A slow, simmering Indonesian curry that is totally worth the wait. I just love the soft and tender beef served with a beautifully spiced and rich sauce. It’s meant for sharing but you might just want to keep it all to yourself!
WATCH THIS RECIPE
Beef Short Rib Rendang
PREP TIME
20 minutes
COOK TIME
2 hours 45 minutes
SERVES
4
Ingredients
¼ cup desiccated coconut
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1.5kg (3.3 lb) beef short ribs, English cut either left in long pieces or cut into smaller chunks
2 whole star anise
6 green cardamom pods, bruised
1 lemongrass stalk, bruised, cut into 5cm batons
2 cups coconut milk
1 ½ tbsp shaved palm sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
6 makrut lime leaves, plus extra finely sliced leaves to serve
steamed rice to serve
Rendang paste:
10 dried long red chillies
2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, bruised, finely chopped
5cm (2″) piece galangal, peeled, roughly chopped
5cm (2″) piece ginger, peeled, roughly chopped
4 Asian red shallots, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sea salt
Steps
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For the rendang paste, soak the dried chillies in hot water for 10 minutes to soften. Drain (reserving the soaking liquid) and roughly chop the softened chillies.
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Place the chillies and remaining rendang paste ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the chilli soaking water if the paste is too thick to blend. Set aside.
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Toast the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
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Place a large, heavy-based saucepan or non-stick wok over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and sear the beef, in batches, for 2-3 minutes each side or until evenly browned. Transfer the beef to a plate.
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Place the same saucepan back over medium heat (there should be at least 1 tablespoon of oil and fat in the saucepan but if not, add a little vegetable oil) and add the star anise, cardamom pods and lemongrass. Cook, stirring for a minute until fragrant. Add rendang paste and cook for 2 minutes. Stir through coconut milk, toasted coconut, palm sugar and fish sauce. Add the seared beef and the makrut lime leaves. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring every so often (add a little more water if the sauce becomes too thick).
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Remove the lid and use a large spoon to remove excess oil and fat from the top of the sauce. Simmer for a further 30 minutes, uncovered, or until the sauce is thick and gravy-like. Remove from heat. Remove the star anise. Top with finely sliced makrut lime leaves and serve with steamed rice.
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Brilliant recipe; great flavours, easy to follow
Absolute winner of a recipe. I need to cook the beef short ribs longer to get them tender, otherwise this recipe is perfect. My blender wasn’t good enough to get a proper paste consistency so it was a bit rustic, but it was still glorious. We had some friends over and we all loved it. Will definitely cook this again!