Rendang Tok (Beef Rendang)

Step 1

Place the red chilies, garlic, ginger, and shallots in a food processor and blend until completely smooth, like a thick paste — this is your rendang base and should take 2–3 minutes of blending.

Step 2

Pat the beef chunks dry with paper towels so they brown better when cooked, about 1 minute total for all pieces.

Step 3

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pot, about 1 minute.

Step 4

Add the beef chunks in a single layer and cook without stirring until the bottoms turn deep brown, about 4 minutes — you'll see color change from gray to dark golden.

Step 5

Stir the beef to turn the pieces over and brown the other sides, another 3–4 minutes, until the meat is dark brown all around.

Step 6

Pour in the chili-ginger paste and stir constantly, coating every piece of beef, for 2 minutes until the mixture turns fragrant and slightly darker.

Step 7

Pour in both cans of coconut milk and add the palm sugar and salt, then stir to combine, about 1 minute until the sugar dissolves.

Step 8

Reduce heat to medium and let the rendang simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally every 3–4 minutes, for 35–40 minutes until the beef is fork-tender and the coconut liquid has reduced to a thick, glossy, dark brown sauce.

Step 9

Taste and adjust salt if needed — the sauce should coat the back of a spoon and the meat should shred easily when pressed with a fork.

Step 10

Transfer the rendang to a serving dish or bowls and serve hot with steamed rice, allowing the rich sauce to soak into each grain.