Beef · Slow cooker adaptation

Slow Cooker Beef Rendang

R By Richard · Adapted from Chef Billy Parisi · Published 23 June 2026
👁 1.3M source views ❤️ 34.1k source likes
⏱Prep 60 min
🍲Slow cook 8 hr (Low) / 5 hr (High)
🍽Serves 6
They Said This Was the Best Beef in the World. They Were Right.

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

Chef Billy Parisi cooks his first ever beef rendang after a cruise-ship housekeeper told him it was the best dish from back home. The original is a long, low hob braise: chuck roast sliced against the grain, browned hard for maillard, then simmered with a layered rempah of shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger and fresh red chillies, toasted whole spices, bay and lime leaves, full-fat coconut milk, palm sugar and kerisik (toasted ground coconut). Adapted here for the slow cooker. You still build the rempah and sear the beef in a pan because nothing else lays down that depth of flavour, then the whole lot goes in the pot for a long, gentle cook.

Slow cooker notes: Source is a hob braise that translates well to a slow cooker. Browning the beef and sauteing the rempah are kept on the hob because slow cookers cannot replicate maillard or dry-toast aromatics. Coconut milk reduced from three 15oz cans (about 1.3 litres) to two 400ml cans because slow cookers retain liquid. Salt added in one go at the end rather than at every layer, since the long sealed cook concentrates seasoning. Bay and lime leaves added whole at the start of the slow cook so they release flavour across the full braise. Kerisik and palm sugar stirred in at the start. For the classic dry, oily rendang finish, lift the lid for the last 30 to 45 minutes on High or finish the sauce on the hob to reduce.

Ingredients

Beef
  • 1.4 kgbeef chuck roast, sliced against the grain into 1.5 to 2 cm thick chunks
  • 3 tbspavocado oil
  • coarse salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper
Kerisik (toasted coconut)
  • 4 cupsunsweetened shredded coconut, toasted low and slow until lightly golden, then ground to a loose paste
Rempah (aromatic paste)
  • shallots, peeled and finely minced in a food processor
  • 8 clovesgarlic cloves, peeled
  • 3 stalkslemongrass stalks, ends trimmed, outer layers removed, thinly sliced
  • 1 piece (about 4 cm)fresh ginger, rinsed, skin left on
  • 8 chilliesFresno chillies, seven seeded, one left with pith and seeds for heat
  • 2 chillieslady finger chillies, seeded
Toasted spices
  • 2 podsgreen cardamom pods, toasted and ground
  • 1 stickcinnamon stick, toasted and ground
  • 3 cloveswhole cloves, toasted and ground
  • 1 tbspcumin seeds, toasted and ground
  • 2 tspcoriander seeds, toasted and ground
  • 0.5 nutmegwhole nutmeg, toasted and ground
  • 2 podsstar anise, toasted and ground
  • 5 nutsmacadamia nuts, toasted and ground with the spices
Braise
  • 4 leavesbay leaves
  • 4 leaveskaffir lime leaves
  • 800 mlfull-fat coconut milk
  • 2 tsppalm sugar or light brown sugar
  • coarse salt
To serve
  • steamed rice (add late)
  • fresh red chilli, sliced (add late)
  • spring onions, sliced (add late)

Method

  1. Make the kerisik. Tip the shredded unsweetened coconut into a dry wok or wide pan over low heat. Stir constantly for about 25 minutes until evenly light golden brown. Tip into a food processor and pulse until it becomes a loose, slightly oily paste. Set aside.

    ~30 min

  2. Build the rempah base. In a food processor, pulse the shallots until very finely minced. Scrape into a bowl. Process the garlic, sliced lemongrass and ginger together to a fine mince and put in a second bowl. Process the seeded Fresno and lady finger chillies plus the one whole Fresno to a fine mince and put in a third bowl.

    ~15 min

  3. Toast and grind the dry spices. Put the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, half nutmeg, star anise and macadamia nuts in a dry sauté pan over low to medium heat. Toast for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until very fragrant. Tip into a spice grinder and grind to a powder.

    ~8 min

  4. Sear the beef. Heat the avocado oil in a heavy pan over high heat until lightly smoking. Season the chunks of beef well with coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Sear in batches, two to three minutes per side, until deeply browned. Lift onto a plate with all the juices.

    ~15 min

  5. Soften the shallots. Drop the heat to low to medium. Add the minced shallots to the same pan, season gently with salt, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until deep brown and sweet.

    ~15 min

  6. Add the garlic, lemongrass and ginger mixture to the shallots. Season gently with salt and cook over low to medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring.

    ~6 min

  7. Add the minced chillies. Season gently with salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes to meld and concentrate.

    ~8 min

  8. Stir in the ground toasted spices and cook for two to three minutes until the rempah is fragrant and paste-like.

    ~3 min

  9. Tip the rempah into the slow cooker. Add the bay leaves and lime leaves. Add the seared beef and all its juices. Pour in the coconut milk. Stir in the palm sugar and roughly a third of the kerisik. Stir well to coat the beef. Season with coarse salt.

    ~5 min

  10. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender. Stir once or twice if you are around.

  11. Reduce the sauce. For the classic dry, glossy rendang finish, lift the lid for the last 30 to 45 minutes on High, or tip the contents into a wide pan and reduce on the hob until the oil from the coconut milk starts to separate. Stir in the remaining kerisik. Taste and adjust salt.

    ~35 min

  12. Pluck out the bay and lime leaves. Serve over steamed rice, scattered with sliced fresh chilli and spring onions.

    ~5 min

Frequently asked

Do I really have to sear the beef and cook the rempah on the hob first?
Yes. A slow cooker cannot replicate the maillard crust on the beef or dry-toast the aromatics, and rendang is built on exactly that depth of flavour. Skip those steps and you get a pale, watery braise.
What is kerisik and can I leave it out?
Kerisik is unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted slowly to deep golden brown then ground to a loose, oily paste. It gives rendang its nutty richness and helps thicken the sauce. Leaving it out changes the dish noticeably; it is worth the 25 minutes.
Can I substitute the chillies?
Yes. Use what you can get. Fresnos and lady finger chillies are what Billy used because Indonesian fresh chillies are hard to find. Dried red chillies, rehydrated, also work. Adjust the seeding to your heat tolerance.
What if I cannot find galangal or candlenuts?
Use a little extra ginger with a squeeze of lemon juice and a crack of black pepper in place of galangal, and macadamia nuts in place of candlenuts. Both are the substitutions the chef uses in the source video.
How dry should the finished rendang be?
Authentic rendang is cooked until the coconut oil separates out and the sauce clings to the meat. Slow cookers retain liquid, so finish by reducing the sauce in a wide pan on the hob, or take the lid off on High for the last 30 to 45 minutes.
Extraction notes (transparency): Source is grounded and detailed but several quantities were not stated: shallots/onions (described as 'some onions', puréed), avocado oil for searing given as a range (3 to 4 tablespoons), kerisik added as 'a third to a half cup', and salt and pepper used to taste. Galangal called out as traditional but substituted in source with extra ginger plus a hint of lemon juice and black pepper; captured as written. Coconut milk volume adapted (see adaptationNotes). Bay leaves and lime leaves totals reflect source: three of each plus one extra each as substitute for unavailable turmeric leaf.