A Malaysian classic dish, Chicken Rendang. Tender chicken in aromatic herbs and creamy coconut milk, all goodness in one pot. A traditional dish that's loved by everybody.
I made this lovely chicken rendang lighter by using less amount of coconut milk and it tastes wonderful just the same.
Our family usually eats it with steamed turmeric glutinous rice. Believe it or not, it's also amazing with our parmesan Duchess potatoes. Don't knock it until you tried it! They're both perfect for the amazing sauce!
If you want the beef version, check out my family’s beef rendang recipe.
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📖 Recipe
Malaysian Chicken Rendang
A Malaysian classic dish, Chicken Rendang. Tender chicken in aromatic herbs and creamy coconut milk, all goodness in one pot.
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Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 5 garlic cloves *
- 1 inch ginger *
- ½ inch galangal *
- 3 candlenuts *
- ½ yellow onion *
- 1 red onion *
- 6 lemongrass *
- 1 cup water (250 ml)*
- 2 lb chicken thigh (1 kg), skinless & bone in
- 1 star anise
- 3 cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 lemongrass , bruised and cut into 2 inches length
- 2 teaspoon chilli powder
- 4 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 cup water (250 ml)
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon kerisik , roasted coconut paste
- 4 tablespoon squeezed tamarind juice
- 1 ¼ cup coconut milk (300 ml)
- 15 kefir lime leaves , thinly sliced
Instructions
The base paste
- In a blender, add in garlic cloves, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, red onion, yellow onion, candlenuts and water (all ingredients marked *). Blend into a fine paste and set aside.
Cooking rendang
- In a pot heat some sunflower oil on medium heat. Brown the chicken thighs in batches. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, add in star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and bruised lemongrass. Cook for a few minutes until they release their fragrances. Add in previously blended base paste, curry powder, chili powder and turmeric powder. Mix everything together and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes until it thickens, stir frequently.
- Add in previously browned chicken and mix everything together. Add in water, give it a good stir. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked, use low heat, stir now and then.
- Add in brown sugar, salt, roasted coconut paste, squeezed tamarind juice, coconut milk, kefir lime leaves and mix everything together. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens and the oil separates. Use low heat, stir now and then. Ready to serve.
Notes
- Give time to your rendang, cook it slowly and you will see it's worth it.
- Candlenuts are used as thickening agent. You can substitute them by using cashew nuts, doubling the amount.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 558.2kcal, Carbohydrates: 25.8g, Protein: 47.9g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 20.2g, Cholesterol: 215.5mg, Sodium: 1424.8mg, Potassium: 1089.8mg, Fiber: 4.7g, Sugar: 9.9g, Calcium: 121.5mg, Iron: 8.4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @elmundoeats and tag #elmundoeats!
Adam says
Cracking recipe, really lovely curry, will be trying again...
Bea & Marco says
Thank you, we're happy that you loved it! If you're interested, we have beef rendang recipe that's also delish!
Saarveshes says
Thank you
Sadiah says
Hiya!
First attempt and
I must agree with the Long list of ingredients!
I used 3 fresh red chillies to give it a bit of heat!
My Husband and Son loves it!
Thank you!
Cheers
Sadiah from sunny Singapore!
Bea says
Hey Sadiah! Yes, making it from scratch does involves quite bit of ingredients, eh 😀 ? But it's totally worth it. I always make a huge batch and freeze by portions (1 time work and many times of rendang 😀 ). I'm happy that your whole family loved it, thank you so much for your feedback! XOXO
Eric Numen says
I was hesitant to try this recipe for its long ingredient list. LOL!
I'm glad that I did because it's amazing! I skipped the krisik though because I couldn't find it anywhere.
Thank you for sharing your recipe 🙂
Bea says
Haha! Yes I know, Asian recipes tend to have quite a handful of ingredients 😀 but I love to simplify them whenever I can. And hey, if you're up for making your own kerisik, here's how. Thank you so much Eric!
Jason CL says
Tasty! This rending reminds me of home. Got no tamarind so I put lime juice. I also added turmeric leaves. Congrats and thank you!
Bea says
Hey I use lime/lemon juice all the time now to substitute tamarind juice. No problem at all, right? Yes turmeric leaves give that extra aromatic touch to rendangs. I didn't have any when we filmed this video but this year I grew my own turmeric plant and used the leaves in my slow cooker chicken rendang recipe :D. Thank you Jason!