Rendang-Inspired Beef Brisket Recipe
If you want to impress your next small gathering with a show stopping dish, look no further. Recipe developer, Deniz Vergara, brings us this recipe for Rendang-inspired beef brisket. This Malaysian dish has a complex depth of flavor including sweet, savory, and spicy notes. This diverse range of tastes comes from ingredients like lemongrass, cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, red chiles, and garlic. You truly get it all when diving into a bite of this beef.
"I first had this dish in London at a hole in the wall Malaysian restaurant named Normah's," Vergara recalls, explaining that "Normah cooked everything in a little kitchen and it was one of the best meals I have ever had!" After that first taste of Rendang beef brisket, Vergara knew she wanted to enjoy it again, "So I decided this would be a wonderful dish to make for a special occasion, since it has quite a few specialty ingredients." She notes that she makes it for gatherings with friends and family and it always turns out to be a huge hit — something tells us it will be a hit with your family, too.
Gather your ingredients for Rendang-inspired beef brisket
To make this Rendang-inspired beef brisket, you can start by gathering your ingredients. For this recipe, you will need red chiles, shallots, garlic, fresh ginger, ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, brisket, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, ground cardamom, lemongrass stalk, makrut lime leaves, bay leaves, sea salt, brown sugar, and full-fat coconut milk.
If you aren't used to shopping for some of these specialty ingredients, Vergara has a few tips. "For the fresh lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, you can find them at Whole Foods or an Asian market," she says.
Blend and heat up the spice paste
To begin, pull out a food processor to prepare the spice paste. Place the red chiles, shallots, garlic, fresh ginger, ground turmeric, ground coriander, and ground cumin into the food processor. Blend the ingredients until they come together into a paste.
Then, heat up a large skillet over medium heat. Add the spice paste, cooking and stirring until it is warmed through. This spice paste will serve as the foundation of flavor for the dish.
Build and simmer the dish
Next, it's time to add the cut brisket, the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, bay leaves, salt and brown sugar. Stir the spice paste to coat the meat and other ingredients. Wait a few moments, allowing the mixture to warm through, before adding the coconut milk. Stir these ingredients well and then bring them to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and falling apart.
Strain before mashing the meat
After simmering the dish, make sure to strain and discard the makrut leaves, bay leaves, and lemongrass stalks from the mixture. Using two forks, mash the meat so it is slightly shredded. Vergara warns to avoid completely shredding the meat, as this will create a different texture than traditional Rendang beef brisket. Return the meat to the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook and stir continuously for 10 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken up.
Now, you'll likely want to serve this with something on the side. "I like to serve this with jasmine rice or homemade roti or naan," Vergara suggests. It would also be great to serve with some simple roasted vegetables or a green salad to include a source of produce.
- 2 long red chiles, trimmed, sliced and deseeded
- 3 shallots, peeled and sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (3-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 pounds brisket, fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 fresh lemongrass stalk, bruised
- 5 fresh makrut lime leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 (14-ounce cans) full-fat coconut milk
- In a food processor, add the red chiles, shallots, garlic cloves, ginger, turmeric, coriander, and cumin, and blend until they form a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add the prepared spice paste and cook, stirring often for 5 minutes.
- Add the cut brisket, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, bay leaves, salt, and brown sugar. Stir to coat the spice paste and spices on the meat. Let sit for a few minutes and then add the coconut milk. Stir to combine.
- Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cover.
- Simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and will fall apart easily.
- Discard the makrut, bay leaves, and lemongrass stalks.
- Remove the meat and using forks, mash slightly so it begins to fall apart. Don't shred completely.
- Add the meat back into the pot and heat over medium-high to reduce the sauce. Stir the Rendang continuously until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
| Calories per Serving | 782 |
| Total Fat | 58.5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 27.1 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 213.2 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 21.2 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.2 g |
| Total Sugars | 8.4 g |
| Sodium | 780.8 mg |
| Protein | 43.5 g |
