Chicken Rendang
(Click on picture for a more yummy view)
*
Beef Rendang
(Click on picture for a more yummy view)
*
Hi there, dear friends 
Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and Happy Id to all my Muslim friends from around the world!
This is the third year that I had cooked a traditional Malay feast for Hari Raya. The first time, I made Rendang with Beef but for the second year, we had Chicken Rendang instead. This year, I couldn’t decide on which meat and so I had cooked both Chicken and Beef Rendang instead! 
Am I glad I did! Because the new recipe that I had followed this year turned out to be so delicious that all my rendang was finished in just 3 meals! We had it for lunch, dinner and for dinner the next day with Nasi Lemak. When my husband first tasted this year’s Hari Raya feast, he was in absolute heaven and he said, “If I were to die right now, I will die a very happy man!”…and he continue to stuff himself with more Ketupat, Kuah Kacang and Rendang! 
Ketupat (Rice in Coconut Casings) and Kuah Kacang (Satay or Peanut Sauce)
(Click on picture for a more yummy view)
*
Somehow, this year, my Hari Raya cooking was perfect (IMHO) as even the Ketupat was of the right texture. The Ketupat was the main star of the meal as the coconut casings are NOT available throughout the year but only for the Hari Raya festival and the other Muslim festival in November/December…I forgot the name of that festival. 
READ HERE for my Kuah Kacang Recipe, and for instructions on how to cook the Ketupat, READ HERE.
For 2009, I cooked 1 1/2 kg of Beef Brisket and 1 large whole chicken (separately). Because I was also making Kuah Kacang, I made 3 portions of the ingredients for the Rendang recipe. This helps to cut down some of the cooking time and in one go, I had already cooked the Rendang/Kuah Kacang paste together. 
The Beef Rendang was simmered over 3 hours, with frequent stirring to prevent burning at the bottom of the wok, whilst the Chicken Rendang was slow cooked over 1 1/2 hours (chicken take a shorter time to get soft).
Although the recipe may seem like tedious, cooking rendangs is like that but its heavenly taste will more than make up the time and effort that you have put into cooking this. Best is when you see your family or friends tucking happily into your rendangs and you will be very proud of your achievement! 
*
Here is the recipe for the Delicious & Fragrant Beef Rendang (for more meat, just increase the amount of ingredients accordingly) -
250 grated coconut, to make kerisik or toasted coconut (READ HERE for Kerisik recipe. You can make this in advance and refrigerate)
1 1/2 kg Beef Brisket, washed, cut into cubes ( can use Beef Chuck also)
*
(A) Ingredients to be dry roasted in a wok/pan over a small fire for about 5 minutes, cooled down, and then pounded or grinded :-
35 gm whole black peppercorns
35 gm coriander seeds
35 gm fennel seeds
35 gm cumin seeds
(the dry roasting makes these spices very aromatic)
*
(B) Ingredients to be blended with a cup of water to make a spice paste :-
100 gm galangal
60 gm ginger, skin removed
60 gm fresh turmeric root, skin removed
1 whole bulb garlic, skin removed
60 gm dried red chili (soaked in hot water until soft. Can be replaced with 1 cup good Chili Boh)
300 gm shallots, skin removed
3 to 4 stalks serai or lemon grass (use bottom white part only)
*
Other ingredients to be prepared and set aside :-
2 cinnamon sticks (about6 cm long each)
20 cloves
6 star anise
1 cup or 250 ml oil for frying rendang paste
Thick Santan or Milk from 3 coconuts, or 3 cans or 3 180ml packets
2 cups or 500 ml of water to be added to coconut milk
3 turmeric leaves, cut into 2 cm lengths
1 piece kaffir lime leaf, cut into 1 inch width
Salt & Sugar to taste (for me, I had put about 3 tbsps of sugar and 2 tbsp of salt, but it is better that you estimate your own amounts)
*
Cooking Instructions :-
1) Heat up wok with oil and add in cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise. Fry for 1 minute.
2) Add in the blended ingredients/spice paste (B) and fry until they are dry and aromatic… and the oil separates. Keep stirring frequently.
3) Add in the powdered spices (A) and mix thoroughly into spice paste.
4) Add in the beef cubes. Fry for about 5 minutes.
