Beef Rendang Recipe (Indonesian Beef Stew)

Beef Rendang Recipe

We’re traveling to grand Indonesia today, my friends, for an incredibly popular beef stew dish that is sure to appeal to any spicy food lover. It is Indonesian Beef Rendangand it is destined to become one of your favorite new recipes.

What is Beef Rendang?

Beef Rendang (Meat Rendang) is a rich and spicy Indonesian coconut beef stew from Padang, West Sumatra, that incorporates thick chunks of beef in a sauce of coconut milk seasoned with lots of herbs and dry curry spices, all simmered until melt-in-your-mouth tender.

The beef cooks low and slow as the coconut milk darkens to a caramel brown, resulting in a curry-like stew that offers an explosion of flavor in every bite.

There are some variations of ingredients, but the key is the combination of rendang paste with spicy chilies, generous garlic and more, and the thick coconut milk that marries for huge flavor.

Try this once and you’ll be making it over and over again.

Let’s talk about how to make beef rendang, shall we?

Beef Rendang Ingredients

The full list of ingredients with measurements is listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• FOR THE RENDANG PASTE
• Shallots, chopped
• Thai peppers, chopped (or use spicy red chilies, or milder peppers for less heat)
• Garlic, chopped
• Fresh chopped ginger (or use dried)
• Fresh chopped galangal (or use dried)
• Fresh chopped turmeric (or use dried)
• Black peppercorns, crushed
• Cloves
• FOR THE BEEF RENDANG
• Oil as needed
• Boneless beef chuck (or use short ribs)
• Thick coconut milk
• Makrut lime leaves (use bay leaves as an alternative)
• Lemongrass, bottom half only, smashed with a spoon
• Cinnamon
• Palm sugar (or use brown sugar)
• Salt to taste
• FOR GARNISH
• Fresh sliced ​​lime leaves or chopped herbs, spicy chili flakes, crispy fried shallots

How to Make Beef Rendang – the Recipe Method

Make the Rendang Paste. Add the shallots, peppers, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, peppercorns and cloves to a food processor. Process to form a thick paste.

Cook the Curry Paste. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven to medium heat. Add the Rendang paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring a bit. Cooking the chili paste helps to develop much of the initial flavor.

Lightly Brown the Beef. Slice the beef into 2 inch chunks and add the beef to the pot. Stir and cook for a minute, coating the meat with the paste.

Add the Coconut Milk and Seasonings. Add the coconut milk, lime leaves, lemongrass, cinnamon stick, palm sugar and salt to taste. Steer to incorporate. At this point, notice the light color of the coconut milk mixture.

The First Simmer. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, and cook, stirring frequently to prevent burning. The consistency will thicken.

Notice how the color has darkened to a lighter brown, more of a caramel color.

It will continue to turn dark brown as the stew simmers and the oil separates from the coconut milk.

The Second Simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until the sauce darkens to a rich brown color and reduces, coating the beef, for 1-2 hours, or until the beef is tender and breaks apart with a fork.

Cooking time can vary greatly. See the Recipe Tips & Notes section.

Be sure to steer to prevent scorching. Stirring constantly is very helpful.

Remove From Heat. Remove from heat and remove large spices, such as the cinnamon stick. Squeeze on fresh lime juice if you’d like.

Garnish and serve!

Boom! Done! I like to serve my beef rendang over steamed rice with extra spicy red pepper flakes and some chopped hot peppers.

You can serve it right away, but the dish gets even better if you let it sit for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator to develop more flavour. Just reheat it to serve.

Storage Information

Store any leftover rendang in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it freezer containers or vacuum sealed bags for 3 months or longer.

That’s it, my friends. I hope you enjoy your new beef rendang recipe. Let me know if you make it. I’d love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

Try Some of My Other Popular Stew Recipes