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Beef rendang tok cooked until tender with thick coconut sauce
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Beef Rendang Tok Recipe

Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time4 hours
Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

  • +/- 1.5 kg beef +/- 1.5 公斤牛肉
  • 2 kg coconut milk 2公斤椰奶
  • 200 grams kerisik 200克烤椰子酱
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder 1/2茶匙肉豆蔻粉
  • 100 grams Gula Melaka/palm sugar 100克马六甲椰糖
  • 1.5 teaspoon salt 1.5茶匙盐
  • 1 teaspoon sugar 1茶匙白砂糖
  • 1/2 cup cooking oil 半杯食用油

Stir-fry ingredients 炒材料:

  • 1 cinnamon stick 1根肉桂棒
  • 6 cardamoms 6颗小豆蔻
  • 4 tbsp 24 grams pre-mix beef curry/rendang powder 4汤匙（24克）预拌牛肉咖喱粉/仁当粉

Blended paste 混合浆料:

  • 15 shallots 125 grams 15 个小洋葱（125 克）
  • 8 cloves garlic 8 瓣大蒜
  • 2 cm ginger 25 grams 2 厘米生姜（25 克）
  • 2 cm galangal 25 grams 2 厘米高良姜（25 克）
  • 15 fresh chillies +/-300 grams or 35 dried chillies 15 个新鲜辣椒（约 300 克）或 35 个干辣椒

Garnish 装饰

  • 1/2 chili thinly sliced 半个辣椒，切薄片
  • 1 kaffir lime leave thinly sliced 一片青柠叶，切薄片

Instructions

Prepare the spice paste

  • Add shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal and chillies into a blender.
  • Blend until it forms a fine paste.
  • Set aside.

Prepare the beef

  • Cut the beef into large chunks.
  • Try to keep the pieces roughly the same size so that they cook evenly.
  • Set aside.

Prepare the aromatics

  • Heat cooking oil in a wok or large pot.
  • Add cinnamon stick and cardamoms and the pre-mix beef curry or rendang powder.
  • Stir-fry on low heat until fragrant.

Cook the blended paste

  • Add a little more oil if necessary.
  • Add the blended paste into the wok.
  • Cook on low heat until the paste thickens and becomes fragrant. (You do not necessarily need to cook until the oil separates.)

Add the remaining ingredients

  • Pour in the coconut milk.
  • Add the beef pieces.
  • Add kerisik.
  • Add nutmeg powder.
  • Add gula melaka.
  • Season with salt and sugar.
  • Mix everything well.

Braise the rendang

  • Cook the beef on low heat (do not cover the with a lid.)
  • Stir occasionally to prevent the base from burning. (When the sauce begins to thicken, stir more often and reduce the heat further if necessary.)
  • Continue cooking for about 2½ hours until the oil separates and the rendang becomes thicker and the colour turns richer and darker.
  • Check the tenderness
  • Test a piece of beef with a fork.
  • The meat should be tender and easy to break apart.

Adjust seasoning

  • Taste the rendang.
  • Add a little more salt if necessary.
  • Mix well.

Reduce the sauce further (optional)

  • If you prefer the rendang to be drier, continue cooking until more liquid evaporates.
  • If the beef is already tender, remove the meat before reducing the sauce further.
  • Add the meat back into the sauce afterwards.

Serve

  • Transfer to a serving dish.
  • Garnish with red chillies or kaffir lime leaves if desired.
  • Serve warm.

Notes

Cook the spice paste slowly: Cooking the paste on low heat helps develop fragrance and prevents the mixture from burning.
Stir more frequently as the sauce thickens: As the coconut milk reduces, the mixture becomes thicker and can burn easily at the bottom.
Reduce the heat as the rendang cooks: Lower heat helps the beef cook slowly and develop deeper flavour.
Check seasoning at the end: The flavour becomes more concentrated as the sauce reduces, so it is best to adjust the seasoning towards the end.
Adjust the dryness of the rendang: If you prefer a drier rendang, continue cooking until more liquid evaporates.
Remove meat before reducing sauce further: If the beef has already turned tender, remove it before reducing the sauce further so the meat does not overcook.