The KING OF ALL CURRIES is here!!! Beef Rendang has incredible depth of flavour, with complexity and many layers of spices. It’s straight forward to make, though it does take time and perhaps a trip to the Asian grocery store (though Sydney-siders will find everything at Woolies). Watch the video and drool!
Beef Rendang
This Beef Rendang recipe is from a payroll lady at a company I used to work for. It’s her Malaysian mother’s recipe. I still remember, so many years later, how we used to bond over food at the water cooler!
I actually first published this recipe a couple of years ago but I’ve made some minor improvements that will make your life easier without changing the flavour at all. Plus I made a recipe video!
Beef Rendang is the king of all curries!
What is Beef Rendang?
Beef Rendang is a Malaysian curry and is considered by many to be the king of all curries! To say it’s extravagantly delicious is an understatement. There are very few curries in this world with such amazingly complex flavours.
Originally from Indonesia though now more well known as a Malaysia curry, the sauce is made with aromatic spices like cinnamon, cardamom and star anise as well as fresh aromatics including lemongrass, garlic, ginger and galangal.
Unlike many curries, Beef Rendang is a dry curry which means there is not loads of sauce. However, the meat is so ridiculously tender and has a thick coating of sauce on each piece, so when the meat literally falls apart at a touch, it mixes through rice, flavouring it like saucy curries.
If you love South East Asian curries, Beef Rendang is without a doubt one of the best!
Here in Sydney, you can get all the ingredients for Beef Rendang at Woolworths and Coles. Seriously!
How to make Beef Rendang
Though there’s a fair few ingredients in this, some of which may not be familiar to you and are certainly not everyday ingredients even in my world, it’s actually quite a straightforward recipe:
Blitz curry paste ingredient in food processor;
Brown the beef;
Cook off the curry paste – releases amazing flavour!
Add everything else in and slow cook until the beef is ultra tender.
An interesting cooking method with Beef Rendang is the way it gets the deep brown colour. All throughout the video, right up until the very end, you will notice that the sauce is a pale brown colour. It’s not until the very end when the sauce reduces right down and the oil separates that it turns brown, essentially the browning of the beef in the oil of the sauce.
This Beef Rendang can be made in a slow cooker, but I find it easiest to make it all on the stove. Especially given it starts on the stove with the browning of the beef and spice paste, then finishes on the stove with the reducing of the sauce and browning of the beef (this part cannot be done in a slow cooker).
This is one of those recipes that just gets better with time. So whenever possible, I try to make this a day or two in advance. It also freezes extremely well.
I serve this with my Restaurant Style Coconut Rice because it’s my copycat of the coconut rice you get at the posh modern Asian restaurants! – Nagi xx
PS You see those bits stuck on the beef that could be shredded coconut?? It’s not. It’s bits of shredded BEEF. Because it’s so tender by the end, when you’re stirring it, some bits do flake off. YUM!
MORE GREAT CURRIES OF THE WORLD!
- Biryani (it’s amazing!)
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Dal (Indian lentil curry)
- Thai Red Curry
- Massaman Curry
- Browse the Curry Collection
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Beef Rendang recipe video!
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Beef Rendang
Ingredients
Spice Paste
- 12 dried chilies, rehydrated in boiling water, or 12 large fresh (Note 1a)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (Note 1b)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 lemongrass stalks, white part only, sliced (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh galangal, finely chopped (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola or peanut oil)
Curry
- 2 lb/ 1 kg chuck steak, or other slow cooking beef, cut into 4cm / 1.6″ cubes (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp oil (vegetable, peanut, canola)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 tsp clove powder
- 3 star anise
- 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
- 1 lemongrass stick, bottom half of the stick only and smashed (Note 5)
- 400ml / 14 oz coconut milk (1 standard can)
- 2 tsp tamarind puree / paste, or tamarind pulp soaked in 1 tbsp of hot water, seeds removed (Note 6)
- 4 large kaffir lime leaves (or 6 small) , very finely sliced (Note 7)
- 1/3 cup desiccated coconut (finely shredded coconut)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or grated palm sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place Spice Paste ingredients in a small food processor and whizz until fine. NOTE: If using dried chilli and you know your food processor is not that powerful, chop the chilli first.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add half the beef and brown, then remove onto plate. Repeat with remaining beef.
- Lower heat to medium low. Add Spice Paste and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until the wetness has reduced and the spice paste darkens (don’t breathe in too much, the chilli will make you cough!).
- Add remaining Curry ingredients and beef. Stir to combine.
- Bring to simmer, then immediately turn down the heat to low or medium low so the sauce is bubbling very gently.
- Put the lid on the pot and leave it to simmer for 1 hr 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and check the beef to see how tender it is. You don’t want it to be “fall apart at a touch” at this stage, but it should be quite tender. If it is fall apart already, remove the beef from the pot before proceeding.
