Chinese Food Culture

It has been more than three years since I posted my Beef Rendang recipe. I am pleasantly surprised that to this day I still get the occasional inquiry and request with regards to protein substitution, alternative cooking methods, or the usage of a different spice mix to make the paste. Especially after September of last year, when Rendang topped the readers�€™ choice list of CNN’s “World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods“. I am guessing that should be a plausible factor as to why Rendang suddenly scrambled on to a lot of people’s “to-cook�� list.

South-East Asian curries are unique with their own distinctive tastes and names. Rendang, Panang, Kari Ayam, Massaman, just to name a few. All in all they share different takes and preferences on blended spices and other fragrant aromatics. For those of you who have yet to be acquainted with the exotic delicacy that is Rendang, it is in a nutshell, a mildly spicy, rich and flavorful, semi-dry curry that is popular throughout the South-East Asian region, especially in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. And it is one of the main dishes that is served during Malay weddings and festivities.

This delicacy is especially dear to my heart because it brings back fond memories of how my mom used to break out her cache of spices tucked neatly away in an airtight Tupperware container marked “Rendang” and carefully measure each and every spice with her traditional mini brass metal kitchen scales that resemble an upright stickman dangling a wok on each hand.

As I’ve pointed out back in my Beef Rendang post, no two Rendang can turn out the exact same way. Mainly due to the varying amount of spices used and the ever crucial reduction process to allow the absorption of the spices into the meat yet not over-drying it. This time around, I am going to make Rendang using lamb, with a slight variation of the spices, and braising it in a crock pot/slow cooker. This was actually quite a leap for me as my preferred method have always been to stew it on the stovetop. But lo and behold, it turned out to be every bit as scrumptious as depicted.

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I am certain numerous of my readers in Malaysia and Singapore have been wondering why haven’t I posted a beef rendang or “rendang daging” recipe? Excellent news, the wait is finally above and here is my recipe of arguably the most well-known beef dish in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Beef rendang is of Indonesian origin–a much-celebrated Recipe from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia–and often served at ceremonial occasions and to honored guests. After spending hours making my beef rendang, I totally realize why. Beef rendang is not your daily beef dish that a single can whip up in a jiffy, the time–not to mention patience and dedication–alone is possibly a principal obstacle for most individuals. If you must know, it took me nearly 3 hours to concoct a pot of this aromatic and extraordinarily scrumptious beef rendang. For those of you who have never tried beef rendang, I can only describe it as “a rich and tender coconut beef stew which is explosively flavorful,” one that is certain to win you around in the event you taste it…

I believe beef rendang was introduced to Malaysia when the Minangkabau settlers from Sumatra migrated to the southern part on the Malay peninsula throughout the era in the Melaka Sultanate, but I could be wrong. In any case, beef rendang can be a very common dish for many Malaysians, especially the Malay community.

No beef rendang is made exactly the same. If you’re willing to spend time inside the kitchen preparing the spice paste, toasting the grated coconut to make golden-hued “kerisik” (toasted coconut in Malay language), and then patiently cook and stew the meat around extremely low heat so as to dry up the liquid and make the meat tender, you will be rewarded handsomely. Like I did with my beef rendang.

Another fact about beef rendang that I absolutely have to share with you: it only gets much better with time, so much to ensure that the Minangkabaus save them for months as the complex taste and flavor develop above time. For daily home cooks, I will advise you to serve them once the beef rendang is done, but save some leftover as it only gets better overnight.

For those of you who wish to learn far more about beef rendang, check out this article on Wikipedia, or you can just feast your eyes with my beef rendang photos above, and try my beef rendang recipe.