Malaysian Beef Rendang

Tender caramelized beef braised in a phenomenal flavorful & aromatic mix of spices & coconut milk. It’s layer upon layer of deliciousness.

I’m three months early, but I can’t help it. Hmm.. somehow that sounded like I was a four month premature baby.

I wasn’t.

What I meant was months. Hmm.. that didn’t help, did it?

What I mean is July’s just too long a wait. July’s going to be the month this year when Muslims all over the world will celebrate Eid al-Fitr (more popularly known as Hari Raya in Malaysia). The celebration of the end of fasting (Ramadan). Tis also the most awaited time of the year. Visiting my Muslim friends and feasting with them. We FEAST…. indeed.

Out of all the gorgeous food that will be served, beef rendang is a must to fill my beef rendang deprived tummy.

A little history lesson if I may. Rendang (pronounced as rern dung) originated from an ethic group in Indonesia called Minangkabau. Somehow, this ethic group made their way to Malaysia, the Negeri Sembilan state to be exact. Based on my ‘trying to remember what I learned in History class’ memory, I suppose this was how rendang was introduced to Malaysia (not that we learned about rendang in History classes, although we should).

Yes, I gather I’ve just bombarded your face with plenty of head scratching, tongue twisting words. Forget all that. Just remember this. Rendang.

So, as with anything innocently passed down or spread far and wide, many variations of rendang were born. Good new is, it doesn’t really matter what types of rendang you come across. Be it wet or dry, with or without certain spices, grated coconut or tamarind pulp, they are all superbly delicious.

This beef rendang is what I call my “perfectly balanced” rendang. It’s not too spicy nor too mild. It’s neither too dry nor too wet. It’s not anywhere near tasteless or bland nor is it overly rich.

The end result?

A meltingly fall apart tender caramelized beef that was slowly braised in a phenomenal flavorful and aromatic mix of spices and the very much loved thick coconut milk. It’s just layer upon layer of intense deliciousness. Off the charts!

That…. and neighbors that live a mile away will start knocking on your door and strangers walking pass your home will do a double, triple or quadruple take because their nose glands will have been intoxicated with rendang fumes. And guests… well, you’ll have guests that you’ll never ever be able to EVER stop them from EVER coming over for rendang nights ever again. Ever.

Unless they’re vegan. Or vegetarian.

Spicy, rich, flavorful braised meat your cuppa tea? Then you’re going to love these Dry Curry Chicken. Melting soft chicken braised in creamy, thick gravy of aromatic spices, tomatoes, onions & coconut. Slightly spicy, so flavorful & addictive.

Also, if you haven’t already, check out my last post Millet Patties. Beautifully seared patties crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and full of wonderful, delicious millet flavor.

What is your all time favorite food from a particular festival or celebration?

Malaysian Beef Rendang

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

3 hours

Total time

3 hours 10 mins

 

Tender caramelized beef braised in a phenomenal flavorful & aromatic mix of spices & coconut milk. It's layer upon layer of deliciousness.

Author: AiPing | Curious Nut

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Malaysian

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 lb beef chuck, cut into 1½ - 2" cubes
• 
  
• Spice Paste
• 12 dried cayenne chilis, deseeded, soaked in hot water and drained before blending
• 12 shallots (small, short variety), peeled
• 2½" galangal (blue ginger root), peeled
• 1½" ginger
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 lemon grass, white parts only, sliced (reserve the rest for below)
• 5 candlenuts (or macadamia nuts)
• 2 tsp ground turmeric (or 1" fresh turmeric root)
• ¼ cup oil
• 
  
• 8 kaffir/wild lime leaves, bruised
• Lemongrass (from spice paste), cut to 4" length and bruised
• 1 can 13.5 oz thick coconut milk
• 3 tbs tamarind pulp
• ¾ - 1 cup water or more enough to almost cover the meat
• 1 tbs coconut or brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt or to taste
• ¼ cup dried grated coconut, toasted on a pan until light brown and pounded or blitz in food processor until wet powdery or paste-like
• 
  
• Spices
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbs ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground fennel
• ½ tsp ground cumin

Directions

1. Sear the beef on all sides. Set aside.
2. Add the ingredients for spice paste in a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Over medium fire, pour the paste into a wide shallow pan (eg. 12") and fry for 10 minutes until fragrant. The paste will turn a darker color. Add water or oil 1 tablespoon at a time if the paste is getting too dry. You don't want to burn the paste. Lower the fire slightly if needed.
4. Increase the fire to medium high, add the kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, spices, and seared beef. Fry for a couple minutes. The beef will start to absorb all the flavor.
5. Add the coconut milk and tamarind pulp. Stir a little and then add the water. Bring it to a boil. At this point, the rendang doesn't look like what it's supposed to at all. Give it 2 hours and its dramatic transformation will occur. Brace yourself.
6. Once boiled, add the sugar and salt. Stir to combine. Turn the heat to low and simmer covered for 2 hours. Skim half or all of the oil if you want to.
7. Uncover, turn the heat to medium low and continue to simmer until rendang is as dry or wet as you want it to. Depending on how much liquid there is, I usually simmer another 30 minutes more. Stir every once in a while to prevent burning.
8. Add the toasted grated coconut paste 10 minutes after simmering uncovered. Once the sauce is to your liking, taste and add more salt or sugar if necessary.
9. Serve with steamed rice, coconut rice, naan or roti. Best if eaten the next day for greater depth in flavor.

Notes

1. Chilies: This recipe is moderately spicy. Increase to 15 pieces of cayenne chilies if you like it spicier, decrease to 8 pieces if you want it mild. Dry cayenne chilies are spicy. If you use a milder type of dry chili, you'll have to double or maybe even triple the amount in this recipe. To give you an idea, cayenne's spiciness scale is 30k - 50k while Jalapeno or Fresno is only 3k - 10k. Serrano or Holland chilies are about 10k - 20k while Thai bird's eye chilies are 100k.

2. Shallots (short, pink type), galangal (or blue ginger root), lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and turmeric can be found in most Asian markets (especially Thai markets in this case). Grated coconut can be found in the frozen section of Asian markets. I buy mine from the 'bulk section' of whole foods.

3. Tamarind pulp is used to cut some of the richness of the coconut milk without it being sour.

4. I buy my spices from Mountain Rose Herbs because I can easily buy most of them under one roof - cayenne chilies, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and ground fennel.

5. Beef not your thing? Make chicken rendang using the same base. The only difference is the 'simmering portion'. Add enough water to cover ¾ of the chicken. Simmer covered for 60 minutes and then uncover and continue to simmer another 30 minutes or until desired sauce thickness/dryness.

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