The Flavors
The complex flavors of Beef Rendang unfold in layers, like a stick of Willy Wonka’s three-course-dinner chewing gum. First, there are the zingy flavors of lemongrass, lime leaves, and ginger, then comes the savory beef along with a torrent of chili, and finally, as you continue to chew, you start tasting the creamy coconut milk towards the back of your tongue.
How to Make Beef Rendang
Throughout the cooking lesson, Judy hammered home two things: 1) Rendang is not Rendang if it has a sauce 2) Rendang always tastes better the next day. That’s because Beef Rendang was created to preserve meat, similar to confit. Before refrigeration was available, when wealthy Minangkabau farmers dispatched a cow for a special occasion, it was often turned into Rendang to preserve the meat. With its blistering spiciness (capsaicin is an antimicrobial), low moisture content, and high fat content, meat Rendang provided a way to make fresh beef last for weeks in the sweltering Indonesian heat. To prepare it, a spice paste is fried to bring out the flavors; then, the meat is braised with the aromatic rendang curry paste and coconut milk until fall-apart tender. After nearly all the liquid evaporates, the remaining sauce is caramelized by frying it in the oil the meat released during braising. This creates an extremely flavorful coating on the outside of the beef, which eventually absorbs back into the meat, making Rendang improve in flavor over time. If you don’t have the time to make this version of Rendang, I’ve developed a Chicken Rendang recipe that comes together in about an hour and still delivers a wallop of flavor perfect for serving with a bowl of steamed rice.
Ingredients
Spice Paste
The aromatic spices lend a complex balance of flavors to this Beef Rendang recipe, and I like to use a mix of coriander seed, turmeric, ginger, garlic, shallots, and chili flakes. Traditionally, these rendang spice paste ingredients required judicious pounding with a mortar and pestle to turn them into a smooth paste. Fortunately, you can do a pretty good job of it in a food processor in just a minute, saving time and reducing wear and tear on your wrists.
Other Aromatics
Along with the spice paste ingredients, lemongrass stalks, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves are added to contribute an incredible depth of flavor to the curry. These ingredients can typically be found at Southeast Asian grocery stores. You can store them in the freezer for a few months to preserve their flavor, so buy extra when you find them.
Beef
It’s essential to use a tougher cut of meat for this Rendang recipe. Tougher cuts like beef shanks, chuck, or short ribs have plenty of connective tissues to help the beef pieces moist as you cook the curry. The collagen in the connective tissues breaks down into gelatin as the meat cooks, giving the beef a soft, buttery texture and rich flavor that’s impossible with leaner, more tender cuts of beef.
Coconut Milk
Rendang is traditionally made with full-fat coconut milk pressed from fresh shredded coconut. It smoothes out the fiery Rendang spices, giving the dish a balance of flavors that make it crave-worthy. For those of us who aren’t lucky enough to be able to head down to a local shop and pick some up, I’ve found a good alternative that beats the canned stuff. It’s a coconut powder created by spray drying fresh coconut milk, rapidly removing the water, and preserving the flavor profile of the fresh coconut milk. It’s sold in 50-gram packets by a company called Kara and makes about 1 cup of coconut milk per pack.
📖 Recipe
What is Rendang?
Rendang is a traditional Indonesian dish that’s popular in many Southeast Asian cultures and has captured the hearts and palates of food lovers worldwide. Originating from the Minangkabau ethnic group of West Sumatra, this rich and aromatic meat dish is often described as a type of dry meat curry. While it is most commonly made with beef, it can also be prepared with lamb, chicken, or even vegetables.
What does Rendang taste like?
The hallmark of this dry curry lies in its complex blend of aromatic ingredients, which typically include ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, and chili. These ingredients are blended into a thick paste that is simmered with coconut milk and palm sugar for hours, allowing the flavors to meld and the meat to become incredibly tender. The slow cooking process results in a unique texture where the meat absorbs the spicy coconut sauce, which eventually reduces, leaving behind a rich, flavorful coating that clings to each piece.
What is the difference between Rendang curry and other curries?
Rendang is spicy and flavorful, like other “curry” dishes, but unlike most curry, Rendang does not typically have a sauce. There is “wet rendang,” a non-traditional variation of this dish.
