Rendang Image Used Under Creative Commons License From lembehresort.com
My glorious Citizens! Apologies for being more quiet than usual these last few months, as I was attending a symposium and hacking event at MIT earlier this year and then became involved in writing a new AI Governance paper that consumed the two months after that, almost assuredly as quickly as you will consume this magnificent rendition of beef rendang! Rendang may be My favorite “dry-style” beef stew of all time – and the Sultan of Spice will now commend His own glorious recipe to all of TFD Nation!
Rendang is a fried meat or dry curry made of meat stewed in coconut milk and spices, widely popular across Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, where each version is considered local cuisine. It refers to both a cooking method of frying and the dish cooked in that way – the process involves slowly cooking meat in spiced coconut milk in an uncovered pot or pan until the oil separates, allowing the dish to fry in its own sauce, coating the meat in a rich, flavorful glaze. Since we are also coming up on the Muslim holiday of Eid, where 30 days of daylight fasting ends, this dish is a traditional way to celebrate Eid in West Sumatra where My version of this recipe first originated.
Rendang from West Sumatra was granted cultural heritage status in 2013 by the Indonesian government. Rendang holds a special place in Malay and Minangkabau society, celebrated for its deep cultural significance and often reserved for special occasions such as Eid, weddings, and important gatherings. In villages, making rendang is a communal effort, with large amounts of meat being cooked in a giant cast-iron cauldron. During the final stage, people work together, stirring with a wooden oar-like spatula for hours to ensure even cooking. This slow frying removes moisture, allowing the meat to absorb the spices while preventing burning or breaking.
If cooked properly, dry rendang can last for as long as four weeks – prior to refrigeration technology, this style of cooking enabled preservation of large amounts of meat in the tropical climate, and therefore became a popular cooking technique. Its durability is one of the reasons that today, prepackaged rendang is sent as food aid relief for natural disaster survivors in Indonesia. The preferred cut of beef for rendang is lean meat of the rear leg; i.e. topside or round beef, which is considered perfect for slow cooking.
Rendang is rich in spices. Along with the main meat ingredient, rendang uses coconut milk and a paste of mixed ground spices, including ginger, galangal, turmeric leaves, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, chilis and other spices. This spice mixture is called pemasak in Minangkabau. The spices, garlic, shallot, ginger and galangal used in rendang have antimicrobial properties and serve as natural organic preservatives. Although some culinary experts describe rendang as a curry, the dish is usually not considered as such in Indonesia or Malaysia since it is richer and contains less liquid than is normal for curries.
Traditionally the term rendang does not refer to a certain type of dish. The verb merendang actually refers to a method of slow cooking; continuously churning the ingredients in a pot or frying pan, on a small fire, until all of the liquids evaporate and the meat is well done. Traditional Padang rendang takes hours to cook. Cooking rendang involves pounding and grinding ingredients as well as slow cooking, and so is time-consuming and requires patience. The meat pieces are slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices until almost all the liquid is gone, allowing the meat to become tender and absorb the condiments.
The cooking process changes from boiling to frying, as the liquid evaporates and the coconut milk turns to coconut oil. Cooking the meat until tender with almost all the liquid evaporated requires great care, keeping it from getting burnt. Because of its generous use of numerous spices, rendang is known for having a complex and unique taste. Rendang is often served with steamed rice, ketupat (a compressed rice cake) or lemang (glutinous rice cooked in bamboo tubes), accompanied with vegetable side dishes such as boiled cassava leaf, cubadak (young jackfruit gulai), cabbage gulai and lado (red or green chilli pepper sambal).
CNN International conducted a worldwide poll in 2011; it named rendang as the world’s most delicious dish, ranking first among 50 dishes. Just prior to that ranking, the staff had put rendang at number eleven. The published article called rendang an “Indonesian dish”. According to Fadly Rahman, many Indonesians don’t just see this ranking as proof of rendang’s exceptional taste; rather, it has been widely used by the government and culinary communities to reinforce that rendang is an Indonesian dish, not Malaysian. However, what often goes unnoticed is how this claim transforms rendang from a symbol of culinary excellence into a dish laden with political significance.
