Meet the “World’s Best Dish,” According to CNN Readers

In 2011, CNN polled readers on the world’s best foods. The winner of their survey? Beef rendang, an Indonesian dish of beef slow cooked in coconut milk with turmeric, coriander, and other hallmark Southeast Asian aromatics, such as galangal, lemongrass, and ginger. Rendang takes three to four hours to prepare, but it is worth every minute. The meat is succulent and meltingly tender, its flavor is rich with fragrant makrut lime leaves and lemongrass, and chiles give each bite a warm, subtle heat.

All About Rendang

Scholars at the University of Surya in Indonesia have traced the origins of the rendang to the eighth century. They hypothesized that the Minangkabau people (often referred to as the Minangs) in West Sumatra began preparing a coconut-based dish with elements from Indian curries after Indian traders introduced their cuisine to the region. The Minangkabau people started preparing the dish with whatever proteins were abundant in their region, especially beef and buffalo, along with duck and seafood such as eel and scallops.

Over the centuries, that dish has passed through many lands, hands, and generations, and has evolved into the rendang that many Indonesians know and love today. There are as many rendang recipes as there are cooks, and the ingredients, spice level, and sauciness of the dish will vary depending on who is preparing it. The one constant is the cooking technique: The word “rendang” is derived from “merendang,” which refers to a technique of slow cooking protein in coconut milk and spices until the liquid caramelizes.

This technique achieves two things: First, it breaks down the meat’s connective tissue and collagen, making it extremely tender. Second, it removes excess moisture from the meat and the sauce—this partially dehydrates the dish, helping to preserve it for weeks in Indonesia’s hot, tropical climate. This was especially important before refrigeration was common.

The Minangkabau people are traditionally “perantau” or wanderers. In the past, they packed rendang on their travels, as the meal was perfect sustenance for long journeys from West Sumatra to the neighboring provinces of Riau and Jambi, and even across the Malacca Strait to Malaysia, spreading the dish and other Minang foods across the regions.

Even though refrigeration is common today, rendang is still prepared and kept at the ready at room temperature, sometimes for an entire day, so that family members can eat the dish at their convenience. More than a long lasting food, rendang is also a lesson in patience, persistence, and cooking intuition, all of which are required to make a truly delicious version. Today, rendang is considered a food of honor all across Indonesia and must be prepared for special occasions such as Lebaran (Eid al-Fitr), coronations, weddings, and other feasts and festivals.

Rendang is most often made with beef, and in my recipe below, I call for boneless beef chuck roast, although other boneless cuts with good connective tissue and marbling also work well. Although beef is prevalent, rendang is often still made with other proteins, just as it was centuries ago. When I was working on this recipe, I chatted with Amsterdam-based chef and author of the cookbook Rendang, Maureen Tan. She encourages home cooks to use whatever is available to them, including goat, chicken, or starchy cassava and plantains. Both Tan and I love to use bone-in cuts like beef short rib or lamb shank. Regardless of which cut of meat you use, be sure to cut it into cubes that are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches—this size is small enough to become meltingly tender during the slow braise but large enough to not completely fall apart during that time.

How to Make a Spice Paste for Rendang

Spice pastes called herbs, which are typically made with garlic, shallots, candlenuts (a high-fat nut similar to macadamia nuts), and other aromatics, are the foundation of many Indonesian dishes. Each one is named for its color and they can all be easily customized depending on what you’re making. Yellow spices get their vivid hue and earthy flavor from turmeric and is used to prepare soto ayam, a comforting chicken noodle soup, and turmeric-fried chicken. Red spices serve as the base for beef rendang, and although the spices used vary, they typically include a combination of white peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, long pepper, cloves, and cassia bark (as opposed to true Ceylon cinnamon) along with the standard seasoning base of garlic, shallots, and other aromatics. Some cooks in inland regions make rendang with just a paste of shallots, garlic, candlenuts, and chiles and do without other spices and aromatics—the result is a stew that’s less aromatic than coastal varieties but still delicious.

To make the spice paste for my rendang, I incorporate ground coriander seeds and turmeric into a mixture of shallots, fresh red finger-length chiles, galangal, ginger, garlic, and candlenuts. Though this is traditionally prepared using a mortar and pestle, I use my food processor, which is faster and results in a more evenly textured paste. Don’t worry if the paste is not perfectly smooth—the ingredients will soften and break down during cooking.

Coconuts Are Key

Coconut milk plays a vital role in rendang. For a rich rendang with beautifully caramelized—not burnt—sugars, it’s essential to use a good full-fat coconut milk. Personally, I like Thai brands (such as Aroy-D or Chaokoh) because their taste and smell are closest to the freshly-extracted stuff commonly used in Southeast Asia, but many of my Indonesian friends prefer Indonesian-made Kara brand products. Any of these or other full-fat coconut milks will be fine for rendang—just avoid using low-fat or light coconut milk. Some cooks, including Tan, like to add gongseng coconut (also known as kerisik or ambu ambu) to their rendang—this brown, glossy paste made from toasted grated coconut adds body and a deep, nutty flavor to the dish. As an interesting side note, coconut oil (which is present in coconut milk) contains lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid with antibacterial properties that may extend the shelf life of food.

An Easier Way to Make Beef Rendang

Making rendang is simple but slow going. If you’re preparing it on the stove, as is traditional, it’s absolutely essential to stir constantly to prevent it from burning while still allowing the coconut milk to slowly caramelize. After years of making rendang, however, I’ve discovered a method that requires less effort but produces a dish that’s just as flavorful: Cooking it in the oven and finishing it on the stovetop. When cooked on the stovetop, the rendang is more prone to scorching because the heat is concentrated at the bottom of the pot from the flame or heating element. Preparing rendang in the oven means the heat is more gentle and even, which translates into less stirring.

Whether cooked entirely on the stovetop or in the oven and then on the stove, the dish goes through three stages of cooking. After an hour of simmering, when the ingredients are fully cooked and the sauce is bubbling, the dish has reached the “gulai” stage: The mixture is still soupy and resembles a thin yellow curry similar to Vietnamese- or Chinese-style curries. At about the two-hour mark, the “kalio” stage is reached, about two-thirds of the way to rendang. At this point, the oil splits from the coconut milk and forms puddles of oil on the surface of the thick, dark reddish-brown gravy. (The rendang can be served a this point, but I encourage you to keep going to achieve the best dish.)

Regardless of which method you use, once the puddles of oil have formed, the rendang must be cooked on the stovetop and stirred continuously to prevent the bottom from burning. The final stage of the most traditional Minangkabau version of rendang is reached when most of the gravy has been reduced and the meat has absorbed all the flavors of the sauce. The small amount of liquid left appears very oily from the fat left behind and is a very dark brown. This is when it is ready to serve. Indonesian home cooks often say that the drier the rendang, the longer it keeps without refrigeration, sometimes up to months.

For Tan, it’s knowing how to “merendang” properly that matters. She reiterates that rendang is both a dish and a cooking technique, just like braising. As long as you make a great rendang seasoning and sauce, you can use whatever protein you like and you’ll have an incredibly delicious rendang. And with patience, persistence, and honed intuition, you, too, can become an excellent rendang cook.