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Rendang Recipe, Indonesian Traditional Food

food rendang, randang

Traditional Food - What is rendang, and what food is it? Rendang (randang) is an authentic Indonesian dish originating from Minangkabau.

Rendang consists of many ingredients, the main ingredient using meat (beef, buffalo, goat, chicken), then followed by various Indonesian spices.

Not cooked as usual, grilled or fried which only takes a few tens of minutes, rendang can be cooked for quite a long time, which is about 5 to 6 hours.

This dish is the result of a long low-temperature cooking process using various spices and coconut milk.

From the results of cooking will make the meat becomes tender, and the seasoning permeates. You will not be satisfied if you only taste a piece of rendang if you are in an Indonesian restaurant.

Beef Rendang Recipe

Here are a few steps if you want to make your own at home.

Ingredients :

  1. 1/2 kg beef
  2. 2 old coconuts, (squeeze the coconut milk in half, one thick and one thin)
  3. 7 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  4. 5 cloves of garlic (crushed)
  5. 3 cm ginger (mashed)
  6. 2 cm turmeric (mashed)
  7. 3 lime leaves
  8. A little galangal (mashed or shaken)
  9. 1 turmeric leaf (remove bones)
  10. 1 lemongrass (crushed)
  11. 15 pieces of cayenne pepper
  12. 4 tablespoons finely ground chili (to taste)
  13. Salt to taste
  14. 4 bay leaves
  15. 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

Steps to create:

  1. Clean the meat and cut according to taste.
  2. Prepare the spices to be mashed.
  3. Puree turmeric, ginger, garlic, onion, & galangal with 1/2 tsp salt.
  4. Then coarsely mash the cayenne pepper. I recommend that the spices be mashed manually (no need to use a blender).
  5. All the spices that have been mashed are mixed into the meat.
  6. Add ground chili. Stir well until the spices seep into the meat
  7. Prepare thick coconut milk, add turmeric leaves, bay leaves, lime leaves and lemongrass.
  8. Heat the coconut milk before adding the meat. Keep stirring so that the coconut milk doesn't break (coconut milk clumps like separate), when it's boiling, add the meat.
  9. Add a little nutmeg powder.
  10. Keep stirring the meat & if the coconut milk is still not spicy enough, you can add ground chili. So the color of the sauce can be more colorful.
  11. Transfer the rendang to a cast iron skillet to allow the oil from the rendang seasoning to escape.
  12. Keep stirring rendang until thick. If the meat is still tough, add the thin coconut milk.
  13. Rendang is finished. In order for the rendang to turn brown, it must always be stirred over low heat until the rendang becomes dry and changes color.

Rendang is better if you add potatoes or red beans.


It would be better if the spices or rendang oil were soaked into the meat, but this will require a longer level of cooking. For that you can cook using low heat while constantly stirring.

If the meat is still firm, but the seasoning gravy has started to dry. You can add it back using thin coconut milk. Repeat until the meat is tender and the color and taste are well absorbed.

Cooking time: 3 - 4 hours (180 -240 minutes) depending on the level of doneness of the meat, if it is still firm it can take longer.

For example, buffalo meat, so it requires a longer cooking time.

Good luck.

You need to know, there are many rendang recipes circulating in Asia. In Indonesia, for example, there are many types of rendang recipes in each region.