Rooted in Malay and Minangkabau, rendang developed at the cultural crossroads of the Malacca Strait. The dish carries strong Indian influences, as many of its key ingredients are staples in Indian cooking. The introduction of chili peppers by the Portuguese through the Columbian exchange after the capture of Malacca in 1511, played a key role in the evolution of rendang. Malay and Minangkabau traders frequently carried rendang as provisions, allowing the dish to travel naturally through cultural exchange between the Sumatra and Malay Peninsula.
In the 20th century, the deeply rooted migratory tradition of the Minangkabau people further maintained and contributed to the dish’s spread, as they introduced Minang-style rendang to the various places they settled.
As a signature dish in Southeast Asian Muslim cuisines, rendang is traditionally served at ceremonial occasions and festive gatherings, such as wedding feasts and Hari Raya (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha). Nowadays, it is commonly served at food stalls and restaurants as a side dish with rice. In 2009, Malaysia recognized rendang as a heritage food. Indonesia granted rendang cultural heritage status in 2013 and officially declared it one of its national dishes in 2018.
Both the Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia and Kamus Dewan define rendang as meat cooked with spices and coconut milk until completely dry; rendang is also a verb for the action of frying in a pan with or without oil (only in Kamus Dewan). Food historian Khir Johari explains that rendang had a broader meaning for frying in general before the prevalence of goreng. For instance, Munshi Abdullah in his 1838 travelogue to Kelantan described the people of Terengganu enjoying rendang pisang (fried banana fritters) — what the Malays now called goreng pisang or pisang goreng.
Linguist Tom G. Hoogervorst’s etymological research traces rendang back to the 17th-century Malay wordlists. The name rendang comes from the frying process; by the late 19th century, rendang was associated more specifically with a type of dry curry by British colonial officials in Malaya, where it is noted that Malays distinguished rendang as a dry curry and gulai as a wet curry. In olden times, rendang was often translated to English as “fried meat” or “dry curry”.
Rendang entered Oxford English Dictionary through Malay and Indonesian rendang which also cognates with Minangkabau randang. Gusti Asnan notes that the earliest recorded mention of randang in the Minangkabau context appears in J.L. van der Toorn’s Minangkabau-Malay-Dutch dictionary published in 1891. This word in turn comes from marandang, which means cooking food slowly until the food becomes dry. The Minangkabau people brought rendang as a provision because of its ability to last a long time when moving to other regions.
Food historian Fadly Rahman traces the earliest reference to rendang to the early 16th-century Malay manuscript Hikayat Amir Hamzah associated with the Malacca Sultanate] (1400–1528). Written during the spread of Islam in the Malay world, this adaptation of the Persian Hamzanama was later compiled into Malay and intended to inspire Malacca’s soldiers in their fight against the Portuguese in 1511. This passage suggests that merendang refers to a cooking technique, while rendang describes the resulting dish have been part of the Malay vocabulary since the 16th century.
The Dutch-Malay dictionary from 1650 lists rendang as the translation for the Dutch word fricasseren, an archaic Dutch spelling of fricassee. Hoogervorst’s research, traces the modern term rendang back to the Malay-Dutch dictionary first compiled in Ambon and published by Caspar Wiltens and Sebastiaan Danckaert in 1623, where it was defined as “to fry in butter or oil, to fry, to fricassee”. The dictionary was expanded and updated multiple times. According to Fadly Rahman, the author of the dictionary attempted to translate rendang using a European dish, something that his readers would be familiar with — fricassee, a French cooking method that involves cutting meat into pieces and braising it.
Khir Johari notes that rendang tumis is mentioned in the Hikayat Hang Tuah, a classic Malay literary masterpiece from around the 17th-century. Another manuscript, Hikayat Awang Sulung Merah Muda, reflects 18th-century life and cooking traditions. In the narration, a prince hunts and captures a pelanduk (mouse deer), which is then prepared in various styles — tumis, rendang, and gulai. Tumis refers to a dish that is more like soup, while rendang resembles the slow-cooked dish we know today. These manuscripts offer a glimpse into the Malay cuisine of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Historical records from the 19th century, including newspaper reports and travelogues, often described the key ingredients of rempah (spice paste) used in rendang, as well as its regional variations. Renowned for his refined taste and hospitality, Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor frequently hosted lavish banquets at his Istana Besar in Johor Bahru. In 1873, J.F.A. McNair described a royal Malay banquet featuring dishes such as rendang tenggiri and rendang chinchang Plentong. In 1881, when King David Kalākaua of Hawaii visited Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar served rendang tenggiri as part of the royal reception.
