Sometimes, mothers are getting confused when they will have special occasions because they want to cook special recipes and the options are too many. So, this can be a good idea for them to try special recipe from Indonesia that has been so popular in Malaysia and Singapore as well. It is the beef dish called beef rendang.

Originally, beef rendang is traditional recipe from Minagkabau, an ethnic group in Indonesia. The recipe is made as one of ways to honor guests at ceremonial occasions. The great thing about beef rendang is the way it is cooked. You will surely need hours to cook delicious and perfect-tasted beef rendang. To have this excellent flavorful cook, you might need to spend about 3 hours.

Truly, beef rendang is a recipe that is rich of taste and it tastes like tender coconut beef stew. The combination of aromatic ingredients and delicious beef make this beef rendang becomes so mouthwatering.

Just a thought, Malaysia probably recognized this beef rendang recipe from Minangkabau people who were settled in the country after they migrated from Sumatra during the Melaka Sultanate period. Today, this beef rendang has become famous and favorite dish especially for Malay community in Malaysia.

Even though cooking the beef rendang recipe takes a pretty long time, you must believe that the taste you get will be so delectable. Thus, here is the recipe of beef rendang for you to try at home.

The ingredients you need to prepare are:

• Boneless beef short ribs        1 1/2 pound
• Cooking oil                5 tbsp
• Cinnamon stick of 2 inch long    1 stick
• Cloves                    3 pieces
• Star anise                3 pieces
• Cardamom pods            3 pieces
• Water                    1 cup
• Thick coconut milk            1 cup
• Tamarind pulp            2 tbsp
• Kaffir lime leaves            6 leaves
• Kerisik or toasted coconut        6 tbsp
• Sugar/palm sugar            1 tbsp
• Salt

After the ingredients, other important part in beef rendang recipe is the spice paste which consists of:

• Shallots                    5
• Galangal                    1 inch
• Lemongrass, take the white part        3
• Garlic clove                    5 pieces
• Ginger                        1 inch
• Dried chilies                    10 – 12 pieces

So, it is the time for you to follow some easy steps to cook the delicious beef rendang. First comes first, get all spice paste ingredients, chop them, and blend together. Thereafter, prepare a stew pot to heat oil. Fry spice paste and add it with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and star anise. Slowly stir-fry them till you can smell the aromatic. Add them with beef and the lemongrass which has been pounded and stir it well for about one minute.

After 1 minute lasts, pour the coconut milk, tamarind juice, and water. Boil them together and stir until the meat is just about cooked. Then, add kaffir lime leaves, sugar or palm sugar, toasted coconut or kerisik and stir them again together with the meat. The heat should be set into average level.

Afterward, set the heat into the lower level, cover the lid, and boil for approximately 1 – 1 ½ hours. When the meat feels tender and the gravy had dried up, it means the cook is almost done. You can add salt to taste or add sugar if it is not sweet enough for you. Finally, you can enjoy the dish with your family and serve it with steamed rice.