Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Indonesian · Malaysian

Beef rendang

Non-vegetarian

Rendang daging

Beef slowly cooked in coconut milk and a paste of chillies, shallots, ginger and lemongrass for hours until the liquid disappears and the meat is dark, tender and coated in spice.

Beef rendang is an Indonesian curry, ready in about 4 hours and made with dried whole chillies, beef chuck and coconut milk. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Close-up of savoury beef rendang with chili and sides on a wooden table.
Photo: Teguh S / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
30 min
Cook
3 h 30 min
Total
4 h
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
672

Ingredients

6 servings

For the spice paste

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend the shallots (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, chillies and turmeric (opens in a new tab) to a smooth paste with a splash of water.

  2. Step 2

    Fry the paste in the oil in a heavy pot until fragrant and slightly darkened.

  3. Step 3

    Add the beef, coconut milk (opens in a new tab), lemongrass (opens in a new tab), galangal (opens in a new tab), lime leaves and whole spices. Bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered, stirring now and then.

    • 120 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile toast the desiccated coconut (opens in a new tab) in a dry pan until deep golden, then pound or grind it to an oily paste.

  5. Step 5

    When the sauce has reduced to a thick gravy, stir in the kerisik, tamarind, palm sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt. Keep cooking on low, stirring more often, until the liquid is gone and the beef fries in the released coconut oil and turns dark brown.

    • 70 min
    • low heat

    Stir constantly in the last 20 minutes so the paste does not catch.

    A sauce simmering in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels

  6. Step 6

    Discard the lemongrass (opens in a new tab), galangal (opens in a new tab) and whole spices if you like, and rest before serving.

    About this dish

    Origin
    West Sumatra (Minangkabau), Indonesia · Well documentedAlso popular in Malaysia, SingaporeMore food from Indonesia
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Stews & braises · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Slow-cooked, Braised
    Taste
    rich, spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration · Batch cooking
    Cook more with
    Dried whole chillies · Beef chuck · Coconut milk · Shallot · Garlic · Fresh ginger
    Techniques
    Boiling · Simmering · Braising · Reduction

    Allergens

    None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    672 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 390 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 24%
    • Carbohydrate 14%
    • Fat 62%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy672 kcal172 kcal
    Protein41.8 g10.7 g
    Carbohydrate24.8 g6.4 g
    Net carbohydrate——
    Sugars——
    Added sugars2.2 g0.6 g
    Fibre——
    Fat48.7 g12.5 g
    Saturated fat33.7 g8.6 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol107 mg27 mg
    Sodium747 mg191 mg
    Salt equivalent1.9 g0.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1341 mg
    Calcium
    92 mg
    Iron
    10.6 mg
    Magnesium
    132 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    46 µg
    Vitamin C
    12 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.2 µg
    Vitamin B12
    3.8 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    50 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): makrut lime leaves.
    • Galangal: Fresh ginger used as a stand-in: no galangal entry in FDC SR Legacy, and galangal is a closely related rhizome used in similar small amounts.
    • Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
    • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
    • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Rendang tastes better the next day as the spices settle.

    Common mistakes

    • Stopping while it is still saucy — that is kalio, a lighter stage of the same dish.

    Serve with

    • Serve with steamed rice, nasi lemak or ketupat.

    Food safety

    • Cool leftover rendang within 2 hours and refrigerate; it keeps 4–5 days and reheats until piping hot (75 °C).
    • The long final fry needs constant stirring — the sugar and coconut solids catch and burn quickly at that stage.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze 3 months.

    Reheating

    • Reheat gently in a pan with a spoonful of water.

    Variations

    • Rendang ayam (Malaysia): Chicken rendang, cooked for a shorter time and usually left a little saucier.

    History

    Rendang comes from the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, where long cooking helped the meat keep for days without refrigeration.

    Confidence: Commonly attributed

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 3, 4, 5

    Masalas in this recipe

    Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

    • Wet masala

      Rempah for rendang

      This recipe makes it as part of the method (345 g for 6 servings). The full masala recipe explains each step in detail.

      Make Rempah for rendang

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

    You might also like