By the early 20th century, rendang recipes began appearing in published cookbooks and newspapers across British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. On 2 February 1917, Soenting Melajoe featured an article by Datoek Soetan Maharadja, noting that Europeans residing in Palembang, Batavia, and Kupang had written to Minangkabau women, sending money through the magazine’s editor to request the preparation and delivery of “rendang Alam Minangkabau”.
The “Mem’s” Own Cookery Book: 420 Tried and Economical Recipes for Malaya (1920) by Mrs. Kinsey, published in Singapore, included a recipe for “rundang” that used curry powder and could be served with spaghetti. In 1936, R.A. Kardinah’s Cooking Guide for Ladies, published in Batavia, featured a chicken rendang recipe that emphasized slow cooking, though it adapted traditional ingredients.
In Indonesia, rendang is mainly associated with Minangkabau. The popularity of rendang grew with the presence of Minangkabau-style lepau (food stalls) in areas where Minangkabau migrants settled. Their presence in new areas played a significant role in popularizing rendang as a signature dish of West Sumatra. Today, rendang stands as the iconic menu item in Minangkabau restaurants, often accompanied by other meat-based dishes.
Rendang, often regarded as an exclusive Malay, Minangkabau dish, is heavily influenced by Indian cuisine. Many of its ingredients, such as cardamom, coriander, garlic, shallots, chili, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, bay leaves, tamarind, and turmeric, are staples in Indian cooking. Winarno and Agustinah believe rendang may have been inspired by curry, a dish combining meat and spices in North India.
Indian traders who traveled to West Sumatra brought their culinary traditions with them, possibly influencing the development of rendang. It likely traces its roots to Indian merchants, though it has undergone multiple layers of evolution over time. During this period, Malaysia and Indonesia had yet to emerge as distinct geographical entities, resulting in a deep shared culinary and cultural history.
Gusti Asnan notes that the earliest mention of randang in Minangkabau culture appears in J.L. van der Toorn’s dictionary from 1891. However, he believes that it had been familiar to the Minangkabau people long before this record. Fadly Rahman inferred that rendang is closely associated with the Islamic tradition, the migratory culture, and the commercial ethics of the Minangkabau people. An early reference to “Rendang Minang”, a dish renowned for its ability to last for months and favored by migrants and traders, dates to 1917.
Goa, Malacca, and Macau were key stops along the Portuguese spice trade routes (in blue) in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Portuguese also introduced chili to Asia, and these quickly became integral to local cuisines. According to culinary historian Janet P. Boileau, Portuguese cooks had a unique method of frying meat after braising, unlike the Arab technique of frying before boiling. This approach, adopted by Luso-Asian cooks, may have influenced local culinary practices including rendang.
When the Portuguese ruled Malacca (1511–1641), they brought various cultural and culinary influences to the Malay Peninsula and neighboring Sumatra. Portuguese cuisine introduced preservation techniques and terms like acar, belacan, baulu, and mentega.
After Malacca fell to the Dutch, the Kristang community — descendants of Malaccan Portuguese settlers — faced economic challenges and sought cost-effective ways to prepare food. They adopted techniques similar to those used by their counterparts in Portuguese Macau, such as frying meat with minimal water until it blackened, resembling bafado. (Bafado is derived from the term abafado, which means “a dish of stew”.) This method led to the creation of the Kristang version of dry beef curry and then spread to the Malay people and reached the Minangkabau.
In the early 16th century, the arrival of Tomé Pires and the writings of João de Barros marked the beginning of Portuguese influence in West Sumatra during the Portuguese control of Malacca. This contact likely introduced culinary elements such as Abafado, meaning “a dish of stew,” which evolved into bafado and was later adapted as balado in Minangkabau, which has since become a widely recognized culinary term in Minangkabau cuisine. With both bafado and balado serving food preservation purposes, and considering the movement of Minangkabau traders across the Malacca Strait from Sumatra to Peninsula Malaysia, it reflects Luso’s culinary influence may be spread due to human traffic activities between two regions.
