Cut the braising steak into roughly 4 cm cubes.

Braising steak · step 24

⏱ 1 min 30s

ResultBeef cubesused in step 30

26 of 42

Pour the vegetable oil into a large heavy-based saucepan.

Vegetable oil · 2 tbsp

⏱ 5s

ResultVegetable oil

27 of 42

Set the pan over a medium-high heat and warm the oil until it shimmers.

⏱ 1 min

ResultHot oil

28 of 42

Scrape the spice paste into the hot oil.

Rendang spice paste · step 23

⏱ 10s

ResultRendang spice paste and hot oil

29 of 42

Fry the paste, stirring constantly, until it darkens, smells deeply fragrant and the oil begins to separate around the edges.

⏱ 5 min

ResultFragrant fried paste

30 of 42

Add the beef cubes to the pan with the fried paste.

Beef cubes · step 25

⏱ 15s

ResultBeef cubes and fragrant fried paste

31 of 42

Stir the beef through the paste until every piece is thoroughly coated.

⏱ 1 min

ResultPaste-coated beef

32 of 42

Pour the coconut milk into the pan.

Coconut milk · 400 ml

⏱ 10s

ResultPaste-coated beef and coconut milk

33 of 42

Add the kaffir lime leaves to the pan, pressing them under the liquid.

Kaffir lime leaf · 6 piece

⏱ 10s

ResultPaste-coated beef and coconut milk and kaffir lime leaf

34 of 42

Stir in the tamarind paste.

Tamarind paste · 1 tbsp

⏱ 5s

ResultPaste-coated beef mixture

35 of 42

Add the palm sugar, breaking it up if needed.

Palm sugar · 15 g

⏱ 5s

ResultPaste-coated beef mixture

36 of 42

Season with the salt.

Salt · 1 tsp

⏱ 5s

ResultPaste-coated beef mixture

37 of 42

Stir everything together so the sugar dissolves and all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

⏱ 30s

ResultRendang broth

38 of 42

Bring the pan to a full boil, then immediately reduce the heat.

⏱ 2 min

ResultBoiling rendang

39 of 42

Let the rendang simmer uncovered over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is very thick.

⏱ 1 hr 30 min

ResultSlow-simmered rendang

40 of 42

Stir in the toasted desiccated coconut (kerisik).

Toasted desiccated coconut (kerisik) · 40 g

⏱ 10s

ResultSlow-simmered rendang and toasted desiccated coconut (kerisik)

41 of 42

Continue to cook over a low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce has completely reduced and the beef is coated in a dark, almost dry, clinging paste — the fat will begin to fry the beef in the residual oil.

⏱ 10 min

ResultCaramelised dry rendang

42 of 42

Spoon the beef rendang into a warm serving bowl, scraping up any caramelised paste from the bottom of the pan.

