There’re so many recipes for rendang around the internet. Some recipes call for liters and liters of coconut milk, some uses loads ginger but no galangal… *this one is a bit strange though*  This is the first time ever I cook rendang as I’m aware it’s so time-consuming and requires certain ingredients that can’t be substitute with any powdered stuff. Like this powdered lemon grass or powdered galangal…..   that’ll never work. Trust me, I’ve been there. Nothing beats the real thing, you know what I mean 

Finally I found the one I’m really happy with. The recipe adopted from uni Dewi Anwar -  she has this special recipe using 1 tbs of ground beef liver plus toasted coconut that would surely taste fantastic in rendang. Her secret recipe combined with a few others would be just awesome!  For this recipe I use 1 kg of  beef topside and silverside. Oh, I also found two fresh beef tongue from the same shop in the market. Just beautiful! would be perfect for ox tongue steak the next day. Or perhaps something else yummie….

 BEEF RENDANG – the real deal from West Sumatra Indonesia

● 1 kg beef topside/silverside – discard fat
● 20 pcs shallot
● 10 pcs garlic
● 3 cm fresh ginger
● 15 pcs red chilies
● 4 cm fresh galangal
● 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
● 2 tsp nutmeg
● 15 pcs red chilies
● salt, pepper, palm sugar to taste
** Process all ingredients into a smooth paste

● 3 pcs star anise
● 2 cm cinnamon stick
● 5-7 pcs kaffir lime leaves
● 3 pcs lemon grass, bruised the stalks
● 1 tbs tamarind
● 2 pcs bay leave
● 3 cups of thick coconut milk (I use dessicated coconut)

Additional seasoning:
● 1 tbs toasted coconut – smoothly ground
● 1 tbs steamed beef liver – smoothly ground
** Mix both ingredients into the gravy

Cooking Directions:
1. Cook beef in ground ingredients + a cup of water in low heat
    until tender
2. Once it’s properly cooked, add coconut milk
    Then add the leafy ingredients
3. If using fresh coconut milk, keep stirring until gravy thickens
4. Add additional seasoning upon serving
5. You can keep on cooking until it turns dark, or the one I prefer
    is just beautifully reddish-yellow almost dry but not so.

Recipe is adopted and slightly modified from Dewi Anwar. Thank you Uni Dewi.

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