Rendang (Indonesian Beef and Coconut Stew)

Rendang is made from beef or water buffalo meat slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices. The coconut milk used in cooking turns into a delicious spicy sauce that is more delicious than the meat itself.
Ingredients
Spice paste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 shallots
- 25 g ginger
- 15 g turmeric
- 75 g young galangal
- 1 tbsp ground fresh red chile pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ pod dried nutmeg
- 2 candlenuts
- ½ tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp gula jawa (Indonesian palm sugar)
Stew
- 1 kg beef, cut into big cubes to make 20 pieces
- 4 lime leaves
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 2 L ready-to-use coconut milk or coconut milk from 1 big fresh coconut
Steps
- Grind all spice paste ingredients in food processor.
- Marinate meat with spice paste at least 1 hour.
- Heat coconut milk over low heat, stirring, until some oil rises to the surface (at least 20 min).
- Transfer meat and spice paste to large wok or pot. Cover with 300 ml hot coconut milk.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until half the coconut milk has evaporated.
- Add 100 ml hot coconut milk. Stir until almost all has evaporated.
- Keep adding coconut milk 100 ml at a time, cooking until each addition has evaporated.
- Cook until meat is tender (at least 1½ hours) and almost all liquid has reduced to a spicy sauce.
Notes from the original
- When cooled, the coconut oil in the rendang may solidify. Reheat in a pan before serving. A reheated rendang often has better flavor.
- Fresh coconut milk produces a better sauce.
- Chicken or mutton can be used in place of beef.
- Beef liver may be used but produces a darker sauce.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Rendang (Indonesian Beef and Coconut Stew)” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-10-04, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Rendang.JPG by Sakurai Midori, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.