Caramelised dry rendang · step 41

⏱ 30s

ResultCaramelised dry rendang

Total Time2 hr 15 min

#	Product	Action
1	8 piece	Put the dried red chillies into the small bowl.⏱ 10sResultDried red chillies
2	250 ml	Pour just-boiled water over the chillies until they are completely submerged.⏱ 10sResultChillies in water
3	—	Leave the chillies to soak until they are soft and pliable.⏱ 15 minResultRehydrated chillies
4	6 piece	Place the shallots on the chopping board.⏱ 5sResultShallots
5	Shallotsstep 4	Peel the shallots, discarding the papery skins.⏱ 30sResultPeeled Shallots
6	Peeled Shallotsstep 5	Roughly chop the peeled shallots into coarse chunks.⏱ 30sResultRoughly chopped shallots
7	Roughly chopped shallotsstep 6	Scrape the chopped shallots into a small bowl and set aside.⏱ 5sResultRoughly chopped shallots
8	4 piece	Place the garlic cloves on the chopping board.⏱ 5sResultGarlic
9	Garlicstep 8	Crush each clove with the flat of the knife and slip off the skin.⏱ 20sResultPeeled garlic cloves
10	Peeled garlic clovesstep 9	Add the peeled garlic cloves to the bowl with the shallots.⏱ 5sResultRoughly chopped shallots and peeled garlic cloves
11	30 g	Place the galangal on the chopping board.⏱ 5sResultGalangal
12	Galangalstep 11	Scrape the skin off the galangal with a peeler or the edge of a spoon.⏱ 20sResultPeeled galangal
13	Peeled galangalstep 12	Roughly chop the peeled galangal into small pieces.⏱ 30sResultRoughly chopped galangal
14	Roughly chopped galangalstep 13	Add the chopped galangal to the bowl with the shallots and garlic.⏱ 5sResultRoughly chopped galangal and roughly chopped shallots and peeled garlic cloves
15	3 piece	Lay the lemongrass stalks on the chopping board.⏱ 5sResultLemongrass stalk
16	Lemongrass stalkstep 15	Cut away the dry root end and the tough upper green leaves, keeping only the pale, tender centre of each stalk.⏱ 20sResultTrimmed lemongrass
17	Trimmed lemongrassstep 16	Slice the trimmed lemongrass stalks into thin rounds.⏱ 30sResultSliced lemongrass
18	Sliced lemongrassstep 17	Add the sliced lemongrass to the bowl with the other paste ingredients.⏱ 5sResultSliced lemongrass and roughly chopped galangal mixtureused in step 21
19	—	Lift the soaked chillies out of the water and place them on the chopping board, discarding the soaking liquid.⏱ 10sResultRehydrated chillies
20	—	Roughly chop the softened chillies.⏱ 20sResultRoughly chopped chillies
21	Sliced lemongrass and roughly chopped galangal and roughly chopped shallots and peeled garlic clovesstep 18	Add the chopped soaked chillies to the bowl with all the other paste ingredients.⏱ 5sResultRoughly chopped chilly and sliced lemongrass mixture
21	Roughly chopped chilliesstep 20
22	1 tsp	Add the ground turmeric to the bowl.⏱ 5sResultRoughly chopped chilly and sliced lemongrass mixture
23	Roughly chopped chillies and sliced lemongrass and roughly chopped galangal and roughly chopped shallots and peeled garlic cloves and ground turmericstep 22	Tip everything from the bowl into a food processor and blitz to a smooth, thick paste, scraping down the sides as needed.⏱ 1 minResultRendang spice pasteused in step 28
24	800 g	Place the braising steak on the chopping board.⏱ 5sResultBraising steak
25	Braising steakstep 24	Cut the braising steak into roughly 4 cm cubes.⏱ 1 min 30sResultBeef cubesused in step 30
26	2 tbsp	Pour the vegetable oil into a large heavy-based saucepan.⏱ 5sResultVegetable oil
27	—	Set the pan over a medium-high heat and warm the oil until it shimmers.⏱ 1 minResultHot oil
28	Rendang spice pastestep 23	Scrape the spice paste into the hot oil.⏱ 10sResultRendang spice paste and hot oil
29	—	Fry the paste, stirring constantly, until it darkens, smells deeply fragrant and the oil begins to separate around the edges.⏱ 5 minResultFragrant fried paste
30	Beef cubesstep 25	Add the beef cubes to the pan with the fried paste.⏱ 15sResultBeef cubes and fragrant fried paste
31	—	Stir the beef through the paste until every piece is thoroughly coated.⏱ 1 minResultPaste-coated beef
32	400 ml	Pour the coconut milk into the pan.⏱ 10sResultPaste-coated beef and coconut milk
33	6 piece	Add the kaffir lime leaves to the pan, pressing them under the liquid.⏱ 10sResultPaste-coated beef and coconut milk and kaffir lime leaf
34	1 tbsp	Stir in the tamarind paste.⏱ 5sResultPaste-coated beef mixture
35	15 g	Add the palm sugar, breaking it up if needed.⏱ 5sResultPaste-coated beef mixture
36	1 tsp	Season with the salt.⏱ 5sResultPaste-coated beef mixture
37	—	Stir everything together so the sugar dissolves and all the ingredients are evenly distributed.⏱ 30sResultRendang broth
38	—	Bring the pan to a full boil, then immediately reduce the heat.⏱ 2 minResultBoiling rendang
39	—	Let the rendang simmer uncovered over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is very thick.⏱ 1 hr 30 minResultSlow-simmered rendang
40	40 g	Stir in the toasted desiccated coconut (kerisik).⏱ 10sResultSlow-simmered rendang and toasted desiccated coconut (kerisik)
41	—	Continue to cook over a low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce has completely reduced and the beef is coated in a dark, almost dry, clinging paste — the fat will begin to fry the beef in the residual oil.⏱ 10 minResultCaramelised dry rendang
42	Caramelised dry rendangstep 41	Spoon the beef rendang into a warm serving bowl, scraping up any caramelised paste from the bottom of the pan.⏱ 30sResultCaramelised dry rendang
Total Time		2 hr 15 min

