Slow Cooked Beef Rendang, Indonesian Beef Stew

Slow Cooked Beef Rendang, Indonesian Beef Stew. This dish is all about exotic aromas and flavors, with hints of lemongrass, cloves, star anise, kaffir lime leaves, ginger, galangal and garlic. More so, the beef short rib is so tender that no knife is required, and to say the least, it doesn't require much chewing, just like butter! Try it today!

Song of the day: "Chandelier" by Sia

Indonesia is the destination for Eat the World

Wow, it seems like so long since we last traveled with our group Eat the world. So happy to be back, and I was very excited to see that Indonesia was this month's destination. Asian cuisine is right in my wheel house, and one that I love preparing, next to Italian that is, lol.

There were so many recipes that came to mind, but I had these beef shortribs in the freezer that were screaming out at me to use. So I did some research, and finally was totally inspired by Rasa Malaysia and her slow braised Beef Rendang. I did some modifications to the recipe for things that I could not find, but the end result is exquisitely fabulous! I am so excited, let's get into the kitchen and make this Slow Cooked Beef Rendang, Indonesian Beef Stew!

Ingredients for Slow Cooked Beef Rendang, Indonesian Beef Stew

You may get overwhelmed when you see the list of ingredients. However, to make it easy, we are going to group them in two parts: what you will need for the beef stew, and what for the spice paste. I found this recipe really easy, and what a great pleasure I had shopping at our Asian market. I was very much like a kid in a candy store, lots of curious things to see! Here is the list of ingredients:

For the beef stew:

• Beef short rib
• Peanut oil
• Sesame oil
• Cinnamon stick
• Whole cloves
• Star anise
• Cardamom pods
• Fresh lemongrass
• Coconut cream
• Tamarind pulp
• Kaffir lime leaves
• Kerisik (toasted coconut)
• Cane sugar
• Salt

For the spice paste:

• Shallots
• Fresh galangal root
• Fresh ginger
• Lemongrass (white part only)
• Dried red chilies

Substitutions

There are really not too many substitutions you can make, however, here are a few:

• For the lemongrass in the spice paste, you can use the grated lemongrass that you may find at your local Asian market.
• As for the lime leaves, I used dried. If you can find them fresh, they work best.
• I used the tamarind paste which I bought at our Asian market. You can get tamarind and make your own pulp. Place tamarind pods in a bowl and pour boiling water over, submerging them completely. Cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 to 45 minutes. Remember to stir the tamarind occasionally. Once the water cools, rub the fruit between your fingers to separate it from the seeds. The mixture will turn thick and into a pulp.
• If you can't find the coconut cream, then use coconut milk. Make sure to stir the cream and water together before placing it in the pot with the beef.
• If you like your food spicy, add more red chilies.

Making the spice paste for Slow Cooked Beef Rendang

It cannot get any easier than this. All you need for this part is a knife and a food processor. Get ready, here is how to do it:

1. Soak the dried chilies in warm water, then peel and discard stem and seeds, and place in the food processor.
2. Clean the skin off the ginger and galangal root. Cut into small chunks and throw into the food processor.
3. Chop up the shallots and add them and the rest of the spice ingredients into the processor. Blitz until a paste forms and all the ingredients are really fine.

Beginning the Beef Rendang

Now that the spice paste is done, we can start developing the flavors in the pot. This is what we do:

• Drizzle the peanut and sesame oil into a stovetop safe cast pot or dutch oven. Bring to a medium to high heat.
• Pour the spice paste into the pot and stir.
• Now time to add the beef short rib and toss them around coating them with the spice paste. Season with salt and white pepper, and stir again.

• Time to kick up the flavors. Add in the cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, and lemongrass, which you have pounded with the back of a knife before throwing them in.
• Then, in goes the cocunut cream, water, and tamarind pulp. Give it all a good stir and let simmer on low heat until the beef is cooked.

The final touches to our Slow Cooked Beef Rendang

Indonesian cooking is all about building levels of flavor. Here is our final stage:

• Lastly, we add the kaffir lime leaves, toasted coconut, and sugar. Give it a good stir with a wooden spoon. That's it, we have put everything in, now all that has to happen is the slow dance of slow cooking.

Don't have time to wait around?

Usually, you would let this simmer on low in the pot for 1 ½ to 2 hours on the stove. However, I really don't have the time to wait around so this is my solution to that problem:

1. Pour all the ingredients into the slow cooker. Turn it on low, cover.
2. Let that cook for a few hours and when you get home, it will be done.

Serving suggestions

This dish is so elevated in flavor, it only needs a simple canvas to let its true texture and flavors shine through. What is usually served with Slow Cooked Beef Rendangs is plain steamed rice. So that is what I chose.

Tasting time!

The aroma alone has my stomach growling and me drooling. The hints of garlic, lemongrass, cloves, star anise, cinnamom, cardamom are just heavenly. My first bite in reveals this buttery textured beef shortrib. It is literally melting on my tongue. The combination of herbs and spices excites my tastebuds, each spice/herb playing so irresistibly with my mouth. The rice is the perfect canvas to support all the colors and flavors of this dish allowing every part to shine through.

I am so enthralled by this dish, I just can't stop picking at it and all that loveliness just lingers in my mouth. This is a keeper for sure. Thanks for joining me in the SLS kitchen. It has been so much fun cooking this Slow Cooked Beef Rendang, Indonesian Beef Stew with you!

Enjoy, and Happy cooking, everyone!

More Indonesian dishes by fellow bloggers

Check out all the wonderful Indonesian dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Amy's Cooking Adventures: Nasi Goreng with Chicken
Pandemonium Noshery: Sop Buntut - Indonesian Beef Soup
Culinary Cam: Rijsttafel, An Indonesian Feast with a Colonial Twist
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Gado Gado
Sneha's Recipe: Nasi Goreng- Vegetarian
Kitchen Frau: Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
Sugarlovespices (us!): Slow Cooked Beef Rendang, Indonesian Beef Stew

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