Beef and Offal Rendang: A Minang Inspired Rendang for the Culinary Adventurous

Beef and offal rendang: delicious flavours, complex textures

If you’re looking for an even bigger and tastier challenge than preparing and cooking a traditional beef rendang, this beef and offal rendang recipe is right up your alley. The trifecta of lungs, liver and spleen mixed with beef tenderloin adds an incredible depth and texture to this dish that is mind-blowing delicious.

Roll up your sleeves as you’ll need a sharp knife, some patient prepping as well as about three hours cooking time to get this dish just right. We also recommend a really, really big wok and some muscle to help with the stirring.

Ingredients

Meat

• 500g lungs, cut into 1 inch thick slices
• 500g liver, cut into 1 inch thick slices
• 500g spleen, cut into 1 inch thick slices
• 2kg beef tenderloin, sliced

Rinsing & soaking ingredients

• 6 tbsp flour, divided equally into three
• 2 kaffir limes, juice only
• 3 tbsp coarse salt, divided equally into three

To simmer with lungs

• 3 lemongrass stalks
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 inch galangal

Roasted spice mixture

• 42g coriander seed powder (or 5 tbsp + 1 tsp)
• 11g fennel seeds (or 2 tbsp + 1 tsp)
• 15g cumin (or 2 tbsp + 1tsp)
• 5g cardamom without husk (or 1 tsp)
• 2g stick cinnamon (or 1 tsp)
• 3g nutmeg (or 1 ½ tsp)
• 2g cloves (or 1 tsp)

Blended ingredients

• 219g garlic
• 130g young ginger
• 94g galangal
• 1.15kg big onions
• 513g shallots
• 215g lemongrass, roots only

Other ingredients

• 11g salt (or 1 tbsp)
• 9g black pepper (or 1 tbsp)
• 340g belimbi (belimbing buluh), sliced in half lengthwise
• 191g coconut sugar (gula Melaka)
• 1kg kerisik
• 3 pcs tamarind peel (asam keping)
• 1.26kg coconut milk (santan)
• 32g fresh bay leaves (daun salam), finely sliced
• 6g kaffir lime leaves (about 6 pieces)
• 22g turmeric leaves, chiffonade
• 428g rehydrated & blended dried chilies (cili boh)
• 692g cooking oil

Serves 12 – 15

Preparation

1. In a bowl, roughly mix lungs with 2 tbsp flour, the juice of 1 lime and 1 tbsp coarse salt. Rinse with water then leave to soak fully submerged for two to three minutes.
2. Drain lungs then boil and simmer with lemongrass stalks, kaffir lime leaves and galangal for half an hour. Place a heavy plate or pot over the lungs to keep them submerged. Ensure there is enough water to cover the lungs. Remove and reserve the liquid.
3. Mix liver and spleen with 2 tbsp flour, the juice of 1 lime and 1 tbsp coarse salt. Rinse with water then leave to soak fully submerged for two to three minutes. Drain.
4. In another bowl, roughly mix beef with 2 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp coarse salt, then rinse with water.
5. In a dry pan or wok, roast all in the roasted space mixture list on medium high heat until fragrant. Once roasted, grind all the spices with a pestle and mortar until fine.
6. Blend all ingredients in the blended mixture list until smooth.

Cooking method

1. Add oil to the wok on high heat. Once the oil is sufficiently hot, fry the blended ingredients and rehydrated and blended dried chilies for 10 minutes.

8. Add meats and belimbi. Cook for 10 minutes.

9. Add roasted ground spices and stir for another 10 minutes.
10. Add coconut milk, followed by coconut sugar, tamarind peel, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves and turmeric leaves. Stir and cook for one and a half hours, continuously stirring.

11. Add kerisik.
12. Cook the rendang until dry while continuously stirring. This should take another 20 minutes. If the rendang dries up before 20 minutes, add 1 cup of reserved liquid to prolong cooking time.

Additional tips

1. You can also a spice or coffee grinder to crush the spices instead of doing it by hand.
2. Beef and offal rendang goes perfectly with rice, lemang, nasi impit, yellow glutinous rice (pulut kuning) and fluffy white bread, and is perfect for special occasions like weddings, Eid, or if you really want to impress your in-laws with your dedication to perfecting this fairly complex dish. But if you’re not up for the challenge, or are not too keen on offal, try our traditional beef or chicken rendang recipes instead.

Don’t forget to share with us your beef and offal rendang pictures by hashtagging us with #butterkicap!