This pressure cooker beef rendang is made with just five ingredients: stewing beef, rendang paste, oil, water and coconut milk. Pressure cooking gets the beef tender, then a simmer with the lid open lets you reduce the sauce until it’s how you like it.
I’ve recently started using Tumisan Rendang paste and I absolutely love it (details below on where to buy it). I wasn’t sure about using it without adding any extra spices or aromatics, as I do in my slow cooker beef rendang, but the result was brilliant. I’ve already ordered some more!
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What You Need
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
Stewing beef: Choose beef suitable for slow cooking, such as chuck or braising steak. Cut it into similar-sized chunks so it cooks evenly. I had bought two x 700g packets of stewing beef from Lidl so I cooked it all at once (the paste suggests using 1.3kg of meat for the whole packet), freezing half of it to eat at another time.
Tumisan Rendang paste: I used a whole packet for this recipe. It provides the flavour without needing to prepare a separate spice paste or add extra aromatics. Other rendang pastes can vary in strength and packet size, so check the instructions if you’re using a different one.
This is the paste I used and I love it, I get it from Amazon.
Cooking oil: A little oil is used to fry the paste before adding the beef. A neutral oil such as vegetable or sunflower oil works well.
Water: This provides the liquid for pressure cooking. Once you’ve added it, scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly to loosen any paste that has stuck.
Coconut milk: I stir this in after pressure cooking, then gently simmer the sauce to reduce it. Give the tin a shake or stir before measuring it out so the coconut cream and liquid are mixed together.
Which Pressure Cooker Can I Use?
I made this using the pressure cooker function on my Ninja Foodi 15-in-1. You can also use another pressure cooker with an equivalent high-pressure setting, following its instructions for sealing and releasing pressure.
Check your model’s minimum liquid requirement before starting. I used 250 ml water in mine, but if yours needs more, increase the water accordingly and allow extra time to reduce the sauce afterwards. Keep the ingredients below your cooker’s maximum fill line.
How To Make It
Start by selecting Sear/Sauté on the Ninja Foodi. Add the oil and rendang paste, then stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Keep the paste moving so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pot. I used the whole packet of the paste as I was cooking with 1.4kg of stewing beef (so that I could freeze half for another meal). You can use less meat and paste if you prefer.
Add the beef and stir until the chunks are coated in the paste.
Pour in the water and give everything a good stir, scraping right across the bottom of the pot. This is an important step: you want to loosen any stuck-on paste before pressure cooking.
Close the lid, set the cooker up for pressure cooking according to your model’s instructions and select High pressure for 25 minutes. The cooker will take some time to come up to pressure before the cooking countdown begins.
When the cooking time finishes, leave the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure.
Switch back to Sear/Sauté with the lid open and choose a low setting for a gentle simmer. Stir in the coconut milk and let the sauce reduce, stirring regularly so it doesn’t catch as it thickens.
If there’s quite a lot of liquid to reduce, lift the beef out with a slotted spoon and set it aside while you simmer the sauce. Return it to the pot once the sauce has thickened and heat it through.
You can leave a little sauce for spooning over rice or reduce it further until it clings closely to the beef. The time needed will depend on how much liquid the beef releases and how thick you want the finished sauce.
What To Serve With Beef Rendang
I like to serve this with jasmine rice or coconut rice. Some steamed green vegetables or mangetout work well alongside it too.
I use a rice cooker (I now use the Lidl rice cooker) to make my rice.
Storing and Freezing
Cool the beef rendang promptly and refrigerate it in an airtight container within 2 hours. Eat within 2 days.
You can also freeze it in individual portions for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat in a saucepan over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until piping hot throughout. Add a splash of water if the sauce has become too thick. Only reheat the portion you need.
More Beef Recipes
I hope you enjoy this pressure cooker beef rendang. If you are looking for more beef recipes for the pressure cooker, check these out for ideas, or there are more pressure cooker recipes here.
- Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
- Pressure Cooker Beef Brisket
- Pressure Cooker Beef Curry
- Pressure Cooker Chilli Con Carne
- Pressure Cooker Curried Mince
- Pressure Cooker Bolognese
Pressure Cooker Beef Rendang
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Ingredients
- 1.4 kg stewing beef cut into chunks
- 200 g Tumisan Rendang paste
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 250 ml water or enough to meet your pressure cooker’s minimum liquid requirement
- 150 ml coconut milk
Instructions
- Select Sear/Sauté. Add the oil and rendang paste and stir for 1–2 minutes.
- Add the beef and stir until coated in the paste.
- Pour in the water and scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly to loosen any stuck-on paste.
- Close the lid and set up the cooker for pressure cooking according to your model’s instructions. Cook on High pressure for 25 minutes.
- Allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure. Open the lid once the pressure has fully released and check that the beef is tender.
- Select Sear/Sauté with the lid open and use a low setting for a gentle simmer. Stir in the coconut milk and reduce the sauce to your preferred thickness, stirring regularly.
- If the sauce needs a lot of reducing, remove the beef first. Return it to the thickened sauce and heat through before serving.
- Serve with jasmine rice or coconut rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an estimate.