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated · pre-cooking · 100% ingredients covered

Nutrient	Per serving
	857kcal
	47g
	64g
	39g
	30g
	14g
	7g
	621mg

Ingredients0/15

Tools0/9

Recipe

Beef Rendang

Beef Rendang: slow-cooked beef in toasted coconut and tamarind paste with galangal, creating a rich, caramelized Indonesian curry that serves four.

What you’ll doYou will soak dried chillies, then roughly chop shallots, garlic, galangal and lemongrass before blitzing them with turmeric into a paste. Cube the beef and fry the paste in oil until fragrant and separated, then add the beef, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, tamarind and palm sugar. Simmer uncovered on low heat until most liquid evaporates, stir in toasted coconut, then cook further over low-medium heat until the sauce reduces to a dark, clinging paste that coats the meat.

Serves4

Total2 hr 15 min

LevelMedium

Ingredients

Dried red chillies8 piece
Water250 ml
Shallots6 piece
Garlic4 piece
Galangal30 g
Lemongrass stalk3 piece
Ground turmeric1 tsp
Braising steak800 g
Vegetable oil2 tbsp
Coconut milk400 ml
Kaffir lime leaf6 piece
Tamarind paste1 tbsp
Palm sugar15 g
Salt1 tsp
Toasted desiccated coconut (kerisik)40 g

Tools

Rehydrated chillies bowl (small bowl)Shallots bowl (small bowl)Large heavy based saucepanChef's knifeWooden spoonLarge spoonFood processorPeelerServing bowlChopping board

Method

Put the dried red chillies into the small bowl.

10sRehydrated chillies bowl (small bowl)Dried red chillies · 8 piece

Pour just-boiled water over the chillies until they are completely submerged.

10sRehydrated chillies bowl (small bowl)Water · 250 ml

Leave the chillies to soak until they are soft and pliable.

15 minRehydrated chillies bowl (small bowl)

Place the shallots on the chopping board.

5sChopping boardShallots · 6 piece

Peel the shallots, discarding the papery skins.

30sChopping board, Chefs knifeShallots · step 4

Roughly chop the peeled shallots into coarse chunks.

30sChopping board, Chefs knifePeeled Shallots · step 5

Scrape the chopped shallots into a small bowl and set aside.

5sShallots bowl (small bowl)Roughly chopped shallots · step 6

Place the garlic cloves on the chopping board.

5sChopping boardGarlic · 4 piece

Crush each clove with the flat of the knife and slip off the skin.

20sChopping board, PeelerGarlic · step 8

Add the peeled garlic cloves to the bowl with the shallots.

5sShallots bowl (small bowl)Peeled garlic cloves · step 9

Place the galangal on the chopping board.

5sChopping boardGalangal · 30 g

Scrape the skin off the galangal with a peeler or the edge of a spoon.

