Malaysian Cuisine

Beef rendang

Cuisine: Malaysian Created by Alvin Tan

Alvin Tan shares his beef rendang recipe with Food Safari's Maeve O'Meara.

Try these other curry recipes such as Thai green curry and red duck curry. Also, browse our curry recipes for more gourmet inspiration.

Ingredients

6 long dried chillies, seeds removed and torn in half (keep seeds if you like hot food)
150g Spanish onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3cm knob galangal, peeled
3cm knob young ginger, peeled and sliced
1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped
¼ cup vegetable oil
¾ turmeric leaf (rolled and finely chopped) (If unavailable, leave out)
6 lime leaves (rolled and sliced)
1 kg topside or chuck steak, cut into 3cm cubes
1 cup coconut milk
4 tbsp meat curry powder
½ cup water
1 cup desiccated coconut, dry toasted over low heat and ground
Salt to taste
1- 2 tbsp thick caramel soy sauce

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Preparation

Soak chillies in hot water until soft. Place chillies, onion, garlic, galangal, ginger and lemongrass into a blender. Blend to a paste, adding a little of the soaking water from the chillies.

Heat a heavy based pan. Add oil and then fry the paste adding the turmeric and lime leaves. Mix and cook for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.

Add steak, stir in coconut milk and then the curry powder. Add the water and the desiccated coconut (which will help thicken the rendang). Stir and simmer for 1 – 1½ hrs, or until meat is tender. Lastly, season with salt and soy sauce.

Note : Add additional water if meat is still not tender and continue to simmer. The rendang should have some sauce.

Malaysian Restaurants

Displaying 10 of 194 Malaysian Restaurants.

Restaurant		Suburb
1.	Chinta Ria	St Kilda
2.	Harry's Singapore Chilli Crab	Sydney
3.	Abell's Kopi Tiam	Manuka
4.	Asian Cafe	City
5.	Dickson Asian Noodle House	Dickson
6.	Leong Kitchen	Campbell
7.	Rasa Sayang	Dickson
8.	Sammy's Kitchen	City
9.	Timmy's Kitchen	Manuka
10.	Rendezvous Cafe	Darwin

02 May 2012 08:02 AEST

Sylvia

Winthrop

Rendang

Have u tried Charmaine Solomon's recipe? Simple n delicious. Kids loved it.

22 Apr 2012 12:47 AEST

Natalie

Brisbane

Yummmm!

I have tried a few versions of Rendang and love them all!

11 Feb 2012 07:09 AEST

janama

Bonalbo NSW

yup

I had a recipe that had chilli and coconut milk with pandanas leaves. very simple.

11 Jan 2012 04:26 AEST

Gary

Mundaring WA

Curry powder?

You don't need curry powder, kerasik is important (desiccated coconut, dry toasted over low heat, ground then pounded in a mortar and pestle until a smooth paste)

05 Sep 2011 07:15 AEST

Katie

Delicious

I tried this recipe and it was delicious. I used chili powder instead of chilies and could not find galangal so just substituted the galangal with additional ginger. The taste just depends on the curry powder you use. I would recommend the Baba's meat curry powder or a SriLankan curry powder.

25 Aug 2011 10:42 AEST

Norzaini Amin

MacGregor

Sacrilege

My father is from Aceh, Indonesia & my mother is from Malaysia...and she makes the best Rendang ever!..so the argument as to where Rendang originates is not relevant here. There will always be the Malaysian, Indonesian, Hong Kong or here we have the Australian variety...Do people ever argue where curry originates from? Again....irrelevant...the varieties are endless....So peeps....get off your high horses, and enjoy the cultural diversity this world has to offer.,,stop being such snobs.

21 Jul 2011 01:56 AEST

perry Cas

matraville

Reall RRRRendang

Rendang is one of those recipes from the region that varies quite a bit. I have eaten it variously from Sumatra to Malaysia. This one is a bit pedestrian. And i notice that my sentiments were already covered- 'ready meat curry powder' - indeed!

22 Jun 2011 02:53 AEST

afri

melbourne

beef rendang

actually it is from indonesia not malaysia

10 Jun 2011 12:41 AEST

digitizo

South Africa

not even close to original rendang

tried this recipe and taste awful... this is not "real/original" rendang, this is just overcooked meat i went to padang once (west indonesia) taste so much better than this one

23 Jan 2011 03:09 AEST

Andreas

Emu Plains

Beef Rendang - its a hit

I love this recipe. My family & friends absolutely love it too.

21 Jan 2011 01:07 AEST

joel

Melbourne

Meat curry powder

@Nish: Malaysian "meat" curry powder is generally available at most Asian groceries, however I found a great recipe for making it yourself at home. Here's the link: http://spiciefoodie.blogspot.com/2009/10/malaysian-meat-curry-powder.html Enjoy!

04 Jan 2011 08:32 AEST

Ruby

oatley

bunga kantan-torch flower

where can one buy the torch flower-bunga kantan in sydney please. frozen or fresh. thank you.