The essence of rendang lies in its meticulous cooking process, where meat or chicken is slow-cooked with fresh coconut milk, aromatic spices, and herbs. This harmonious blend of ingredients represents unity and balance within the Malay community. Beyond its exquisite taste, rendang embodies hospitality, cultural pride, and a connection to heritage. Malay food traditions make the most of coconuts, knowing that the best coconut milk comes from mature coconuts. People with coconut palms could easily choose the right coconut for rendang the next day. Oil plays an important role in the dish’s presentation, adding a glossy finish whether used for sautéing or naturally released during cooking.
Rendang holds deep philosophical significance for the Minang people of West Sumatra, embodying the values of deliberation and consensus (musyawarah dan mufakat). It is rooted in four key ingredients, each symbolizing an essential pillar of Minangkabau society. Dagiang (beef) represents the niniak mamak (traditional tribal leaders), karambia (coconut) symbolizes the cadiak pandai (intellectuals), lado (chili) stands for the alim ulama (religious scholars who strictly uphold teachings), and cook (spices) represents the broader Minangkabau community. The Minangkabau philosophy in cooking rendang includes three main values: patience, wisdom, and perseverance. The cooking process that requires careful selection of ingredients reflects the good values of the human being.
My Indonesian cooking mentor is the unmatched William Womgso, who taught Gordon Ramsay how to make a proper West Sumatran version of this classic dish – and My version is a fusion of both of their versions, with My own unique additions as well! Here is an example of how Wongso cooks and teaches this amazing recipe!
I have decided to use a posh fusion of beef tenderloin for succulence and short ribs (without bones) to add gelatin and true beefy savor to My final rendang! This recipe does call for a fair amount of unusual ingredients, but fear not Citizens – I have your back, as always! Kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaf, tamarind paste, coconut cream, Knorr Aromat, kerisik (toasted and ground coconut that is ESSENTIAL to rendang!), chilies de arbol, sambal oelek condiment (basically chili paste), coconut palm sugar, and demiglace can all be purchased from the attendant links!
This is NOT an inexpensive recipe, Citizens – at all. Serve it only to the best people you know or beloved family – no one else deserves the expenditure, time and effort this recipe imposes! It is, however…SUPREME IN EVERY ASPECT!
Citizens, rendang as exemplified in this West Sumatran version by Me is about to become a new favorite of yours – as to all other inferior rendang recipes…
Blend together the spice base paste in a blender or food processor.
To a pot, add oil. Once hot, add the blended paste, and sauté for about 5 minutes until fragrant, or when the paste has dried slightly and deepened in color.
Add in the beef. Stir through, and let the meat draw out liquid. Continue to stir until the liquid has evaporated. The meat would also have shrunk slightly. This will take about 10 minutes.
Add coconut cream, Aromat, palm sugar, kaffir lime leaves (tear or bruise first to release flavors), turmeric (or bay or cinnamon leaves) also bruised, tamarind paste and kerisik.
Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and keep stirring until the color of the sauce changes to golden brown and the oil comes out from the coconut milk.
Set the heat to the bare minimum. Put a lid on the pot and let the rendang stew for at least 2 hours.
Every 20 to 30 minutes, return to the pot, and give a good stir to evenly distribute the caramelised coconut cream. With a spatula, scrape any bits sticking to the bottom of the pot, to prevent any burning. If you find your rendang drying out too soon, or before your beef is fully tender, feel free to add more beef stock halfway through.
At the final half hour, keep a closer watch on the rendang and start stirring continuously, raising the heat to medium low, until the sauce color changes to dark brown and caramelizes and the meat is tender. A lot of the liquid will have been cooked off, so the spices are more prone to burning, so watch carefully.
Serve immediately with steamed rice.
How useful was this post, Citizen?
Click to rate My Recipe, Citizen - 5 hearts are ALWAYS appreciated!
Average rating / 5. Vote count:
No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.
As you found this post useful...
Follow us on social media, Citizen!
We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!
Get Recipe Ingredients
Leave a Reply