20sChopping board, PeelerGalangal · step 11

Roughly chop the peeled galangal into small pieces.

30sChopping board, Chefs knifePeeled galangal · step 12

Add the chopped galangal to the bowl with the shallots and garlic.

5sShallots bowl (small bowl)Roughly chopped galangal · step 13

Lay the lemongrass stalks on the chopping board.

5sChopping boardLemongrass stalk · 3 piece

Cut away the dry root end and the tough upper green leaves, keeping only the pale, tender centre of each stalk.

20sChopping board, Chefs knifeLemongrass stalk · step 15

Slice the trimmed lemongrass stalks into thin rounds.

30sChopping board, Chefs knifeTrimmed lemongrass · step 16

Add the sliced lemongrass to the bowl with the other paste ingredients.

Result · Sliced lemongrass and roughly chopped galangal mixture · used in step 21

5sShallots bowl (small bowl)Sliced lemongrass · step 17

Lift the soaked chillies out of the water and place them on the chopping board, discarding the soaking liquid.

10sChopping board

Roughly chop the softened chillies.

20sChopping board, Chefs knife

Add the chopped soaked chillies to the bowl with all the other paste ingredients.

5sShallots bowl (small bowl)Sliced lemongrass and roughly chopped galangal mixture · step 18Roughly chopped chillies · step 20

Add the ground turmeric to the bowl.

5sShallots bowl (small bowl)Ground turmeric · 1 tsp

Tip everything from the bowl into a food processor and blitz to a smooth, thick paste, scraping down the sides as needed.

Result · Rendang spice paste · used in step 28

1 minFood processorRoughly chopped chilly and sliced lemongrass mixture · step 22

Place the braising steak on the chopping board.

5sChopping boardBraising steak · 800 g

Cut the braising steak into roughly 4 cm cubes.

Result · Beef cubes · used in step 30

1 min 30sChopping board, Chefs knifeBraising steak · step 24

Pour the vegetable oil into a large heavy-based saucepan.

5sLarge heavy based saucepanVegetable oil · 2 tbsp

Set the pan over a medium-high heat and warm the oil until it shimmers.

1 minLarge heavy based saucepan

Scrape the spice paste into the hot oil.

10sLarge heavy based saucepanRendang spice paste · step 23

Fry the paste, stirring constantly, until it darkens, smells deeply fragrant and the oil begins to separate around the edges.

5 minLarge heavy based saucepan, Wooden spoon

Add the beef cubes to the pan with the fried paste.

15sLarge heavy based saucepanBeef cubes · step 25

Stir the beef through the paste until every piece is thoroughly coated.

1 minLarge heavy based saucepan, Wooden spoon

Pour the coconut milk into the pan.

10sLarge heavy based saucepanCoconut milk · 400 ml

Add the kaffir lime leaves to the pan, pressing them under the liquid.

10sLarge heavy based saucepanKaffir lime leaf · 6 piece

Stir in the tamarind paste.

5sLarge heavy based saucepanTamarind paste · 1 tbsp

Add the palm sugar, breaking it up if needed.

5sLarge heavy based saucepanPalm sugar · 15 g

Season with the salt.

5sLarge heavy based saucepanSalt · 1 tsp

Stir everything together so the sugar dissolves and all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

30sLarge heavy based saucepan, Wooden spoon

Bring the pan to a full boil, then immediately reduce the heat.

2 minLarge heavy based saucepan

Let the rendang simmer uncovered over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is very thick.

1 hr 30 minLarge heavy based saucepan, Wooden spoon

Stir in the toasted desiccated coconut (kerisik).

10sLarge heavy based saucepanToasted desiccated coconut (kerisik) · 40 g

10 minLarge heavy based saucepan, Wooden spoon

Spoon the beef rendang into a warm serving bowl, scraping up any caramelised paste from the bottom of the pan.

Result · Caramelised dry rendang

30sServing bowl, Large spoonCaramelised dry rendang · step 41

Printed 28 September 2026