5) Add in the coconut milk and water.
6) Bring to a boil…..then lower heat to small and simmer for about 2 to 3 hours, depending on the cut of beef that you are using.
7) Add in the turmeric and kaffir lime leaves, and the kerisik and stir thoroughly….bring up the heat again to boil the rendang again, then lower heat to simmer until the oil separates at the top, from the kerisik.
8) Add salt and sugar to taste.
Tips
- if your rendang mixture gets too dry but your meat is still tough, add in half cups of water at a time.
- if you don’t want your rendang to be too dry, you can add more water to it and simmer for at least another 20 minutes
- to make your rendang lasts longer over a few days, refrigerate immediately when cool and only take out enough portions for a meal
- you can also freeze some rendang for eating later. Just bring to a boil again over a small heat.
- my family all agree that the Beef Rendang tasted much better than the Chicken Rendang.
Hope you will give this recipe a try and do let me know how your rendang turns out, okay?
Happy Cooking!
With best wishes,
choesf
KY said,
October 10, 2009 @ 3:35 AM
Is the recipe for chicken rendang the same as for beef rendang except to substitute the beef for chicken?
How spicy is this dish on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is Maggi Mee’s curry flavour noodles and 5 is biting on raw chili padi?? I don’t tolerate spicy/hot food well so if I cook this dish I’ll reduce the peppercorns and the dried chilli.
Thanks!
happyhomemaker88 said,
October 10, 2009 @ 11:10 PM
Hello there, dear KY
Yes, the recipe is the same for chicken and beef rendang.
Wow, you have got the perfect scale for me to rate the spiciness of this dish…because I know exactly what you are describing!
I would rate the spiciness of this rendang to be a 2. My eldest daughter can’t take spiciness at all but she loved this rendang … just that she had to drink more water. Better that you reduce the chili and peppercorns here by half, like you said.
Enjoy your rendang!
With best wishes,
choesf
SM said,
July 22, 2010 @ 9:12 PM
Hi,
For (B), the spice paste – I was wondering if it’s only 1 clove (segment) of garlic or 1 whole garlic bulb?
Your recipe looks good, I plan to try it out =)
happyhomemaker88 said,
July 23, 2010 @ 7:31 AM
Hi there and welcome, dear SM
Thank you for asking about the garlic amount used in the spice paste. I had made a typo
– it should be one whole garlic bulb. I had amended my post accordingly. 
With best wishes,
choesf
Seraphina said,
July 23, 2010 @ 6:23 PM
Hi there!
I’m back looking at your malay recipes!
I was just wondering about thisr recipe though.. is your 100 peppercorns in grams or is it a number?
I’m trying the other beef rendang recipe.. I’m hoping it turns out well.. Would you say that this is better?
Can’t wait to sink into this one! =)
Regards
Seraphina
happyhomemaker88 said,
July 24, 2010 @ 9:24 AM
Hi there, dear Seraphina
Thank you for letting me know about the whole peppercorns – it should be 100 gm.
I had amended it already. 
The other rendang recipe tastes good, too, but this one has more “kick” to the taste. However, the measurements can be adjusted accordingly to preferred tastes.
Happy Cooking!
With best wishes,
choesf
PurplezHope said,
October 11, 2010 @ 9:33 PM
OMG this is so helpful to my project I’m so thankful that I found your blog! I’ll favourite it!
happyhomemaker88 said,
October 12, 2010 @ 11:15 AM
Hi there and welcome, dear PurplezHope
Thank you for your kind comemnts. Do drop by when you are free and we’ll have a cup of virtual coffee or tea together.
With best wishes,
choesf
another homemaker said,
August 3, 2011 @ 12:29 PM
Hi Choesf:
your recipe looks attempting , if i’m uing chicken , should i cook it for 1 to 2 hours as for beef , or just till water evaporated and chick cooked??
Thanks a lot
Will try it and get you my feedback as soon as possible.
happyhomemaker88 said,
August 4, 2011 @ 8:19 AM
Hello there, another homemaker
:
If using chicken, then the cooking time is shorter than the beef’s – you can cook until the rendang is dry according to your preference. I think it will take about one hour or less, depending on how small or big your stove fire is. Remember to stir regularly to prevent sticking or burning.
