Beef Rendang (Indonesian coconut milk thick beef curry).

Looking for an easier but authentic Rendang beef curry with the same flavors but using only half the ingredients?

Then you need to try the Indonesian Rendang curry.

A  delicious slow-cooked beef curry cooked in coconut milk that includes lemongrass, galangal and a few other fragrant and regular pantry spices.

The beef curry is simmered over low heat giving it time to absorb the flavors and stirred constantly so that once the coconut milk is completely reduced, the Rendang beef curry fries in the remaining oil made by the coconut milk.

This whole process of cooking the Asian beef Rendang gives you the most tender, flavorful beef curry that melts in your mouth.

Try the Indonesian beef Rendang beef curry.

Though there are various versions of Rendang beef from the Southeast Asian region, for your first try, I would highly recommend trying this Indonesian beef curry.

Though it is a bit time-consuming, the end result of this slow-cooked beef curry gives you a very rich meat dish that can be served at any festive occasion.

It’s way easier than the Malaysian Beef Rendang which is more popular around the world BUT needs a whole lot of more ingredients that you may or may not find at the time you want to make a Rendang beef curry.

Beef rendang is a great way to preserve meat without refrigeration.

The spices used are known to have antimicrobial properties and serve as natural organic preservatives.

If cooked properly dry Rendang can last for as long as four weeks (Source Wikipedia)  So if you are one of those busy individuals, here’s a mild beef curry recipe that you should definitely try.

Spread a little love with food…

• Cook the beef for your loved ones or your next-door neighbor who is unable to cook because they are sick or looking after a person who is sick.

• Moms, you can make the beef curry if you are leaving the family for a few days to visit someone or just taking a break for a few days.

• Make the beef curry for pregnant moms who won’t have time to cook with their new babies but still need a filling, wholesome meal. 

• And for the husband who doesn’t know his way about the kitchen, sometimes it’s easier to make a few packs of precooked meals than letting them loose in the kitchen for you to clean up later.

Utensils and appliances needed.

Chopping board and knife

Large pan or wok 

Meal Ideas for the Indonesian Fried Beef recipe.

If you want to stick to the traditional Indonesian way, this dish is best eaten with steamed rice and a fresh salad or sambal.

Rice dumplings are a perfect way to soak in the rich deep tastes of beef curry.

Since this is a dry curry it could also be eaten with any flatbread such as roti/chapathi/naan or even used in a wrap with a delectable crunch of any veggies.

Considering this dish has its benefits of being preserved it could be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator and used in sandwiches or pasta and surprise your loved ones with a twist of taste when they peek into their lunch boxes.

Ingredients to make the Indonesian beef curry.

Some of the ingredients used here might not be familiar to you. for example,

• Laos powder

A spice powder which is ground dried and ground galangal. for the rendang recipe here, I have used galangal paste which is available in Sri Lanka.

• Galangal

Galangal is basically a type of ginger but the flavor profile is very different from your ordinary ginger.

It is widely used in Indonesian, Malaysian, and Thai cooking. 

In case you are unable to find the fresh or store-bought bottled version then substitute it with ginger, although not the best option but rather you have the ginger taste coming through than not.

Storing

• Once cooled you can store the fried beef curry in a pyrex or plastic container(if you are using a plastic container, keep in mind you might have a difficult time removing the curry stains) and refrigerate for almost a week. 

• Make sure you use a dry spoon always.

• If you are going to use the beef curry a couple of times, it’s better to divide the curry and store in smaller containers and avoid reheating the entire portion. 

Freezing

Once cooled you can easily pack them into tin foil packs and freeze them for 3-4 weeks.

I do this for my elder kids when I leave them for a few weeks for the holidays. 

Dinner or lunch just needs rice or flatbreads with a salad they can make on their own. Read how you can spread a little love with this beef curry above.

Heating

One hour before using the beef Rendang, remove from the refrigerator and let the beef curry reach room temperature.

Microwave- place the curry in a microwavable dish, pour in 2 tablespoons of water, and microwave for 3 minutes or until heated through.

