Rendang is a traditional dark brown Malay dish based on herbs such as lemongrass, galangal, ginger, fresh turmeric, dried chilli, red onion and garlic. All these ingredients are ground and sautéed using cooking oil.

Kerisik and coconut milk are added to the sautéed gravy. 

Kerisik is grated coconut that is fried without oil until it turns dark brown and pound until it becomes oily. 

As an enhancer to the flavour, I added sliced turmeric leaves, salt and sugar at the end of cooking.

The delicacy and difficulty of this cuisine makes the Rendang a top-tier dish.

Type of Rendang 

You can choose chicken to put in the Rendang gravy and turn this dish into a Rendang Ayam.

If you want to change your taste, you can add meat to make Rendang Daging.

Another option that can be included in the Rendang gravy is a mixture of beef liver and spleen. 

The common name of this mixture is called Rendang Nasib. It means you don’t know what you will get if you eat this Rendang.  You may get a spleen or liver only or both.

If you want to enjoy Rendang from seafood, the clam filling is very suitable to be put in gravy and become  Rendang Kerang (Clam Rendang)

Method of Cooking Rendang

This Rendang gravy takes a long time to be cooked over a fire until the coconut milk is stirred with thick herbs.

Long periods give more time for the meat to become tender and easy to chew. Rendang Daging takes between an hour or two to cook.

Cooking chicken rendang does not take long, that is within an hour so that the chicken is fully cooked and well blended in the gravy.

How does Rendang taste 

A mixture of galangal, lemongrass, ginger and turmeric gives a fresh taste in cooking.

Dried chillies add spiciness to the gravy. This spicy taste is important because Malays like spicy taste in cooking.

Shallots and white onions give the original sweet taste of Rendang. These two ingredients are also important elements in all Malay cuisine.

The freshness of all the herbs used mixed with coconut milk makes Rendang Daging, Rendang Ayam, Rendang Nasib or Rendang Kerang give a sweet and spicy taste.

Stir-frying colourful ingredients such as royal yellow, liquid yellow, red, pink, white and brown in oil makes the Rendang colour dark brown.

The colour of Rendang when served catches the eye and appetite.

However, the complexity of cooking this food makes Rendang not cooked as a daily dish but very popular.

Type of Food to Eat with Rendang 

This type of delicious food is eaten with Rendang.

Rendang is an upper level dish but suitable to be eaten with a variety of foods.

Rice

Malays have various types of cooked rice.

Rendang is delicious eaten with plain rice, Nasi Minyak, Nasi Jagung (Corn Rice), Nasi Lemak, Briyani rice, Nasi Tomato (Tomato Rice).

Yellow glutinous rice

Rendang is the most suitable match to be eaten with Yellow Glutinous Rice.

Yellow glutinous rice is cooked using glutinous rice, turmeric powder, coconut milk and salt.

Serve yellow glutinous rice with Rendang and the addition of cucumber and boiled egg.

Ketupat

Ketupat is made from rice that is put in the shells of young coconut leaves that are woven and boiled for four hours.

Cut the ketupat after cooling.

Ketupat is delicious eaten with rendang only or added with Sayur Lodeh gravy.

Nasi Impit

Rendang is delicious eaten with Nasi Impit (Compressed Rice).

Nasi Impit is cooked with rice in a pot. Put the cooked rice in a mould lined with banana leaves. Compact and press the rice in the mould.

Cover with a layer of leaves on the surface and let cool before cutting. It can be eaten with rendang only or added with Sayur Lodeh gravy.

Bread

You can buy bread at the store and eat it with Rendang.

Bread and Rendang can be used as supplies on long journeys.

How long does Rendang last 

Due to the long cooking period allows this dish to last two days at room temperature.

If you store it in the refrigerator it can last a week.

Rendang stored in the freezer lasts two months.

Conclusion

Rendang is a special dish in the celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hari Raya Aidiladha, official functions, weddings, celebrations and family gatherings.