16 Dec 2010 12:48 AEST

Kurt

Peterborough

Incorrect

It is actually called Rendang from Padang an originally made there and unless Padang has relocated from the West coast of Sumatra in Indonesia to the malay peninsular then i would say it is Indonesian cuisine. Correct??? Also once you eat the original Padang you will never ever eat the imitation from Malaysia.

13 Nov 2010 08:52 AEST

achie emzita-jeanes

Canberra

your rendang recipe

Eeek..! I hope no true Minangkabau persons see this recipe. He he... Thank God my Mom would not see this! Mom would start scoffing and swearing.. It is a big NO NO to use ready meat curry powder (must be of freshly pound spices), only 1 cup of thick coconut milk (must be from 4 freshly squeezed coconut fruits). and yet a bigger NO NO.... "For God sake NO KECAP MANIS"!!!!!! On the last one comes with a strong wagging of finger.... Eeeeek..

10 Nov 2010 11:03 AEST

Chris

Campsie

Beed rendang

I like Malaysian food, most of them. I like the little gadget for blending. Very handy & save a lot of time. Where can I buy it? Please le me know.

19 Oct 2010 03:37 AEST

Rob

Berowra

The best curry I've cooked!

I was a little bit mystified by the meat curry power and the soy sauce but followed the recipe pretty rigidly. I didn't have a tumeric leaf and I used a combination of dried and fresh red chilli's. I used chuck steak, which took about 3 hours to become tender. The curry powder (bought for $2 at an asian shop) looks like a shortcut for the usual curry spices - also has rice flour in it which helped thicken the curry. Though skeptical, I added the soy sauce and found it lifted things dramatically.

25 Sep 2010 08:40 AEST

Lara

SYDNEY

great flavours

My only comment is to add some salt in the begining with the curry to flavour the meat... other than that, this recipe excellent. I used the tin curry power with the chicken on it. freezes well, so always make lots, and then its all worth the effort. enjoy!

21 Sep 2010 01:44 AEST

Kevin Pearce

Mt Pleasant WA

FORGET THE SOYA SAUCE

I understand that Rendang originated in West Sumatra but today there are many versions. I think the addition of sweet soya sauce is a Malaysian variation and as far as I am concerned it is a no no in Rendang. Sweet soya sauce and coconut milk dont mix in my books!

12 Aug 2010 01:56 AEST

Nish

Adelaide

Meat curry powder?

Does anyone know what type of 'meat curry powder' to use for this recipe?

11 Jun 2010 04:33 AEST

Leanna

Sydney

Simply delicious

This dish was so simple to make, sure it was a bit time consuming to find all the different ingredients (I couldn't find tumeric leaf as it is not in season, so substituted with fresh tumeric instead), but it was definitely worth it!! I have never liked recipes that tell you to add "redeng paste', I mean there are so many brands on the market and most of them doesn't taste like what you'd get in Malaysian restaurants. Having a blender definitely helps.

22 May 2010 02:11 AEST

Jennie Nguyen

Taringa

So Amazing!

This Rendang receipe is amazing! I have been trying to find the right flavour for ages and finally I have found it! I didn't put in tumeric leaf or galangal and the chillies i used were just fresh ones. 10/10 so happy!!

02 Apr 2010 09:43 AEST

Regina

Keysborough

Turmeric Leaves

If you are looking for turmeric leaves, one of the alternatives is to go to the Indonesian grocery shop. They might stock frozen turmeric leaves. I bought it once from one of the Indonesian grocery shops in Melbourne. Otherwise, you can try to grow the leaves by planting the turmeric root. The Padang style, doesn't use soy sauce to make it darker but to cook it very long and the rendang will turn darker.

29 Mar 2010 11:56 AEST

tanja

Bilgola

Where did I go wrong???

I need to warn you first, I am just learning. My rendang was so bitter, it was inedible. As the internet was down I guessed the amounts of each ingredient and went very wrong. I used a tablespoon of galangal powder, a fistful of lemongrass, and a teaspoon of tumeric powder. The rest of the ingredients were about the same as the recipe here so i'm assuming I went wrong on the lemongrass or the galangal powder. So disappointed! Will try again soon....

21 Feb 2010 08:17 AEST

Sarah

Melbourne

Delicious!

Made the rendang today. Let it simmer for 6 hours and the meat just fell apart. The family loved it although they said they would prefer it a little spicier. I don't think this is a fault of the recipe however as my chillis may not have been as spicy. Also curry powders vary so this could have been the cause. I will definately make this again. I also couldn't get tumeric leaves so omitted them.

06 Oct 2009 04:59 AEST

Rob Hanich

Cherrybrook NSW

Great Dish!

Tried this at home and was an excellent Rendang. Slightly time consuming but relatively easy to make.

25 Sep 2009 02:06 AEST

Surry Hills

Where to get turmeric and ginger flower in Sydney?

Hi All, anyone know where to get the Turmerice leaves and Gnger Flower (torch ginger flower) in Sydney? I lilved in apartment therefore don't have palce to grow veggies/herbs. Thank you.

