Chef Elizabeth Haigh Beef Rendang (Slow Cooker)

Name: Beef Rendang - #AuntieLiz - The best cut of meat to use is...
Cook time: 8 h
Ingredients: desiccated coconut, toasted in a dry pan or at 160C for 5 to 10 minutes, then pounded to a paste; shallots, peeled, roughly chopped; garlic, peeled; lemongrass, hard stems trimmed and reserved, tender stalks sliced on an angle; fresh red chillies, tough roots trimmed, roughly chopped; galangal, peeled, roughly chopped; ground coriander, toasted dry first; ground cumin, toasted dry first; vegetable oil, for blending the paste; ox cheek, cut into equal pieces; vegetable oil, for browning the beef; kaffir lime leaves, hard central stem removed, chiffonade or left whole; MSG; salt; coconut milk, enough to fill the pan and cover the meat; cassia bark; 4 tbsp dark soy sauce

Source video by Chef Elizabeth Haigh on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Elizabeth Haigh's beef rendang is a labour of love, built on two pastes (toasted desiccated coconut and a hand-bashed rempah of shallots, garlic, lemongrass, chilli and galangal) and a long, slow braise. She favours ox cheek for the price and the flaky braise, with chuck, shin or brisket as alternatives. The original method is a 5 hour oven braise at 150C with an extra 30 to 60 minutes uncovered to drive off liquid. For the slow cooker, the same paste and beef go in together with coconut milk, kaffir lime leaf, cassia bark and dark soy, with a hob reduction at the end to get the signature drier rendang.

Slow cooker notes: Source is a 5 hour oven braise at 150C with a 30 to 60 minute uncovered finish. The slow cooker handles the long braise on Low or High in place of the oven. Because slow cookers seal in moisture, the signature drier rendang texture will not develop in the pot. Once the beef is tender, ladle the contents into a wide pan and reduce on the hob until the coconut oils split and the sauce coats the meat (Liz's 30 to 60 minute uncovered finish). The toasting of the coconut, the rempah blend and the beef browning are all done before the cooker, as in the source.

Ingredients

Toasted coconut paste

desiccated coconut, toasted in a dry pan or at 160C for 5 to 10 minutes, then pounded to a paste

Rempah (spice paste)

shallots, peeled, roughly chopped
garlic, peeled
lemongrass, hard stems trimmed and reserved, tender stalks sliced on an angle
fresh red chillies, tough roots trimmed, roughly chopped
galangal, peeled, roughly chopped
ground coriander, toasted dry first
ground cumin, toasted dry first
vegetable oil, for blending the paste

Braise

ox cheek, cut into equal pieces
vegetable oil, for browning the beef
kaffir lime leaves, hard central stem removed, chiffonade or left whole
MSG
salt
coconut milk, enough to fill the pan and cover the meat
cassia bark
4 tbspdark soy sauce

Method

Toast the desiccated coconut. Either keep it moving in a dry pan over a moderate heat until it takes on colour, or spread it on a tray in a 160C oven for 5 to 10 minutes, turning halfway. Watch it: it tips from golden to burnt fast.
~10 min
Pound the toasted coconut in a pestle and mortar until the oils come out and it forms a paste. Set aside.
Toast the ground coriander and cumin briefly in a dry pan to wake them up. Trim the hard stems from the lemongrass and reserve them. Slice the tender stalks on an angle. Trim the tough roots from the chillies and chop. Peel the shallots, garlic and galangal.
Blend or pound the shallots, garlic, sliced lemongrass, chillies, galangal and toasted ground spices to a smooth paste, adding a little oil to help it move. This is the rempah.
Cut the beef into equal pieces so it cooks evenly. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pan and brown the beef in batches over a high heat so it colours rather than stews. Lift out and reserve along with any juices.
Keep the fond and oils in the pan. Turn the heat down and cook the rempah in the fat for at least 5 minutes to take away the rawness of the garlic and shallots, adding a touch more oil if it sticks.
~5 min
Return the beef and any juices to the pan and coat every piece in the rempah. Stir in the toasted coconut paste, the kaffir lime leaves, the reserved lemongrass stems, MSG if using, and salt.
Pour in enough coconut milk to cover. Add the cassia bark and 4 tablespoons of dark soy sauce. Bring to a simmer on the hob.
Transfer everything to the slow cooker. Cook on Low for around 8 hours or High for around 5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender. Stir once halfway through if you can.
Tip the rendang into a wide pan or back into the browning pan. Simmer uncovered on the hob for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring, until the sauce reduces, the coconut oils split out and the sauce clings to the meat. This is the signature dry rendang finish and will not happen inside a covered slow cooker.
~45 min
Serve with rice and, if you like, achar pickle scattered with peanuts to cut the richness.

Frequently asked

What cut of beef does Elizabeth Haigh recommend?

Ox cheek. She says it is cheaper than the main cuts, flaky once braised, and perfect for rendang. Chuck, bone-in or boneless shin, or brisket are her named alternatives.

Can I skip the toasted coconut paste step?

Liz says no, this is the step a lot of people skip and it matters. Toasting the desiccated coconut and pounding it out into a paste pulls the oils through the dish and is part of what makes rendang taste like rendang.

Why finish rendang uncovered on the hob after the slow cooker?

Rendang's signature character is dry: the coconut milk reduces until the oils split and the sauce coats the meat. Slow cookers seal in moisture, so the pot leaves you with a wet braise. A 30 minute to 1 hour uncovered hob reduction at the end gets you to the proper texture.

Do I have to use ox cheek?

No. The video names chuck, bone-in shin, boneless shin and brisket as alternatives. All are well-marbled cuts that take a long braise. Liz also says you can swap the beef for goat, mutton or chicken.

Is MSG necessary?

No. Liz uses it and says there is nothing wrong with it, but you can leave it out and lean on the salt and dark soy sauce instead.

Extraction notes (transparency): Source video does not state quantities for almost any ingredient. Only the dark soy sauce (4 tablespoons) and the oven temperatures and times are explicit. All other quantities (desiccated coconut, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, chilli, galangal, ground coriander, ground cumin, oil, beef, kaffir lime leaf, MSG, salt, coconut milk, cassia bark) and the default servings are unstated and set to null. Prep time not stated. Confidence reduced for the unstated quantities and for the slow cooker adaptation which requires a hob finishing step not in the source.