History

Rendang is a centuries-old Minangkabau (Sumatran) slow-cooked beef dish that Dutch colonists encountered through the East Indies trade. After Indonesian independence in 1949, Indonesian-Dutch families repatriated to the Netherlands, bringing the dish; Indonesian restaurants like Sampurna, Sama Sebo and Tempo Doeloe popularised it in 1950s and 60s Amsterdam. The broodje (sandwich) format emerged in the late 1990s as Amsterdam's takeaway adaptation; today every Indonesian toko (grocery) and many Surinamese-style snack bars sell broodje rendang as a quick lunch. Blauw Amsterdam serves the canonical sit-down version with rijsttafel.

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Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 45 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 1.2kg beef chuck (or shin), cut into 4cm chunks
  • For the rendang paste: 8 large red chillies (deseed half if you want medium heat)
  • 4 shallots
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 thumb fresh ginger
  • 1 thumb fresh galangal (or 1 tsp dried)
  • 4 stalks lemongrass, white parts only
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp coriander seed
  • 1 tsp cumin seed
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil
  • 800ml full-fat coconut milk
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar (or dark brown sugar)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 6 large soft white bread rolls (Dutch broodjes; substitute brioche burger buns or kaiser rolls)
  • Crispy fried shallots (sold at Asian markets as bawang goreng) for topping
  • Sambal oelek for spice
  • Optional: 1 cucumber sliced, fresh coriander leaves

Method

  1. Blitz all rendang paste ingredients in a food processor to a smooth paste, adding 2 tbsp water if needed.
  2. Heat oil in a heavy Dutch oven or wide pot. Add the paste; fry over medium for 10 to 12 minutes until the oil splits and the paste is deeply fragrant.
  3. Add the beef; brown for 8 minutes, turning to coat in the paste.
  4. Pour in the coconut milk. Add kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon, star anise, tamarind, palm sugar and salt.
  5. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to lowest setting.
  6. Cook uncovered for 3 to 3.5 hours, stirring occasionally. The coconut milk should reduce by three-quarters and the beef should be falling apart in deep mahogany sauce. As it reduces, the oil splits out and re-fries the beef in spiced coconut oil; this is the rendang signature.
  7. Taste; adjust salt and sugar.
  8. Slice each broodje lengthwise. Toast lightly under a grill.
  9. Spoon a generous 4 tbsp of rendang into each roll.
  10. Top with crispy fried shallots, a small spoon of sambal, and (optional) cucumber and coriander.
  11. Serve immediately; the rendang is best the next day after the spices marry overnight.

Tip from the editors. The rendang must reduce until coconut oil splits and re-fries the meat; that is the difference between curry and true rendang. Plan 3+ hours minimum.

Where to eat broodje rendang

Broodje rendang in Amsterdam

Restaurant Blauw ★ 4.7

€€€ IndonesianOud Zuid

Restaurant Blauw in Amsterdam's Oud-Zuid runs the most consistent rijsttafel in the city, twenty-plus dishes laid across a long table, near Vondelpark.

OrderThe full Blauw rijsttafel, twenty-plus small plates with rice and sambals.

TipBook a fortnight ahead for weekends. Two seatings a night, the early one is quieter.

Directions Book

Indrapura ★ 4.4

€€€ IndonesianCentrum

Indrapura on Rembrandtplein is the long-running Centrum rijsttafel house, three decades of spiced Sumatran and Javanese plates set out for the table.

OrderThe full Indrapura rijsttafel, with the Udang Gala lobster as a supplement.

TipOpen from 17:00 daily; book Rembrandtplein-facing window seats one week ahead.

Directions Book

Sampurna ★ 4.3

€€ IndonesianJordaan

Sampurna has run an unpretentious rijsttafel for 35-plus years; the Lijnbaansgracht room in the Jordaan is open all day from noon and pours one.

OrderRijsttafel Sampurna with extra sambal badjak on the side.

TipWalk-in friendly at lunch, book for dinner. Open daily from noon.

Directions Book

Mama Makan ★ 4.4

€€€ IndonesianPlantage Oost

Mama Makan inside the Hyatt Regency on Spinozastraat takes Indonesian classics through a contemporary lens: brighter rooms, cleaner plating.

OrderMama's full Rijsttafel, the contemporary read on the classic spread.

TipSunday lunch is the easiest booking. They take large groups, useful at the weekend.

Directions Book

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