What Is Beef Rendang
Beef Rendang is a traditional meat curry originally from Indonesia that is rich, spicy, and full of bold flavors! But it’s now actually more often known as a Malaysian dish and is quite popular all across Southeast Asia. Yet, unlike typical curries, beef rendang is a dry curry, which means that it’s a much thicker curry with a lot less sauce than other curries like Thai Red Chicken Curry, which is quite soupy. However, the key to making this dish is a homemade spice paste and a combination of aromatic ingredients, which infuse the meat with flavor as it slowly cooks in coconut milk into tender deliciousness! Together red chilies, shallots, ginger, galangal (also known as Thai ginger), lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, cardamon, star anise, and a touch of tamarind paste are essential components of this flavorful curry. Beef rendang has all the best Southeast Asian flavors wrapped up into one dish! But don’t let the list of ingredients intimidate you! Beef rendang is really easy to make and requires very little prep time. Plus this dish is the perfect excuse for a fun trip to your local Asian market! And while you’re there you can pick up what you need to try my Szechuan Chicken or Korean Fried Chicken if you like! Yet, don’t worry if you don’t have a local Asian market near you many of the ingredients can be substituted.
Shallots – These little guys are a little sweeter than onions, but still have a hit of sharp flavor. Yellow onions are the best substitute. Garlic – Always use fresh garlic cloves! Curry is reliant on bold flavors. Red Chilies – Add a lovely kick to the dish. Just use fewer chilies if you want to make mild curry. But to make it hotter just leave a few of the seeds in the chilies. Ginger – You will need a fresh knob of ginger for the paste. Galangal – This rhizome is related to ginger, but it’s more earthy and peppery in flavor, which contributes to the authentic flavor of the rendang. You can find it in almost any Asian market. Yet, in a pinch, you can just use ginger. Lemongrass – Just like the name says it’s a member of the grass family with a very lemony taste. Commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, it can be found in the produce section at almost any market.
Vegetable Oil – You’ll need a flavorless oil to sear the beef. Beef – I like to use pieces of beef chuck, but stewing meat is another option. Just make sure all the pieces are cut about the same size. Coconut Milk – Use full-fat coconut milk for the best texture and flavor. Light coconut milk will work, but it’s just regular coconut milk with added water. Water – Needed to braise the meat and thin the sauce out. Lemongrass – You’ll need some whole stalks of bruised lemongrass to infuse the curry with more flavor. To bruise it all you have to do is remove the top half of the stalk and then smash the bottom bulb half to release some of the oils. Kaffir Lime Leaves – These are leaves from a type of citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia. They aren’t always easy to find in Asian markets, but a good alternative is fresh lime zest. Cinnamon Stick – A whole cinnamon stick adds warmth to the curry. Star Anise – It’s the seed pod of a type of evergreen shrub found in China. Star anise has a very distinctive flavor that is warm and spicy with a hint of sweetness. Some say it’s similar to licorice or fennel seed. Cardamom Pods – This spice made from the pods of plants related to the ginger family has a strong aromatic flavor that is a touch sweet. Turmeric – Probably the most popular curry spice, ground turmeric adds a bit of color and warm flavor to this dish. Ground Coriander – This spice highlights all the aromatics in the dish with its very subtle floral taste. Tamarind Paste – It’s a paste made from tamarind fruit that has a tart sweet and sour taste. You can mix together equal parts of rice vinegar and brown sugar as a substitute if you can’t find this ingredient. Another good replacement is simple ketchup. Brown Sugar – Adds just the right touch of sweetness to round out all the spice. Salt – No dish would be complete without some salt to enhance all the flavors.
I know this dish may sound complicated, but it’s actually a quite easy 4-step recipe! Once you’ve gathered all the ingredients together it doesn’t take much effort to make! You can’t have curry without curry paste and in this recipe you will be making your own! But it’s so easy! Just put all the spice paste ingredients into a blender or food processor and then puree them until smooth. You will probably need to stop your processor and scrape down the sides a few times to help the paste along. Next, you can start cooking the beef! First, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Then add the chunks of beef and brown them on all sides. Now, remove the cooked meat from the pot and set it on a plate for now. If your skillet isn’t big enough, you’ll need to do this in batches. After all the beef has been seared and removed from the pot, add the spice paste and cook it for about 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat while stirring it often. You want the paste to become fragrant. Next, add all the remaining curry ingredients to the pot along with the cooked beef. Then stir everything together really well. There should be no lumps of spice paste. At this point, the curry just needs to slowly cook into deliciousness! So bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Now, let the curry simmer uncovered for about 2 hours or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened up. However, while this dish basically cooks itself, you do need to stir the curry and scrape the bottom of the pot from time to time to prevent the sauce from burning. Once the beef is nice and tender remove the cinnamon stick, star anise, and lemongrass from the sauce. Now, taste the dish and add more salt if needed. Then serve the beef rendang over hot steamed rice with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and some homemade Naan Bread.
Storage
Leftover beef rendang will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months when stored in an airtight container. To reheat, just put it in the microwave for about 4 minutes on medium power or in a saucepan on the stovetop. However, if the leftovers have been frozen you’ll want to let them thaw out overnight in the fridge prior to reheating.
Other Delicious Curries To Try
Coconut Shrimp Curry Coconut Chicken Curry Thai Red Chicken Curry Chicken Korma Thai Inspired Green Curry Tofu Butter Chicken Chicken Tikka Masala Slow Cooker Beef Madras
