Rendang Sapi Padang (Indonesian Dried Beef Curry)

Rendang is an Indonesian spicy meat dish originating from the Minangkabau region in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Rendang is a piece of meat-most commonly beef (rendang daging), that has been slow cooked & braised in a coconut milk & spice mixture, until the liquids evaporate and the meat turns dark brown-almost black & tender, becoming caramelized and infused with rich spices. According to Minangkabau tradition, their true rendang should be dry. Although it looks dry, rendang's texture is not actually dry, since it is quite moist & rather oily. If cooked properly, dried rendang can last for 3-4 weeks stored in room temperature & still good to consume. It can even last months stored in a refrigerator, and up to six months if frozen.

Although culinary experts often describe rendang as a curry, the dish is usually not considered as such in Indonesia since it is richer & contains less liquid than is normal for Indonesian curries. 

In 2011, an online poll of 35,000 people by CNN International chose beef rendang as the No. 1 most delicious dish of their World's 50 most delicious foods. In 2018, rendang was officially recognised as being one of the 5 national dishes of Indonesia. Source: Wikipedia.

In Indonesian & English (the English version is below the recipe written in Indonesian)

Bahan

• 1-1½ kg Daging-potong2 4-5 cm, 2 Cengkeh, 2 st Gula
• 800 ml Santan kental, 100 ml Air kelapa, 5 Daun jeruk
• 1 Daun kunyit, 2 st Daun klabet, 3 Daun salam, Garam
• 1 Sereh-geprek, 1 st Adas bubuk, 40 gr Jahe-parut
• 1 Asam, 3 sm Kelapa parut, 5 cm Kayu manis, Minyak
• 1 st Pekak bubuk/2 Pekak, 50 gr Lengkuas-parut
• 1 st Pala bubuk

Haluskan:

• 5 Cabai Keriting, 1 st Jintan, 25 gr (5) Bawang putih
• 3 cm Kunyit, 135 gr (15) Bawang merah, 1 st Lada
• 1½ st Ketumbar-sangrai, 6 Cabai merah, 4 Kemiri
• 3 Kapulaga/1 st Kapulaga bubuk

Cara membuat

• Tumis bumbu halus. Masukkan bahan lain (kecuali kelapa & daging). Kecilkan api. Masak sambil sesekali diaduk sampai kuah berminyak. Masukkan daging, masak sampai daging berubah warna.
• Sangrai kelapa parut sampai kering. Angkat, tumbuk halus lalu masukkan ke adonan. Masak sambil sesekali diaduk hingga cairan mulai berminyak & mengering (± 2 jam).
• Besarkan api ke sedang, aduk2 perlahan sampai rendang menghitam & bumbu mengering. Total lama pemasakan 3-4 jam.
• Sajikan rendang dengan nasi putih atau Nasi Kuning-Tumpeng & lauk2 lain, misalnya (klik pada link untuk melihat resep2nya): Gulai Nangka/Cubadak, Gulai Padeh Pucuk Ubi, Terong Balado, Telur Balado, Telur Sambo Dadar Padang, Ayam Bakar Padang, Dendeng Balado, Dendeng Batokok dan Sambal Lado Mudo.

Ingredients

• 1-1½ kg Beef-sliced into 4-5 cm chunks, 5 cm Cinnamon
• 800 ml Coconut milk, 2 tsp Fenugreek leaves, 2 Cloves
• 1 stalks Turmeric leaf, 50 gr Galangal-grated, Salt
• 1 Tamarind, 40 gr Ginger-grated, 5 Kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tsp ground Aniseed, 1 Lemongrass-bruised, frying Oil
• 1 tsp Star anise powder/2 Star anise, 3 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp ground Nutmeg, 100 ml Coconut water
• 3 tbsp grated Coconut, 2 tsp Sugar

Grind into a paste:

• 1½ tsp Coriander, 3 cm Turmeric, 135 gr (15) Shallots
• 5 Cayenne peppers, 3 Cardamom/1 tsp ground Cardamom
• 6 red Chilies, 1 tsp Cumin, 1 tsp Pepper, 4 Candlenuts
• 25 gr (5 cloves) Garlic

Directions

• Sauté spices paste. Add in other spices (with the exception of coconut & meat). Reduce the heat to low. Cook & stir occasionally until the sauce looks greasy. Stir in beef chunks; let it simmer until the beef color changed.
• Roast grated coconut until brownish. Remove from the heat & grind it finely. Put grated coconut into the curry. Cook & stir occasionally until the sauce reduce much & it becomes oily (~ 2 hours).
• Turn the heat to medium; stir gently until the sauce dries & getting darker (almost black in colour). Total cooking time: 3-4 hours.
• Serve this Rendang Sapi (Indonesian Dried Beef Curry) with warm rice or Indonesian Yellow Rice & other dishes, i.e. (click on the links for the recipe): Minangese Young Jackfruit Curry, Spicy Cassava Leaves Curry ala Padang, Eggplant in Chili Paste, Fried Egg in Chili Paste, Thick Omelette with Grated Coconut, Minangese Grilled Chicken, Indonesian Beef Jerky in Chili Paste, Dried Beef with Green Chili Paste and Minangese Green Chili Relish.