Name: Beef rendang
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 823 g Beef chuck steaks (cut into pieces 1.5 inches thick); 1 el Olive oil; 1 Cinnamon stick; 2 Star anise; 4 Cloves; 4 Cardamom pods; 188 ml Chicken broth; 250 ml Coconut cream; 1 el Soy sauce; 1 el Fish sauce; 2 el Tamarind purée; 1 el Brown sugar; 2 el Coconut oil; 2 stengel Lemongrass (thinly sliced); 10 Dried red chilies; 1 tl Turmeric; 6 teen Garlic; 3 Shallots (roughly chopped); 2 el Ginger (chopped); 2 el Galangal (chopped); Salt; Black pepper; 45 g Coconut flakes (toasted) (Garnish); 6 Lime leaves (cut into strips) (Garnish)

Instructions

8 steps

Toast the Coconut

Add the coconut flakes to the Instant Pot without any oil and set it to Sauté More. Toast the coconut, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the coconut and set aside.

Brown the Meat

Wait until the display reads HOT again. Pat the meat dry and generously season one side with salt and black pepper. Spread the olive oil over the entire bottom of the inner pot. Place the meat in the pot seasoned-side down and generously season the top with salt and pepper as well. Brown the first side for 7 minutes, turn the meat over, and brown the other side for another 7 minutes. Remove the meat and place it in a large container.

The pot should be as hot as possible so the meat browns well.

Make the Rendang Paste

While the meat browns, put the lemongrass, dried red chilies, garlic, shallots, ginger, and galangal in a food processor. Process into a smooth spice paste. Transfer the paste to a mixing bowl, add the turmeric, and mix well.

For the lemongrass, cut off the bottom and the green, pointed top, remove the tough outer 3 to 4 layers, and thinly slice the white part.

Sauté the Rendang Paste

When the meat has finished browning, add the coconut oil, rendang paste, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, and cardamom pods to the Instant Pot. Sauté until fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Deglaze

Pour in the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the browned bits from the bottom. Stir briefly.

Pressure Cook

Turn off the Instant Pot. Cut the browned meat into pieces 4 cm thick. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and tamarind purée to the pot and stir briefly. Place the pieces of meat in the cooking liquid, along with the juices from the container. Spoon the coconut cream over everything as the top layer, and do not stir. Close the lid and set the Venting Knob to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook on High Pressure for 32 minutes. Then let the pressure drop naturally for 10 minutes (Natural Release), and then set the Venting Knob to Venting to release the remaining pressure. Carefully remove the lid.

Make sure the pieces of meat are partially submerged in the liquid.

Reduce the Sauce

The rendang will still look thin at this point. Bring the sauce to a boil on Sauté More. Scoop 500 ml (2 cups) of the liquid from the pot, strain it, and return only the solids to the pot. Simmer the sauce for about 7 to 8 minutes to reduce it further; stir occasionally and watch out for splattering. Once the sauce is thick and dark enough, add the toasted coconut and lime leaves. Taste and season with salt. Keep stirring frequently until no thin sauce remains and the rendang is deep brown. Turn off the pot as soon as the rendang starts sticking to the bottom of the inner pot.

Allow for about 3 to 4 generous pinches of salt.

Serve

Spoon out the rendang and serve.

Notes

Using Tamarind Pulp

If you only have tamarind pulp, soak 30 g pulp in 30 ml hot water for 30 minutes. Then mash the pulp with your hands or a fork, mix it with the water, and strain it to make tamarind paste.

Beef rendang

Recipe info

Cooking timeline

Ingredients

Garnish