Spicy Beef Rendang Recipe

Malaysian influenced beef rendang curry served with rice on a banana leaf.

Spicy Beef Rendang Recipe

Beef rendang is a spicy, hot stew or curry type of dish from Malaysia and Indonesia, typified by a hot and sour flavour; the heat comes from chilli and the sourness from tamarind. It is all mellowed and tempered by coconut milk and toasted desiccated coconut.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Anglo Malaysian

Keyword beef rendang, beef rendang curry, malaysian beef rendang, rendang curry

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3 30

Total Time 3 45

Servings Servings

Calories 981kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

400 g Beef 14oz
35 g Tamarind Pulp 1½" Cube
35 ml Boiling Water 2 tablespoon
25 g Ginger 1 thumb sized piece
70 g Shallots 2-3
3 Red Chilli Peppers
6 Garlic Cloves
1 Stick Lemongrass
6 dried chilli peppers
25 g Desiccated Coconut ¼ Cup
3 Cardamom Pods
1 Cinnamon Stick
2 Star Anise
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
10 Lime Leaves
200 ml Tinned Coconut Milk ¾ Cup + 1 Tbsp
250 ml Water 1 Cup
2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
½ tablespoon Lime Juice
1 tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
2 tablespoon Cooking Oil

Instructions

Cut the beef into 4-5cm (1½-2") cubes.
Place the tamarind in a bowl, pour over the boiling water and gently mash. Allow the pulp to sit for 10 minutes, then mash again and finally pass it through a fine mesh sieve.
Peel and roughly chop the ginger.
Cut the shallots in half and peel them.
Roughly chop the chilli peppers.
Peel the garlic cloves.
Peel the tough outer layers from the lemongrass, bash it with the blunt end of the knife to bruise it and then roughly chop it up.
Place the ginger, shallots, red chilli peppers, garlic, lemongrass, and dried chilli peppers in a mini blender with a couple of tablespoons of water and blend to a paste.
Cut the tough stalks from the lime leaves and discard them, then shred the leaves as finely as you can.
Heat a dry wok over a medium-high heat and add the desiccated coconut and toast it until it is nice and golden, then remove and set aside.
Return the wok to a high heat and when it is hot, add the oil, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and star anise and fry for 30 seconds.
Add the shallot paste that we made earlier and fry it for 2-3 minutes or until any water has evaporated.
Throw in the beef and stir to coat, then pour in the coconut milk and water, then stir.
Add the tamarind, fish sauce, lime juice, shredded lime leaves, cumin, coriander, dark brown sugar and toasted coconut. Stir, then reduce the heat to very low, then cook for 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, then every 15 minutes for the final hour.
If there is still a lot of "liquid" left after the 3 hours, keep cooking until the mixture has completely thickened and become dark, thick and unctuous. Then serve

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