Rendang

Rendang

dry and dark beef rendang in Padang
Alternative names	Randang (in Minangkabau)
Course	Main course
Place of origin	Indonesia[1][2][3]
Region or state	West Sumatra[3][2]
Associated cuisine	Indonesia,[4] Malaysia,[3] Singapore,[3] Brunei
Serving temperature	Hot or room temperature
Main ingredients	Meat (water buffalo,[3] beef, lamb or goat), coconut milk, chilli, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, shallot
Variations	Chicken rendang, duck rendang, liver rendang, spleen rendang
Cookbook: Rendang   Media: Rendang

This article is part of the series on
Indonesian cuisine Masakan Indonesia
National dishes Gado-gado Nasi goreng Rendang Satay Soto Tumpeng
Regional and cultural cuisines Acehnese Arab Balinese Banjarese Batak Betawi Chinese Gorontalese Indian Indo Javanese Madurese Makassarese Malay Minahasan Minangkabau Palembangese Peranakan Sundanese
Ingredients Bumbu Condiments Peanut sauce Sambal Santan
Types of food Foods Dishes Noodles Soups Desserts Snacks Kue Krupuk Kripik Drinks Beverages Alcohol Coffee
Preparation and cooking Main Frying Stir frying Grilling Roasting Dry roasting Sautéing Boiling Steaming Other Pepes Pindang Rendang Semur
Styles Nasi campur Nasi padang Rijsttafel Tumpeng Street food
Holidays and festivals Kenduri Lebaran (Eid al-Fitr) Naloni Mitoni Natal (Christmas) Serak Gulo Slametan
Related cuisines Bruneian Chinese Dutch East Timorese Egyptian Filipino Indian Malaysian Portuguese Singaporean Sri Lankan South African Surinamese Thai Yemeni
See also History Etiquette Cookbook: Cuisine of Indonesia
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Rendang is a spicy Minangkabau meat dish originating from the highlands region in west of the Sumatra island in Indonesia.^[1][5] It has spread across other islands in Indonesia to the cuisines of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines.^[2]

Rendang is often described by Westerners as a rich "curry" made by stewing meat in coconut milk and spices until it becomes tender;^[1][6][5] but the dish is usually not considered as such in Indonesia and Malaysia since it is richer and contains less liquid than is normal for curries known in these countries.^[7] Rendang is a piece of meat — most commonly beef (rendang daging) — that has been slow cooked and braised in a coconut milk and spice mixture,^[8][9] well until the liquids evaporate and the meat turns dark brown and tender, becoming caramelized and infused with rich spices. As the signature dish of Minangkabau culture, rendang is traditionally served at ceremonial occasions to honour guests during festive events; such as wedding feasts and Eid al-Fitr also known as Hari Raya or Lebaran.^[10] Rendang is also traditionally served among the Malay community in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, as well as the Maguindanaon and Maranao in the Philippines.^[11]

In Indonesia, 6 different traditions of preparing rendang have been granted intangible cultural heritage status by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, all included under the heritage of West Sumatra province. In 2010, Randang (the Minang spelling of Rendang),^[12] and gulai rendang (rendang served with more coconut-milk based liquid)^[13] were granted cultural heritage status, followed by Randang daging (meat rendang),^[14] randang kantang (potato rendang),^[15] and randang incek kacang (rendang with beans)^[16] in 2016, while rendang paku of Dharmasraya (rendang prepared with the leaves of a fern (Diplazium esculentum)) received the same status in 2018.^[17]

In 2011, an online poll of 35,000 people by CNN International nominated beef rendang as the No. 1 World's most delicious dish in their World's 50 most delicious foods: Readers' picks list (even though it was #11 on the original list produced by the staff).^[18][19] In 2018, rendang was officially recognised as being one of the 5 national dishes of Indonesia; the others are soto, sate, nasi goreng, and gado-gado.^[20]