Stovetop- transfer to pan, pour in 1/4 cup of water to the curry, and heat the beef curry over low-medium, once all the water evaporates you beef curry will be reheated, constantly stir.

Stop food wastage.

There will be no food wastage, trust me and because the Rendang beef curry can be kept for a longer period of time, there’s no spoilage. Make sure to follow the storing and freezing instructions and you are good.

More beef curry recipes!

Slow-cooked Sri Lankan beef curry.

Beef-coconut milk curry.

Sri Lankan devilled beef.

Slow-cooked Indian beef and potato curry.

Beef and pumpkin curry.

How to make Indonesian beef Rendang curry.

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

To make the Indonesian spice paste.

2 large onions sliced fine

7 cloves of garlic 

2-inch piece of ginger

5 green chillies split and deseeded

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup water to collect the remaining spice in the blender

To make the rendang curry.

A piece of Cinnamon(2-3 inch strip) 

A sprig of curry leaves

2 stems of lemongrass slightly bruised

1 tablespoon of galangal paste(substitute with laos powder vice versa-refer notes above)

3 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon of red chilli powder

2 cups of thick coconut milk

Salt to season

1 kg beef cut into thick 2-inch cubes(top side, sirloin, large chunks of boneless beef cut into required size is preferable)

1/2 cup of tamarind juice (soak about 20g of tamarind in 1/2  cup of warm water and leave for about 10 minutes. Once it turns pulpy, strain the solids) If you use store-bought tamarind paste use about 2-3 tsp with 1/2 cup of warm water.

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup of water (totally optional but at the end of the cooking process, the additional liquid will help to cook the beef longer making it tender)

Method

Cut the beef against the grain into the required size, wash and drain all excess water. Set aside.

How to make the Indonesian spice paste.

To your spice mixing blender, add onions(2 large), garlic(7 cloves), ginger(2-inch piece) and green chillies(5 split & deseeded) with 1/4  cup of coconut milk (add more if you find the blending is difficult ), blitz until you have a thick semi-wet paste of the spices.

Add a (1/4)cup water to the blender to collect all the remaining mix and pour it into the semi-wet paste. Combine well

Cooking the easy rendang curry.

I like to use my wok(amazon link given below)to make the easy Indonesian beef curry.

You can also use a large pot as well, I love that the wideness of the wok lets me combine ingredients and watch the whole cooking process as it happens while going about my usual chores.

Add the blended mixed paste to the wok, followed by cinnamon(1″ piece), curry leaves(a sprig), lemongrass(2 stems), galangal or laos powder(1 tbs, see notes on ingredients above), coriander powder(3 tsp-use my coriander recipe), turmeric (1 tsp), red chilli powder (1 tsp) and finally the coconut milk, combine well, season with salt and taste.

Add the chunks of beef to the coconut curry and cook over medium fire for 12-15 minutes.

Avoid using high heat to cook the beef curry.

You want the meat to slowly simmer and turn tender, if you try to rush the process you will end up with tougher meat. Should this happen, add 1 and 1/2 cups water and continue to cook until all the water is absorbed.

Once the Rendang curry is thick and slightly cooked down, add the tamarind and sugar, stir, taste, season with salt and continue to cook over the low-medium fire for another 12-15 minutes

As you cook the Rendang beef curry, you will notice the gravy thickening, keep stirring while you taste as you don’t want the spices sticking to the pan and continue to cook down the beef curry.

Once you notice the oil separating from the coconut gravy, reduce heat to low, stir gently and let the beef slightly fry from the separating oil.

Once the Indonesian beef Rendang is cooked through. serve warm with your favorite carbs.

JOIN ME ON ISLANDSMILE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

LOVE SEAFOOD? COME JOIN ME ON MY NEW SEAFOOD BLOG.

Each recipe on this blog has been written with great care and love to the best of my ability with you in mind.
It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.

All I ask is that you do not save it on any apps, recipe boxes, or online groups which will affect me as a food blogger and the growth of this blog. I would appreciate it if you only share the link rather than the full recipe. 

All images and text on this website are protected by copyright.