Chicken Rendang
Rendang is one of those curries that rewards patience. A fresh blended paste, whole spices simmered right into the sauce, and toasted coconut stirred through at the end for texture and a deeper, nuttier flavour than the paste alone can give you.
The sauce needs time uncovered to actually reduce down into something rich and thick rather than a thin coconut soup. It’s worth resisting the urge to rush this part — the last ten minutes or so is where it really comes together.
Served over fragrant rice cooked with its own whole spices, this makes five proper containers of something that tastes like it’s been on the stove a lot longer than an hour.
Chicken Rendang
RENDANG CURRY · CHICKEN · MEAL PREP · MEDIUM
A fresh paste beats a jar every time
Blending your own onion, shallot, garlic, ginger and lemongrass gives you a paste with way more depth than anything from a jar, and cooking it down properly before the chicken goes in is what builds the base flavour for the whole dish.
Toasting the coconut separately rather than just adding it raw brings out a nuttiness that plain desiccated coconut doesn't have, and it helps thicken the sauce as it cooks down.
Whole spices in both the curry and the rice mean fragrance running through the entire dish, not just the sauce sitting on top of plain rice.
Chicken Rendang Meal Prep
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 kg Chicken Thigh, Boneless & Skinless Diced
- 5 g Salt
Rendang Paste
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Chopped
- 2 Shallots
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 15 g Ginger
- 15 g Lemongrass Paste
- 2 Dried Red Chillies Soaked
Rendang Sauce
- 400 ml Coconut Milk
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 3 Whole Cloves
- 3 Green Cardamom Pods
- 4 g Ground Coriander
- 4 g Ground Cumin
- 2 g Ground Turmeric
- 15 g Brown Sugar
Toasted Coconut
- 20 g Desiccated Coconut
Fragrant Rice
- 300 g Jasmine Rice Washed
- 550 ml Cold Water
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 3 Green Cardamom Pods
- 3 Whole Cloves
- 3 Lime Leaves Optional
- Salt To Taste
To Serve
- Spring Onion Sliced
Method
- Blend the onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chillies into a smooth paste.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the paste and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly, until it darkens slightly, smells fragrant, and the moisture evaporates.
- Add the chicken and salt. Mix well so the chicken is coated in the paste. Cook for 4-5 minutes, allowing the chicken to lightly sear and absorb flavour.
- Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine. Add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and brown sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally as the sauce reduces.
- While the rendang cooks, toast the desiccated coconut in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly golden and fragrant.
- Stir in the toasted coconut and continue cooking, stirring more frequently, until the sauce thickens, becomes rich, coats the chicken with minimal excess liquid, and the chicken is cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). Remove whole spices and set aside.
- Rinse the rice until clear. Add to a pot with water, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, kaffir lime leaves and salt. Bring to the boil, reduce to low, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Rest covered for 5 minutes, then fluff and remove whole spices.
- Divide the rice evenly among five containers and top each with chicken rendang, ensuring each portion gets plenty of the rich sauce. Finish with sliced spring onion.
What does toasting the coconut actually add?⌄
Toasting brings out a nuttier, deeper flavour than raw desiccated coconut has, and it also helps thicken the sauce as it's stirred through and cooks down with the chicken.
Can I adjust the spice level?⌄
Yes, the dried chillies in the paste are where most of the heat comes from. Use one instead of two to three for a milder curry, or remove the seeds before soaking them if you want the flavour without much heat at all.
What if I can't find lime leaves?⌄
You can leave them out of the rice entirely, the dish will still work. A strip of lime zest added at the end is a reasonable substitute if you want something in that direction, though it won't taste quite the same.
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?⌄
Thigh is a better fit here since it holds up through the longer simmer without drying out. Breast will work but keep an eye on it, as it can toughen up if it cooks too long in the reducing sauce.
