← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef brisket or chuck, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 15 Dried chillies, seeded and soaked until soft
• 250 g Onion
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 4 cm piece Ginger
• 4 cm piece Galangal
• 3 cm piece fresh turmeric
• 3 Lemongrass, white parts
• 3 Candlenuts (buah keras)
• 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
• ½ tbsp Cumin seeds
• ½ tbsp Fennel seeds
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 2 Star anise
• 5 cardamom pods
• 6 Cloves
• 100 ml Vegetable oil
• 400 ml thick coconut milk (santan)
• 200 ml Water
• 60 g grated coconut, for kerisik
• 1 Dried tamarind slices (asam keping / asam gelugur)
• 60 g gula melaka (palm sugar)
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 Turmeric leaves (daun kunyit), finely shredded (optional)
• 4 Makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, torn

Method

1. Dry-toast the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a pan for 1–2 min until fragrant, then grind to a powder. Blend the soaked chillies, onion, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass and candlenuts with a splash of water until smooth.
2. Toast the grated coconut in the same dry pan over low heat for 8–10 min, stirring, until deep golden. Pound or blitz it into an oily paste: this is kerisik.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and fry the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and cloves for 30 seconds. Add the blended paste and ground spices and fry over medium-low heat for 15 min, stirring, until dark and the oil separates.
4. Add the beef and stir to coat, then pour in the coconut milk and water with the asam keping. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered over low heat for 1½ hours, stirring every 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the kerisik, palm sugar, salt and lime leaves. Keep cooking over low heat for 1 hour more, stirring more often as it thickens, until the gravy has almost disappeared and the beef is tender, dark brown and coated in a thick, oily paste.
6. Stir through the shredded turmeric leaf, rest for 15 min and serve with rice, lemang or ketupat.

Tips

• Rendang tastes even better the next day, and it keeps for a week in the fridge thanks to all that spice and long cooking.
• Contains tree nuts (candlenuts). Watch the pot closely in the last stage: it catches easily once the liquid is gone.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste Asian Food The Meatmen