Looking forward to your feedback.
With best wishes,
choesf
another homemaker said,
August 4, 2011 @ 6:45 PM
Hi choesf:
thanks a lot for your fast reply, chicken rendang on the stove now..will let you know about the result when done..
By the way any rendang for this coming raya??
Have a nice day!!
happyhomemaker88 said,
August 6, 2011 @ 6:07 PM
Hi there, dear another homemaker
Heheh, I am still not sure if I will be cooking rendang and ketupat for the coming Raya this year
…. I will post here if I am trying out some new recipes. 
With best wishes,
choesf
mumbakesmumcooks said,
August 10, 2011 @ 7:16 AM
salam, stumbled upon ur site while looking for the best rendang recipe. i’ll try ur recipe this coming eid, am really excited to try it! thanks a lot for sharing!
happyhomemaker88 said,
August 10, 2011 @ 1:02 PM
Hi there and welcome, dear mumbakesmumcooks
Thank you for trying this recipe. Hope you will like it. My husband told me he has invited his colleagues to try my rendang and ketupat on the first day of Eid/Hari Raya and I will be using this recipe again.
I love the easy to follow recipes at your blog, too. I remember when my children was young, I also made ground roasted ikan bilis for their porridge.
With best wishes,
choesf
Anati said,
October 4, 2011 @ 8:26 PM
Hi!
Thanks for the recipe.I’m hoping to prepare this dish for around 100-ish people.How many people does this recipe serves for?How should I add the amount of the ingredients for the amount of people I’m hoping to serve?Thanks!
happyhomemaker88 said,
October 5, 2011 @ 1:27 PM
Hi there and welcome, dear Anati
It depends on how many dishes you are serving altogether for 100 people and how much they like rendang. A recipe of beef rendang here can serve my family of 6 over 3 meals.
To get your rendang more aromatic, use a lot more coconut milk, e.g. for the beef rendang – for 1 1/2 kg of beef, use 4 to 5 coconuts’ milk.
With best wishes,
choesf
serene74 said,
December 14, 2011 @ 12:08 AM
tried your recipe today as was doing trial run for christmas. are your spices amount corrrect? 100gms? they filled my whole kuali, and after grinding them which took hours by the way, the amount of powdered spice filled up three bowls full???? The final product was so bitter!! i am very confused as to spice powders amount. very disappointed as i wasted 1.5 kg chicken and hours of time doing it.
pls help clarify what im doing wrong!
sad homemaker/career mom wannabe
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 14, 2011 @ 12:59 PM
Hi there, dear serene74
I am really sorry if my spice ingredients here were not correct and you had wasted your time, effort and money cooking this dish.
Thank you for letting me know.
For this recipe, I had made 3 portions of the ingredients for Chicken Rendand, Beef Rendang and Kuah Kacang…and I had erroneously not reduced the amount of dry spices accordingly
– i.e. the 100 gms is for 3 portions…and so, please reduce the amount of dry spices to 35 gms each. I had adjusted the recipe already.
Once again, my sincere apologies…
With best wishes,
choesf
Eileen Solomon said,
January 20, 2012 @ 2:20 PM
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I am going to cook the beef rendang for Chinese New Year. Will let you know the outcome. Judging from the ingredients etc. I am confident that its going to be great.
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 20, 2012 @ 2:38 PM
Hi there, dear Eileen
Hope you like this recipe. Looking forward to your feedback!
With best wishes,
choesf
John Pierre L. Dormido said,
June 28, 2012 @ 6:19 PM
I was about to try your recipe for your best-ever beef rendang and tried to measure out the items of Ingredients (A). I was so surprised by the quantity of each spice and decided to consult with you first. Do you really have to use that entire amount of spices for 1.5 kg of beef? Thanks.
happyhomemaker88 said,
June 28, 2012 @ 6:35 PM
Hi there, dear John
I, too, was surprised at the amount of spices used when I first cooked this rendang…but the amount of spices used was what gave this rendang a zing.
However, you can reduce the amount by half if you are wary of the amount of spices. The original recipe I had followed used about 10 gms of spice for 500 gm of beef.
Hope your rendang turns out superb!
With best wishes,
choesf