Easy Instant Pot Beef Rendang
Making this delicious Indonesian classic Beef Rendang in the instant pot is a breeze. Beef chunks flavored with freshly made spice paste are cooked until tender in the pressure cooker then simmered in coconut milk resulting in a caramelized, rich and tasty meat dish! Seriously, the best beef curry ever – Beef Rendang.
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 onions or 5-6 small shallots, peeled
- 1 inch piece fresh galangal peeled
- 1 long red chili, (like Anaheim pepper or Italian Long Sweet Red chile peppers - mild variety), seeded
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes or 2-4 Thai (finger) red chilis, seeded (adjust to desired heat level)
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin or curry powder
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 stalks lemongrass (use only the lower whitish portion) bruised or lightly smashed
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled then lightly smashed
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (or bay leaves), or to taste
- 2.2 lbs (1 kilo) stewing beef (like chuck), sliced into 1.5-2 inch chunks and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/5 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 14 oz can coconut milk
- 1 tsp fish sauce or extra salt, as needed
- lime or lemon juice, as needed
Instructions
- In a food processor/blender or mortar and pestle, grind the garlic, chopped onions or shallots, galangal (or extra ginger), and chilis to a smooth paste. To make it easier to breakdown the ingredients, you may wish to add 1-2 tablespoons of oil (optional). Add the ground coriander and cumin to the paste and mix well. Set aside.
- Choose the saute setting in the instant pot. Heat the oil and briefly saute the lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime leaves until aromatic about 1-2 minutes. Add the spice paste and cook for another 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it darkens in color and begins to form small bubbles on the edges.
- Add the beef and coat with the spices. Add the water and sugar then deglaze the pan to remove the brown bits at the bottom. Turn off the sauté mode and cover the pot, putting the valve in the sealed position. Put in manual high pressure for 35 minutes. Allow a natural release for 10 minutes.
- Uncover then pour in the coconut milk. Saute and cook, stirring occasionally so beef doesn't stick to the bottom, for 15 minutes or until the sauce has browned or caramelized in color and has thickened (the dish may release some oil at this point, too). Taste and adjust seasoning with a little fish sauce (yum!) or extra salt, as needed. Add a little squeeze of lemon or lime juice as well, if desired, especially if kaffir lime leaves are replaced with bay leaves. You can leave a little bit of sauce to drizzle on your rice or allow the beef to fully dry up and fry in its own oil, it's your choice. Serve with rice or crusty bread.
Notes
NOTES: TIPS & TRICKS
If you cannot find galangal (may be bought fresh or frozen at Asian stores), simply double the ginger. Galangal is citrusy in flavor and aroma so it's different from ginger which is more pungent but the latter may be substituted if galangal is not available.
If you cannot find kaffir lime leaves (available at Asian stores) you may replace them with bay leaves. To add some lemony notes to the dish (if you don't have the galangal and kaffir lime leaves which give beef rendang some citrus notes) simply add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice at the end of cooking.
Adjust the number of chilis to your desired heat level. Because I have 2 kids who are not into super spicy food I only use 2 red Thai chilies (fresh or dried) so the dish has heat but not too much. Add more Thai chilis if you want spicier rendang.
For an even more robust flavor, sear or brown the beef in batches first using the saute function on your instant pot before adding the spice paste. Proceed with the rest of the instructions.
Nutrition
Calories: 315kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 38gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 177mgPotassium: 726mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 78IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 4mg
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