An Indonesian slow-cooked dry beef curry from Padang, Sumatra — simmered for hours in coconut milk and spices until the liquid evaporates and the meat is coated in a dark, concentrated paste.
Three stages of rendang
Rendang is not a single dish but a cooking process with three distinct stages:
- Gulai — the curry is still liquid and brothy; this is when western cooks often stop
- Kalio — the sauce has reduced significantly; the oil has separated and the gravy is thick and dark
- Rendang — the sauce has cooked off almost entirely; the beef is coated in a dry, sticky, intensely concentrated spice paste; the oil has returned and is frying the meat in its own fat
The full rendang process takes 3–5 hours. Most western recipes stop at kalio.
Preservation
The original function of cooking rendang to dryness was preservation — without the moisture and with the antimicrobial properties of the spices (ginger, galangal, lemongrass), properly made rendang keeps at room temperature for up to a month in the Sumatran climate, and up to three months refrigerated.
CNN’s “World’s Best Food”
In 2011 and 2017, CNN Travel named rendang the number one best food in the world across its reader polls. It has become the most globally recognised Indonesian dish, beating even nasi goreng.
Padang restaurants
Nasi Padang — the restaurant style originating in Padang, West Sumatra — is how most Indonesians encounter rendang. The waiter brings out 10–20 small dishes; diners pay only for what they eat. Rendang is the centrepiece.
Find more foods by letter
Rendang starts with R and ends with G. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Rendang":