Indonesian Beef Rendang
Beef rendang is Indonesian beef curry cooked in spiced coconut milk until all the liquid evaporates leaving the meat tastes rich and delicious.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 2 hr
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 ¾ pounds boneless beef (cut in chunks.)
- 2 medium-sized onions (finely chopped.)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin.
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander.
- ½ Inch galangal.
- 1 inch ginger.
- 1 ½ teaspoons red chilli pepper powder/ Kashmiri red chili powder, (or 10-15 fresh red chillies (see the note))
- 1 lemongrass.
- ½ turmeric leaf (optional.)
- 5 kaffir lime leaves.
- 2 cans good quality coconut milk ((2 x 13.5 fl.oz. canned unflavored coconut milk).)
- 1-2 teaspoons salt (according to taste.)
Instructions
- 1
Using a pestle and mortar, pound and grind the onions, galangal, ginger, and fresh chilies (if using) into a paste. You can also use a food processor to make this paste. Just put the onion, galangal, ginger, and chilies in the food processor. Then give it a blitz until all the become a thick paste.
- 2
Put the meat in a big wok, add in the spices and herbs paste, the cumin, coriander, lemongrass, turmeric leaf, kaffir lime leaves, and salt.
- 3
Stir until all the meat pieces are covered with spices. Put the lid on and cook at medium heat. Keep checking and stirring every now and again.
- 4
After about 20-30 minutes when the meat looks cooked, add in the coconut milk. Stir and cook further with the lid on at medium-high heat until the milk reaches boiling point, then turn the heat to low. If the coconut milk overflows your cooking pan, you can take the lid off or leave it slightly ajar. Don't forget to always keep checking and stirring. And be careful with the boiling gravy that can be scattered around.
- 5
Rendang should be ready within a few hours. But at this point, the rendang will have quite a bit of gravy. You can enjoy it if you want to.
- 6
If you like to have a proper Rendang Hitam (black rendang), you have to cook longer for at least another hour. Until all the liquid evaporates completely and the color of your rendang becomes very dark brown. You can quicken the process by cooking at medium-high heat so the gravy evaporates quickly. But, take care not to let it stick to the wok, or worse, to burn. Keep checking and stirring.
- 7
When all the sauce is gone, and the rendang turns dark brown, you can switch the heat off. Your black rendang/ rendang hitam is ready.