Beef Rendang
Chunks of beef chuck braised in coconut milk with a paste of shallots, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, chiles and lime leaves until every drop of liquid is gone and the meat fries, dark and caramelized, in the coconut fat.
Rendang is both a dish and a method: America's Test Kitchen describes it as the Indonesian term for a famous West Sumatran dish and for a way of braising until the food becomes very concentrated. Indonesia's official tourism site says it comes from West Sumatra, was perfected by the Minangkabau people, was developed as a way to preserve meat, and is simmered over a low flame often 4 to 6 hours until it becomes a dry, caramelized coating that kept for weeks; it is served at weddings, community gatherings and both Eid holidays.
Wikipedia traces the earliest known reference to an early 16th-century Malay manuscript, the Hikayat Amir Hamzah, records that Minangkabau travelers carried rendang as provisions, and explains the wetter cousin, kalio, that is served before the liquid is fully gone. In 2011 a CNN reader poll ranked rendang the world's most delicious food. Ownership is DISPUTED between neighbors: Malaysia listed rendang as national heritage food in 2009, and Indonesia declared it a national dish in 2018. That same year a MasterChef UK judge said a contestant's rendang wasn't "crispy" enough, and Wikipedia reports a storm of reaction from Malaysians, Singaporeans and Indonesians.
Why it works the kitchen science
Cooking out the water first
Simmering the paste with a little coconut milk before the beef goes in drives off moisture early, so the long braise can end in a true fry instead of a stew.
Oven, then stove
The uncovered oven braise cooks the chuck evenly and unattended, and the stovetop finish lets you control the final caramelizing, which is where the dark color and deep flavor come from.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 300°F with a rack in the middle. Process the shallots, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, chiles, garlic, lime leaves, coriander, salt, cumin and turmeric in a food processor about 90 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed, until it forms a coarse paste.
- Step 2
Scrape the paste into a Dutch oven, stir in half a can of coconut milk and cook over medium heat, stirring often, 8 to 12 minutes, until the liquid is gone and the paste starts to stick to the pot.
- Step 3
Stir in the rest of the coconut milk and the beef, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often.
- Step 4
Move the pot, uncovered, to the oven and cook 1 hour. Stir, then cook 1 to 1 1/4 hours more, until the beef is just tender.
- Step 5
Return the pot to the stovetop over medium heat. Stir and scrape often, 10 to 15 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat and paste sizzle in the fat, then keep stirring and scraping about 5 minutes more, until deep brown. Some pieces will shred.
- Step 6
Take the pot off the heat, spread the meat over the bottom and let it sit 5 minutes to loosen the browned bits. Stir and scrape everything together, pile it into a bowl, scatter lime leaf and chile on top and serve with rice.
Beef Rendang
Serves 6 · about 6 cups · 3 hr total
Spice paste
- 4 shallots, chopped
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced galangal
- 2 lemongrass stalks, bottom 6 inches only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 5 to 10 Thai chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced, plus extra for serving
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 5 makrut lime leaves, center rib removed, thinly sliced, plus extra for serving
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
Braise
- 2 (14-oz) cans full-fat coconut milk, divided
- 2 1/2 lb boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
To serve
- Steamed white rice
Method
- Heat the oven to 300°F with a rack in the middle. Process the shallots, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, chiles, garlic, lime leaves, coriander, salt, cumin and turmeric in a food processor about 90 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed, until it forms a coarse paste.
- Scrape the paste into a Dutch oven, stir in half a can of coconut milk and cook over medium heat, stirring often, 8 to 12 minutes, until the liquid is gone and the paste starts to stick to the pot.
- Stir in the rest of the coconut milk and the beef, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often.
- Move the pot, uncovered, to the oven and cook 1 hour. Stir, then cook 1 to 1 1/4 hours more, until the beef is just tender.
- Return the pot to the stovetop over medium heat. Stir and scrape often, 10 to 15 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat and paste sizzle in the fat, then keep stirring and scraping about 5 minutes more, until deep brown. Some pieces will shred.
- Take the pot off the heat, spread the meat over the bottom and let it sit 5 minutes to loosen the browned bits. Stir and scrape everything together, pile it into a bowl, scatter lime leaf and chile on top and serve with rice.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Beef Rendang" by Andrea Geary (published February 5, 2024), serves 6 to 8. The food-processor paste, cooking it first with half a can of coconut milk, the uncovered braise at 300°F for 2 to 2 1/4 hours, the stovetop finish until the beef fries and the 5-minute rest that loosens the fond are ATK's. We count it as 6 servings. ATK's oven braise is a home shortcut; the Indonesian tourism site describes 4 to 6 hours over a low flame. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Use full-fat coconut milk; the fat is what the beef fries in at the end (ATK).
- Seed the chiles or use only 5 if you are sensitive to heat (ATK).
- Well-washed galangal and ginger don't need peeling (ATK).
- A flat-edged wooden spoon is the best tool for scraping the pot (ATK).
- Serve with rice, raw vegetables, sambal and prawn crackers (ATK).
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Rendang is Indonesian. Disputed: CNN's 2011 list called it Indonesian and Indonesia made it a national dish in 2018; Malaysia recognized it as national heritage food in 2009, and Wikipedia attributes it to Malay and Minangkabau cuisine (Wikipedia).
- Rendang should be crispy. Disputed: the MasterChef UK judge's 2018 remark drew wide criticism; rendang is cooked until dry and caramelized, and some eateries made crispy versions as a joke (Wikipedia).
- Kalio and rendang are the same. Documented as different stages: kalio is wetter, rendang is cooked until dry (Wikipedia; Indonesia's tourism site).
- Rendang keeps for weeks without a fridge. Documented as the tradition (Indonesia's tourism site: "for weeks"; Wikipedia: up to four weeks if cooked properly). We still refrigerate leftovers and reheat them to 165°F.
- Each ingredient carries a meaning. Documented as the Minangkabau philosophy described by Indonesia's tourism site (coconut milk for wisdom, chiles for patience, spices for unity).
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