Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Beef Rendang
Beef simmered for hours in coconut milk and spice paste until the liquid vanishes and the meat turns dark, dry, and intense.
Indonesian (Minang) · advanced · serves 6
prep 30 min · cook 210 min
~903 cal · 54g protein · 26g carbs · 67g fat · 7g fiber · 11g sugars · 45g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Rendang is the crown jewel of Minangkabau cooking from West Sumatra, beef simmered for hours in and a fragrant paste of , , turmeric, and chili until the liquid evaporates and the meat turns dark, dry, and profoundly flavored. It has topped global lists of the world's most delicious foods.
The magic is in the long, patient cooking: the and , coating the meat in a rich, almost crumbly spice crust as the spices meld into extraordinary depth. Traditionally cooked in vast quantities for ceremonies, its dryness once made it a way to preserve meat.
A dish of celebration and hospitality across Indonesia and the Malay world, rendang is served at weddings, Eid, and important occasions with rice.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
2.5 lbs beef chuck, large cubes
2 cans (28 oz)
8 shallots
6 cloves garlic
2-inch ginger
2-inch
Hard to find? fresh ginger with a little lime zest - not really the same thing. Galangal is peppery and resinous where ginger is warm and sweet, so the zest is there to fake some of the missing brightness; frozen, paste or dried galangal are all closer than ginger
8 dried red chilies
4 fresh red chilies
3 stalks
5 kaffir lime leaves
Hard to find? the zest of a lime, about a quarter teaspoon for every two leaves - frozen or dried makrut leaves keep well and are much closer than any substitute. Lime zest gives brightness but not the deep floral note, and lemon zest pulls the dish in the wrong direction entirely
1 turmeric leaf (if found)
1 stick cinnamon
4 cloves
2 star anise
1/2 cup toasted grated coconut (kerisik)
1 tbsp
1 tbsp palm sugar
Instructions
1
Blend the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, and chilies into a fine spice paste.
2
Fry the paste in a little oil with the whole spices and bruised lemongrass until deeply fragrant.
3
Add the beef (or mushrooms and jackfruit), coconut milk, and lime leaves, and bring to a simmer, uncovered.
4
Cook for about 3 hours (1 hour for the plant version), stirring often, as the liquid slowly reduces.
5
Around the 2-hour mark the coconut milk splits and the curry begins to fry in its own oil, so stir constantly now so it does not catch.
✎ Chef’s note
Rendang is not a stew but a slow-fry. The long reduction until it fries in its own oil is exactly what darkens and preserves it, so do not stop while it is still saucy.
6
Add the toasted coconut, tamarind, and palm sugar, and cook until the beef is dark mahogany, nearly dry, and coated in spice. Serve with rice.
Minangkabau ceremonial tradition, West Sumatra.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
West Sumatra. Rendang began as a preserving method. Beef cooks in coconut milk and spice paste for hours until the liquid has gone and the meat is frying in the oil that separates out, which is what lets it keep for weeks without cold. Stop earlier and you have kalio, wetter and paler, which is a different dish.
🗺️
Indonesia. The Spice Islands were specific islands, not a mood. Nutmeg and mace came from the tiny Banda group in the south Moluccas, for a long time the world's only significant source, while cloves were tied to Ternate, Tidore and Ambon further north, and the Dutch fought and reorganised whole societies in the seventeenth century to control them.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Indonesia
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Bubur SumsumA soft rice-flour and coconut porridge pooled with dark palm-sugar syrup.
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Good to know
You’ll need: Blender.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Beef Rendang?
Beef simmered for hours in coconut milk and spice paste until the liquid vanishes and the meat turns dark, dry, and intense.
Where does Beef Rendang come from?
Beef Rendang is a Indonesian (Minang) dish from West Sumatra, Indonesia.
Can Beef Rendang be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Beef Rendang recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Beef Rendang safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Beef Rendang take to make?
About 240 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 210 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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