17 Sep 2009 08:31 AEST

Zaini

Brisbane

Beef RendanG Varieties

There are many variations of the rendang recipe from Malaysia. Our family's rendang recipe is far simpler but yet very tasty. We are from the N.Sembilan state in Malaysia where the rendang style mirrors Padang styled food. A lot of chilies is used but balanced by the creaminess of the coconut cream (1 cup is hardly enough) BTW I have been successful in growing my own turmeric plant and harvest the leaves for cooking. Do not overwater the plant. It will lie dormant in the colder months tho.

17 Sep 2009 08:31 AEST

Zaini

Brisbane

Beef RendanG Varieties

01 Sep 2009 09:26 AEST

Jack

Sydney Lower North

Additional ingredients for the rendang

Thanks Shelley for your tips. I shall grow them in a big pot. My Dad tried the beef rendang I made and he commented that I missed out some of the core ingredients like coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds ,cloves, cinnamon stick, nutmeg. The taste is just not like the rendang from Penang. They are not mentioned in this recipe. I found another website for the recipe. Enjoy. http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/4853/malaysian-beef-rendang.aspx

01 Sep 2009 09:05 AEST

shelley

biggera waters qld

tips

u need plenty of space to grow tumeric as it is a member of the ginger family and can get quite big......try using fresh root instead easy to get at asian grocery, slice and freeze remainder.....my sil is the best rendang maker! he's balinese

28 Aug 2009 10:00 AEST

Jack

Sydney Lower North

Where to get turmeric leaves ?

I shall try to grow some asian herbs this coming spring in the garden. I just wanted to use the fresh turmeric leaves for the rendang recipe. However, I used the powered turmeric and it seemed ok. I must say the Beef Rendang is to die for, very nice indeed, better than SAMBAL restaurant. Yummy !

28 Aug 2009 02:48 AEST

Suen Yee

Sydney

Turmeric leaves

Grow your own turmeric, then you'd have leaves :P

26 Aug 2009 08:28 AEST

Jack

Sydney Lower North

Where to get turmeric leaves ?

Anyone managed to get any turmeric leaves for the rendang ? I went searching for it everywhere but was unsuccessful. Please help if you know.

18 Aug 2009 06:53 AEST

Nathan

Brisbane

Rendang

Delicious. I also went looking in a number of Asian grocers for turmeric leaves and none had any, so we heeded the suggestion of one of the grocers and used a ginger flower instead. Yum.

18 Aug 2009 02:52 AEST

JANICE

GOLD COAST

One of the best curries I have cooked

Great recipe, loved it, used fresh tumeric instead of leaf, great flavours, four star rating. PS Don't know where You went wrong willy, this is very easy and has exciting & wonderful flavours.

17 Aug 2009 03:48 AEST

Patrick

Sydney

Beef Rendang

The chef Alvin has a liquidizer, what a great gadget. Anyone know where to buy one? BTW, this recipe is fantastic! Even without the tumeric leaves. Serve this with coconut rice (like in Nasi Lemak).

17 Aug 2009 10:51 AEST

Paul Schumann

Glen Iris

fantastic recipe

Thanks for a great show. This was spot on! I've tried cooking a few different curry recipes but often without success (at least first up). This one was fantastic. Had a similar problem to John with finding tumeric leaves, but the flavour was still wonderful. Cooked with chuck steak for around 2 hours and used 1 tbsp of ghee and a good splash of sunflower oil when making the paste (i've found some vegetable oils can ruin the flavour).

15 Aug 2009 08:01 AEST

Willy Wagger

Ballsack Mcgee

Ewwww

That is discusting i vomited after it

26 Jul 2009 08:55 AEST

John

Melbourne

excellent

Beef Rendan is one of those dishes I love but have neverfot around to cooking, but after trying this recipe that will change. Does anyone know where to get tumeric leaves? I'm in Melbourne and have tried the Vietnamese/asian groceries in Springvale and they don't have it and don't know what I'm talking about.

25 Apr 2009 09:51 AEST

Bobby

Brisbane

Beef rendang

Thank you for this lovely recipe ,my family has craved it for a while since moving away from a local resturant that made it and I could never work out the spices needed and shop sauces (tins,pastes etc) did not match the real thing.So thanks again and please keep providing these great tastes .

29 Mar 2009 01:21 AEST

Natalie Moulds

Brisbane

Wow!

This was amazing! I cooked it a little longer and the meat was delicious and tender. Extremely versatile as you can adjust the heat by omitting the chilli seeds for friends who are not so keen on firey curries. I will most certainly cook this again...and again... Five Stars

03 Mar 2009 02:32 AEST

Vikki

Lane Cove

Beautiful beef~~

Very very good recipe! Excellent result! My husband loves it soooo much! He said it's the best beef rendang in Aus! hahaha Just follow the recipe, it's easy to do. Really yummy! I cooked twice already, 4 kilos of beef!

27 Jan 2009 01:58 AEST

Geraldine

Brisbane

Beef Rendang

Great Recipe! Yup, totally agree with grinding the toasted dessicated coconut. Everyone loved it!

10 Dec 2008 10:12 AEST

Jenny

Sydney

Beef Rendang

Delicious rendang! However, I prefer if you grind the toasted dessicated coconut in a food processor, so that the coconut isn't too rough in the dish.

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