Rich and fragrant Beef Rendang with an incredible depth of flavor. It is an aromatic caramelized beef curry traditionally served during festive occasions.
Beef Rendang is a very aromatic caramelized beef curry. In Malaysia, you will find it during festive and ceremonial occasions such as wedding feasts and Hari Raya (Eid al-Fitr). Mom’s Beef Rendang is delicious but she rarely prepares it because we seldom eat beef at home. As such, I often look forward to invitations from Malay friends so that I can savor this special dish. Fortunately, I can now make it in my own kitchen.
Kerisik (Fried Coconut Paste)
One important ingredient in rendang is Kerisik (Fried Coconut Paste). It helps thicken the sauce and provides flavor and texture to the dish. You can make Kerisik ahead of time. It will keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator and 2 months in the freezer. Do check out this Kerisik video tutorial on how to make Kerisik for your Beef Rendang.
Please do not be deterred by the long list of ingredients and cooking time. I assure you it is easy to prepare and will be totally worth your effort. Your kitchen will smell amazing and you will be rewarded with the most tender and delicious beef curry you have ever tasted.
Turmeric Leaves
Turmeric leaves are almost impossible to find here, unless you grow your own turmeric. I must remind myself to grow some turmeric in a pot next spring so that I can have a few leaves for my rendang next summer. I had to leave it out this time. Please use it, if you have some on hand.
Similar Tools Used in Making This Beef Rendang
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KitchenAid 9-Cup Food Processor
Le Creuset Cast-Iron 4-1/2-Quart Round French (Dutch) Oven, Cherry Red
Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 4 cardamom pods
- 6 cloves
- 2 stalks lemongrass (bottom third only, bruised)
- 2¼ lbs chuck roast (cubed) (1 kg)
- ½ cup water (120ml)
- ¾ cup coconut milk (180ml)
- 1 cup grated coconut (100g)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (thinly sliced)
- 1 turmeric leaf (thinly sliced) (optional)
Spice Paste
- 3 red chilies (seeded and cut into pieces)
- 10 dried chilies (seeded, soaked warm water, and drained)
- 2 inch galangal (sliced) (60g)
- 2 inch ginger (peeled and sliced) (60g)
- 5 to 6 shallots (peeled and halved)
- 3 cloves garlic (peeled, and cut into quarters)
- 3 candle nuts or macadamias
- ¼ cup water (60ml)
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground fennel
INSTRUCTIONS
- Blend red chilies, dried chilies, galangal, ginger, shallots, garlic, and candlenuts in a blender with ¼ cup (60ml) water. Transfer to a bowl. Add ground coriander, cumin, and fennel. Mix into a paste.
- Heat vegetable oil in a medium sized pot. Stir fry cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamom pods, cloves, lemongrass, and spice paste over medium heat until fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add beef and give it a good stir to coat with spices. Then pour in ½ cup (120ml) water and coconut milk. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is tender. Do give it a stir occasionally.
- In the meantime, toast (without oil) grated coconut in a frying pan, stirring constantly over low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a mortar and pound toasted coconut into a paste to release the oil and fragrance. Set aside.
- Add sugar, salt, kerisik (fried coconut paste), kaffir lime leaves, and turmeric leaf (if using). Continue to cook for 30 minutes until meat is very tender and only a little gravy remains.
- Serve with roti jala, nasi briyani, or white basmati rice.
NUTRITION
Serving Suggestions for Beef Rendang
I made this Beef Rendang twice in a span of two weeks because the family enjoyed it so much. It was really delicious served with Roti Jala and Nasi Biryani. I also served some Cucumber, Tomato, and Boondi Raita as a side dish for a cooling effect.
Be sure to check back next week for my Nasi Biryani recipe.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
You really are making me extra hungry this morning!! This rendang look amazing and I can see how tender the meat is from here. 🙂
Thanks Ramona! I have to agree with you that this rendang is just the most amazing dish. It is aromatic, tasty, and simply delicious. Totally worth the effort in preparing it. 🙂
I made this tonight and it was just amazing! I adapted it for a slow cooker and it was the most beautiful beef curry I’ve ever made. I’m never using pre made spice pastes again!
Thank you!!
You can check out mine here.
I am so pleased to hear that you enjoyed this dish and even adapted it for the slow cooker. It is really the most tasty beef curry out there. The kerisik (toasted pounded coconut) is what makes it so special. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I will be trying them tonight! I saw some other recipes on beef rendang that include turmeric too. May I know if there is any reason you skip turmeric?
You are welcome, Pui Fern. The spice paste can differ from recipe to recipe. In this case, I did not think that turmeric is necessary. Also, it will cause the dish to be a little on the yellow side.
Hi,
Can I replace Macadamia nuts with peanuts? Thanks
If you use peanuts, it will have a stronger flavor which may not be what is expected in a rendang.
Hi, thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! I did not have the turmeric leaf, galangal or lemongrass, but I can certainly say that this was a tender and flavourful curry which I served with rice and steamed broccolini…. I cut back on the dried chilli as my children can’t eat hot… saved this as all the family enjoyed 🙂
Very glad to hear that the recipe turned out well for you. I hope you get to try it again with the turmeric leaf, galangal, and lemongrass. 🙂
Can i replace turmeric leaves with fresh root or powder? Thanks
The turmeric leaves are used for fragrance. If you can’t find them, please leave them out.