If you’re interested in Indonesian delicacies, you must definitely not forget the beef rendang, an Indonesian specialty claimed as the most delicious beef-based dishes in the world. The complexity and many layers of spices in the beef rendang recipes make it flavorful and unforgettable.
The deliciousness of this delicacy is unquestionable since it has not only become an Indonesian favorite but also foreigners. Moreover, the flavorful taste of a thick condiment like a curry will boost your appetite. So, it’s unsurprising, if this Padang’s specialty food has become every tourist’s must-try dish when visiting Indonesia.
Once you smell and dip the sauce, you’ll know how addictive this food is. Then you’ll crave it even more when you go back to your country. However, if you live outside Indonesia, you may find it hard to find Indonesian restaurants nearby serving beef rendang. To help you spoil your tongue, we’ll share with you how to make rendang!
What is Beef Rendang?
Rendang is a special dish from Indonesia, originally from the ethnic tribe of Minangkabau, located in the province of West Sumatera. It’s one of the most favorite dishes among other Indonesian culinary icons which is usually served during special occasions, such as the festivities, to honor guests, and wedding celebration.
This food is a dish made with a myriad of herbs, coconut cream, and spices cooked for a few hours until the liquids are completely absorbed. The long cooking process will separate the oil and coconut cream. As a result, the meat will be extravagantly tender and aromatic from the spices combinations.
Since this food has no liquid inside, it means it’ll last longer without spoiling and preserve the meat longer. Simply served it with a bowl of steamed rice and toppings such as fried onions and chili pieces. Until then you will know what heavenly food tastes like.
How to Make Rendang Padang?
In today’s era, you can easily find different recipes for beef rendang. However, there are certain ingredients and uniqueness that define it as rendang beef. For instance, beef, lemongrass, coconut milk, galangal, and long cooking time.
Are you ready to learn step by step to make scrumptious rendang? Below are several things to follow:
1. Prepare The Utensils to Cook Rendang
The utensils that you need to cook rendang are pretty general and can be easily found in your kitchen. The following are some of them:
- Wok/deep fry pan
- Spatula
- Knife
- Blender or grounder
- Cutting board
2. Put Together the Ingredients
Next, you need to gather the ingredients. As we said before, this dish has a myriad of herbs and spices, so there’s a lot to note and prepare. Here are all ingredients for the beef rendang
recipe:
Main Ingredients:
- 1 kg beef
- 100 ml vegetable oil
- 600 ml coconut cream
Ground Spice Ingredients:
- 4 candlenuts
- 50 g ginger
- 50 g galangal
- 12 cloves chopped garlic
- 300 g red chili
- 250 g onions
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 11/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 10 cloves
- 25 g of ground turmeric
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Seasonings and Spices Ingredients
- 4 stalks of lemongrass, bashed
- 3 pieces kaffir lime leaves
- 1 piece asam keping or tamarind
- 2 turmeric leaves, tied up
3. Start the Cooking Process
If you’ve gathered all of the utensils and ingredients, now it’s time to start cooking step by step. So simply follow the rendang cooking step below:
- First, you need to cut the beef into 0.5 cm thick and 4 cm squares. However, keep in mind to not use the beef too small since it’ll easily break when it becomes extremely tender.
- Next, ground all of the grounding ingredients. If done, put it aside.
- Prepare the lemongrass by removing the outer sheath and green section. So, you should use the white portion.
- Next, bash the lemongrass to strengthen and release its flavor.
- After that, heat the vegetable oil in a wok with low heat.
- If the oil heats up, then saute the ground spice before until the aroma is spreading.
- Add turmeric leaves, coconut milk, tamarind, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass to the wok.
- Add the chopped beef and change the heat to medium to make the coconut milk boil.
- Wait until it boils then simmer it on low heat. During this time, you should add water from time to time when the liquid is about to dry.
- Maintain the heat and carefully monitor the water to wait for the beef to absorb the spices thoroughly. It is usually shown when the color turns dark brown which around three hours.
- If everything is set, you can serve it with rice or bread.
Let’s Make Beef Rendang to Pamper Your Taste Buds!
In a nutshell, indeed making a rendang takes a lot of effort. It is basically because it has complex spices or ingredients and a long cooking procedure. Moreover, most spices aren’t easy to find in certain countries. However, once you taste this mouthwatering dish, it’s definitely worth the hassle.
Fortunately, in the era where everything is instant, there’s also an innovation of bumbu instan rendang or instant rendang seasoning. This invention cuts all the complexity of the beef rendang recipe yet the taste is absolutely similar to an authentic home-cooked rendang. Grab your instant rendang seasoning now and you are ready to cook an anti-fail rendang.
FAQ
- What is the main ingredient of rendang?
The beef rendang recipe usually uses the main ingredients of beef, coconut milk, lemongrass, and other Indonesian spices. - What is beef rendang made of?
Rendang is made of beef that is cooked with coconut cream and spice paste. - What is rendang sauce made of?
Rendang sauce is made from a blend of onion, lemongrass, tamarind puree, various chili, garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, cumin, and salt. - What can I use instead of galangal for beef rendang?
Since galangal has a sour and peppery flavor you need to use something that can give the same characteristic. So, if you can’t find it, the best option is to replace it with ginger and black pepper.