Recipe

Rendang of Beef

All Recipes / Beef / Dinner

This has to be my most favourite Rendang of Beef recipe. Tender pieces of beef enveloped in what has to be the most flavoursome, unctuous, sticky sweet, chilli hot sauce ever. Please believe me when I say that the combination of all those wonderful sensual spices, combined with creamy coconut milk and left to infuse by a long slow bake is truly unbeatable.

I found this recipe amongst my collection of Antipodean recipes from many moons ago, (its origins I am not too sure about), however, over the years I have slightly tweaked the original recipe, and now I definitely recommend to use ALL the homemade Rendang paste (not just 150g) as it is SO DELICIOUS. You do get perhaps slightly more sauce than is traditionally correct, but oh who cares, as its fabulous on its own with mouthfuls of steamed, aromatic jasmine rice.

Please try it and let me know your thoughts.

4
30 minutes
2 hours slow cook
150°C

Ingredients

  • 800g topside beef
    - cubed
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
    - to taste
  • Plenty of fresh black pepper
    - coarsely ground and to taste
  • 150g rendang curry paste
    - homemade
  • 600ml coconut milk
  • 1 ½ tbsp tamarind paste
  • 6 kaffir lime leaves
    - fresh or dried, shredded or crushed
  • 1 ½ tbsp palm sugar
    - often called jaggery
  • Sea salt and black pepper
    - to taste
  • Rendang Curry Paste
    - makes approx 400g
  • 15g shrimp paste
  • 1 medium sized red onion
    - skin removed and quartered
  • 8 garlic cloves
    - papery skin removed, roughly chopped
  • 12 long red chillies
    - seeds removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon grass stem
    - white centre only, chopped
  • 40g galangal
    - peeled and chopped
  • 40g fresh ginger
    - peeled and chopped
  • 1 lime
    - thin peel only
  • 1 tsp dried turmeric powder

Instructions

  • Prepare Rendang curry paste:
  • 01 Take the shrimp paste and place on top of a piece of tin foil, and wrap up like a small parcel. Place this on a tray in a medium hot oven and roast for 10 minutes or so, until fragrant.
  • 02 In an electric blender or food processor add all the curry paste ingredients, and with the hot shrimp paste blend/process together until mixture is smooth. Spoon into a jar and keep until required.
  • Make Rendang:
  • 03 Heat oil in a large oven proof pan which has a well fitting lid. When hot add curry paste and fry for 3 minutes (image 2). You will notice a strong chilli fragrance being released. This is important and will play an important part in the final taste and aroma of the final dish.
  • 04 Add beef and coconut milk (image 3). Mix well.
  • 05 Add all remaining ingredients; tamarind, palm sugar and lime leaves. Gently stir together and give the sauce a quick seasoning taste check. If its needs a touch of salt and black pepper add now (image 4).
  • 06 Cover with a lid and bring to a gentle simmer, now place in the oven and cook slowly for 2 hours or so until the meat is tender and the sauce rich and sticky.
  • 07 Serve with plenty of freshly boiled jasmine Thai rice.

Notes

I always use a food processor to make the rendang paste as its so easy. Simply cut the onions, chillies, ginger, garlic etc into manageable pieces, throw into the food process and blend together until smooth. In this recipe it asks for 150g of the homemade rendang curry paste. In all honesty I have used all of the paste and it works well.

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