- Turn up heat to medium and reduce sauce for 30 – 40 minutes, stirring every now and then at first, then frequently towards the end until the beef browns and the sauce reduces to a paste that coats the beef. (Note 9)
- The beef should now be very tender, fall apart at a touch. If not, add a splash of water and keep cooking. Remove from heat and serve with plain or Restaurant Style Coconut Rice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Dozer’s got a boo boo. i.e. Shredded his paw by tearing manically across a bed of oyster shells in pursuit of a pelican.
Let’s not feel too sorry for him though. He’s been pretty pampered.
I love it! Been cooking this for the 5th time now and it never disappoint! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi,Nagi,I really loved to try this recipe,so interesting,and I can smell the taste by just looking the photo and the ingredients.. May I ask if I can use pressure cooker to reduce time?will it affect the taste?hrs/minutes applied and the liquid that I will use.thank you in advance.
Hi Christa – I talk about this in the recipe notes. N x
I’ve made this twice now.. it is aromatic ,rich ,creamy curry such a beautiful winters day treat, I couldn’t get galangal the second time but it was still a great success.
Hi Nagi, do you think I could make the paste a day in advance? Thanks!
Yes 100%! N x
Hi Nagi
I have a new slow cooker that has a sear/browning option. Do you think that would work to reduce it down at the end and keep it in the one pot?
I love soooooo many of your recipes. I look forward to trying this one!
Thank you
Emma
Hi Nagi,
Will this work with lamb?
Thanks,
Emily
Yes 100% Emily! N
Made this last night. So delicious and really easy. Thanks again Nagi 😊
OMG… another fabulous recipe. Thank you Nagi. 🙂 I have tried so many of yours and your Asian recipes are magical. I made this tonight with half the chilis and it was amazing. Such gorgeous depth of flavor. Fragrant and layers of taste. I was making a pot to last me a few days. LOL. Not going to happen. I’ve already eaten nearly half of it. Wow… again. 🙂
Thanks so much for the great feedback Meg 🙂 N x
Beef Rendang was fantastic ………………….thank you
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Your website has quickly become my go to with practical, delicious recipes that take a bit of effort but are so worth it. Sunday dinners are something to look forward to every week!
That’s great to hear Chri! Thanks so much! N x
Absolutely nailed it Nagi. That’s 2 out of 2 successful recipes that I have tried from your site.
Wahoo! That’s great Adrian! N x
This Rendang curry is an absolute winner!! Will defs become a regular in our house. Thanks for the extra advice and tips
Wahoo, I’m so glad you love it Linda! N x
Omgosh, this was amazing Nagi, thank you! Better than the local Malaysian restaurant I order my rendang from! Thank-you so much! Even my 10month old seemed to enjoy it mostly (a bit of a chilli face by the end of his meal). Definitely will make it again. I might try and make the paste in advance to help with time efficiency of cooking with a clingy baby. But well worth it! Delicious!
Thanks Nagi, was great, cooked it low and slow 130C for 4hrs, was fall apart tender! Cheers, David
Perfect David! N x
Nagi, thank you very much for your wonderful recipe. In the time of a pandemic, I didn’t think I would be able to find most ingredients but we did (with some substitutes too). My boyfriend’s mom passed away exactly four years ago today and we wanted to make one of her favorite dishes to celebrate her. The recipe was a great hit and the reduction process was so cool! When we both took a bite, we were SO amazed! This recipe has a very special place in our hearts now. Thank you!
That’s lovely to hear Amy ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Nagi, 12 dried chilies sounds so many is it a really hot curry? I have both dried and fresh what is the preferred choice? Can’t wait to try it sounds awesome.
Aloha Deborah. 🙂 I just made this with 6 chillis, instead of the 12 and it was nicely tangy but not too spicy. I used dry chillis and soaked them in a bowl of hot water like Nagi said to do and got rid of most of the seeds. It was the perfect tang for me.
Hi Deborah – it’s not blow your head off spicy but if you want to reduce the amount you can. N x
Turned out amazing. Did not have galangal so substituted ginger. Will be making this again!
Perfect Julia, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N x
Thank you!!! Easy recipe to follow and unbelievable taste! My family could not believe i cooked it!
Awesome Sel, I’m so glad it was a hit! N x
This rendang recipe was absolutely delicious! It is a totally authentic taste – just like our favourite Malaysian restaurants. Even my husband, who grew up eating rendang loved this. We have a batch in the freezer for a quick meal too.
Perfect Mel!!! N x
Hey Nagi can’t wait to make this recipe. But there’s been a small problem, i accidentally bought tamarind chutney instead of tamarind paste. Will this still be ok as a substitute?
Hi Faye, if you can let me know what’s in it, I may be able to help – N x
Hi again Nagi, so what’s in the Tamarind Chutney is listed as:
Water, Sugar, Dates, Tamarind, Salt, Corn Starch, Caramel (Colour, E150c), Ginger Powder, Cumin Powder, Citric Acid.
Made in India.
Yeah haha upon reading those ingredients i wasn’t so sure if it’s ok to use a substitute.
Nagi, your recipes are fantastic, anytime I feel like making a specific dish I come and check your site for a recipe first. They are all great, keep up the good work! Thanks for sharing with all of us 🥰
You’re so welcome Karl, thanks so much for the great feedback ❤️