Rendang (Cooking Technique)

Rendang, as a cooking technique distinct from the Indonesian dish of the same name, is the process of slowly cooking meat in spiced coconut milk in an uncovered pot until the coconut oil separates out and the meat finishes cooking by frying in its own sauce rather than simmering in liquid. The meat first simmers gently in coconut milk and spices, and as the liquid gradually reduces the released coconut oil shifts the cooking from simmering to slow frying, with the meat darkening in color as it fries in its own thickened, spiced paste. For five kilograms of meat the process takes around three hours to reduce the liquid to a broth and a further two hours to reach the traditional dark, dry consistency, with constant stirring over a low fire throughout. The long reduction both concentrates the flavor and helps preserve the meat.