Delicious Beef Rendang, Indonesia's Specialty Food

Indonesia, a country rich in natural resources, is certainly no secret. In addition to minerals, Indonesia is also rich in high-value spices in foreign markets. that's why Indonesia is often nicknamed the "Mother of Spices" because of the richness and diversity of its spices. Many Indonesian dishes have a distinctive aroma and often highlight the rich flavors of spices. one example of a dish that uses a variety of Indonesian spices is rendang. Beef rendang is one of Indonesia's most beloved dishes. 

Rendang is increasingly recognized and spread far beyond its original region thanks to the Minangkabau culture of migration. In addition to working as employees or trading, many Minangkabau people are entrepreneurs who open Padang restaurants across the archipelago, even extending to neighboring countries to Europe and America.

At the Village International de la Gastronomie (VIG) culinary exhibition organized by the French government in 2017, rendang was a favorite among the visitors. According to them, of the various Indonesian dishes at the exhibition, rendang was the most enjoyed. Reflecting on this, we can see how well rendang has fared in the eyes of the world.

In 2011, rendang was named as the dish that topped CNN International's list of World's 50 Most Delicious Foods.[1] In 2018, rendang was officially designated as one of Indonesia's five national dishes.

The origin of rendang is traced back to Minangkabau, West Sumatra. For the Minang people, rendang has been around for a long time and has become a traditional dish that is served in various traditional events and daily dishes. As a traditional dish, rendang is thought to have been born since the Minang people held their first traditional event. The art of cooking then spread to other Malay-cultured overseas regions; from Mandailing, Riau, Jambi, to the overseas country of Negeri Sembilan where many Minangkabau migrants live. That's why rendang is widely known both in Sumatra and Peninsular Malaya.

The first spread of rendang in West Sumatra began in three regions known as Luhak nan Tigo (three mountains), namely Luhak Agam, Luhak Limo Puluah, and Luhak Tanah Data. From these three regions, rendang spread rapidly to other regions in West Sumatra. Rendang has many variations that are influenced by the availability of ingredients and the environmental conditions of each region. Based on provisional data from Nusantara Marandang, there are currently around 400 types of rendang in West Sumatra. This is because each region, nagari, tribe, jorong, district, or city has its own distinctive rendang. Some examples are randang lokan (clam rendang) from Painan or Pariaman, randang itik (duck rendang), and randang jariang (jengkol rendang) from Bukittinggi, randang sapuluik itam (white sticky rice) from Payakumbuh, and randang pensi (clam rendang) from the Maninjau region.

Rendang is a meat-based dish that results from a long, low-temperature cooking process using various spices and coconut milk. The cooking process takes hours until all that is left are dark black pieces of meat and bran.

Besides being delicious and healthy, processing beef into rendang can also make the meat more durable and can be stored for a long time. Because meat rendang can last up to two weeks.

But it is important to note that the way the meat is processed must be correct. Besides, the meat rendang seasoning used must also be in the right dosage. That way, we can not only produce beef rendang that can last long, but also has a very delicious taste.

You can make authentic Minang rendang following the recipe from the book "Randang Bundo" by Wynda Dwi Amalia published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama.

Recipe for rendang 1 kg of meat

 Main ingredients

• 1 kg beef 
• 1/4 kg red chili 
• 3.5 liters coconut milk from 4 coconuts 

Wet seasoning 

• 1/2 clove of garlic 
• 2 ounces shallots 
• 1 1/2 ounces ginger 
• 2 ounces galangal

Dry spices 

• 6 cardamom pods 
• 2 pieces of pekak 
• 1 nutmeg 
• 1 ounce coriander 
• 1/4 tsp peppercorns 
• 1/4 tsp cumin 
• 5 cloves 
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 pieces of Java pepper 
• 1/4 tsp anise 
• 4 tsp salt Leaf seasoning 
• 6 orange leaves 
• 3 serai 
• 4 bay leaves

How to Cook It : 

• Dice the beef against the fibers. One kilogram of beef can yield 25 to 30 pieces of meat.
• Grind the chili until smooth. Use a blender to make grinding easier.
• Grate the coconut. Add 260 milliliters of warm water, pouring it in slowly. Squeeze and stir the coconut and put two handfuls into a bag. Squeeze as hard as you can until only the coconut pulp remains. Do this until you have about 3.5 liters of coconut milk.
• Puree all the wet ingredients, using a mortar and pestle or blender. Set aside.
• Roast the dry ingredients. Puree all dry ingredients except pekak and cardamom using a blender or mortar. Set aside.
• Blend the lime leaves and bay leaves. Set aside.
• Heat two tablespoons of cooking oil in a cauldron. Saut the wet spices and ground leaves over medium heat until fragrant.
• Slowly pour the 
• coconut milk into the cauldron. Cook over high heat.