My Recipes Blog

RENDANG - INDONESIAN FOOD

Rendang is a dish which originated from the Padang, Western Sumatera, Indonesia. It is served at ceremonial occasions and to honour guests. Rendang is made from beef slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone, allowing the meat to absorb the spicy condiments and to become tender. The cooking process changes from boiling to frying as the liquid evaporates. Rendang is often served with rice in Indonesia.

Ingredients
500g beef shank, cut into 5 x 5 x 2 cm cube
1 turmeric leaf
3 orange leaves, vein removed
1 cm cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg powder
3 piece of cloves
1000ml thin coconut milk from 1 coconut
500ml thick coconut milk from 1 coconut

Ground Spices
6 red chilies
1 lemon grass, chopped
8 cloves red onion
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon coriander
2 cm ginger
3 cm galangal
1½ teaspoons salt

Procedure
1) Heat ground spices, thin coconut milk, beef shank, turmeric leaf, orange leaves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until it is boiling, while being occasionally stirred.
2) After the sauce thickens, pour in the thick coconut milk. Heat it again until the beef is cooked and dry.

Cooking time : 150 minutes
Servings : 5

Notes, Tips and Variations
1) Since it takes a long time to cook, it’s better to cook rendang in large quantity.
2) Do not use loin beef since it easily becomes tender.
3) Pick an old coconut to make coconut milk. To have a richer taste, use 2 coconuts for 500g beef shank.
4) Rendang can be made into wet or dried rendang. To make wet rendang, remove the rendang after it gets oily. Wet rendang should be consumed within one month, without refrigeration. And to make dried rendang, stir the beef until it is dry. Dried rendang can be kept for 3-4 months.

RENDANG - INDONESIAN FOOD