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Beef Rendang

Repeatedly been voted as world's favourite dish, beef rendang has all the reasons to be on top.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Instant pot cooking time 1 hour
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indonesian, Malaysian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the paste
  • 2 stalks lemongrass
  • 4 cloves (20 gm) garlic
  • 2 inch piece (10 gm) ginger
  • 3 inch piece (10 gm) fresh turmeric (or ½ tsp turmeric powder)
  • 2 inch piece (10 gm) galangal
  • 3 pieces (100 gm) shallots or baby onion
For the spice powder
  • 10 pieces (10 gm) dry Kashmiri red chilies
  • 2 pieces (2 gm) cinnamon sticks
  • ½ tsp (2 gm) black peppercorns
  • 6 pieces cloves
  • 8 pieces (1.5 gm) green cardamom
  • 1 tsp (3 gm) cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp (4 gm) coriander seeds
  • 1 piece star anise
Other ingredients
  • ½ cup (40 gm) coconut oil
  • 1 kg beef (bonless and cut into cubes)
  • 2 tsp (10 gm) salt
  • ¾ cup (200 gm) full fat coconut milk
  • ½ cup (40 gm) shredded coconut (dried)
  • 1 Tbsp (15 gm) brown sugar (or palm sugar)
  • 2 Tbsp tamarind paste
  • 8 pieces kefir lime leaves

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Dry spice grinder
  • Pressure cooker or Instant pot (optional)

Method
 

  1. For the paste: Smash the lemongrass all over using the back of a heavy knife. Remove the green ends, then slice the white part thinly. Peel the garlic cloves. Peel and slice the ginger and fresh turmeric (if using). Thinly slice the galangal. Peel and roghly chop the shallots/baby onion. Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. You can add a little water to ease the blending process but do not add too much.
  2. For the spice powder: Add all the ingredients marked under spice powder into a dry grinder and grind into a fine powder.
  3. Mix the spice powder into the prepared paste. Once it is thorughly mixed, our spice paste is ready. Keep aside until needed.
  4. Instructions for standard (stove top) pot: Put the pot on medium heat and add the coconut oil. Once hot, add the prepared spice paste. Saute on medium low heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. If it sticks on the bottom, you can add splashes of water. Once the mixture starts to leave the bottom and you see oil appearing on the surface (or mixture turning glossy), you can move on to the next step.
    Add the beef and mix quickly to coat with the spice paste. Add the salt and coconut milk and mix to combine. Cover and let it cook for about 90 minutes, until the beef is completely tender.
    In the meantime, take a skillet and dry roast the shredded coconut on low heat, stirring frequently, until it turns light brown. Then take it out of the pan and keep aside until needed.
    Once the beef is cooked, add the brown sugar, tamarind paste, kefir lime leaves (tear from the middle to release the aroma) and the roasted coconut. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes on medium low heat until you achieve a thick consistency. If you prefer a runnier consistency, you can add some more coconut milk or switch the heat off earlier.
  5. Instructions for Instant pot: Set the instant pot on saute mode (high) and add the coconut oil. Once hot, add the prepared spice paste. Saute for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. If it sticks on the bottom, you can add splashes of water. Once the mixture starts to leave the bottom and you see oil appearing on the surface (or mixture turning glossy), you can move on to the next step.
    Add the beef and mix quickly to coat with the spice paste. Add the salt and coconut milk and mix to combine. Put the lid on and set it to cook on high pressure (valve on sealed position) for 30 minutes.
    In the meantime, take a skillet and dry roast the shredded coconut on low heat, stirring frequently, until it turns light brown. Then take it out of the pan and keep aside until needed.
    Once the beef is cooked, open the lid and set the instant pot on saute mode. Add the brown sugar, tamarind paste, kefir lime leaves (tear from the middle to release the aroma) and the roasted coconut. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes until you achieve a thick consistency. If you prefer a runnier consistency, you can add some more coconut milk or switch the heat off earlier.

Notes

Beef rendang stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.