Rendang paste
A deep, aromatic lemongrass, galangal and chilli paste, cooked until the oil separates, ready for beef, lamb or vegetable rendang.
Make this once, then cook it into 14 different dishes.
- Time45 min
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £0.29 a head
- Makesabout 400 g, enough for 4 rendangs for 4 people
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Cover the dried chillies with just boiled water and leave for 15 minutes until soft. Drain.
15 min - 2
Put the shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger, lemongrass, soaked chillies, fresh chillies, spices, sunflower seeds, salt and 3 tbsp of the oil in a food processor. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down, until it is a fine, thick paste. Add a splash of water only if the blades stall.
- 3
Heat the remaining oil in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the paste and stir well. It will spit at first, so turn the heat down slightly.
- 4
Fry for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until the paste has darkened, smells toasted rather than raw, and oil pools at the edges.
20 min - 5
Taste. It should be savoury, hot and lightly salty, with no sharp raw garlic edge. Add a pinch more salt if needed.
- 6
Spread the paste on a plate to cool for 20 minutes, then pack into clean jars or freezer bags in 100 g portions. You should have about 400 g.
About rendang paste
Rendang paste is a thick, cooked spice paste made from shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger, lemongrass and chillies. It is the flavour base of Indonesian rendang, the slow simmered dry curry that comes from the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra.
Frying the paste in oil until the oil separates takes away the raw edge and gives the deep, savoury, slightly toasted taste a rendang needs. This version leaves out shrimp paste and candlenuts so it suits more diets, and the richness comes back when you add coconut milk and toasted coconut in the dish.
One batch makes about 400 g, enough for four rendangs for four people. Use it for beef, lamb or chicken rendang, for jackfruit or mushroom rendang, or stir a spoonful into noodle soups, fried rice and braised greens.
Tips
- Galangal is sharper and more piney than ginger. Buy it fresh or frozen from Asian shops. If you cannot find it, use extra ginger and a squeeze of lime in the finished dish.
- Candlenuts thicken traditional paste. Macadamia nuts are the usual swap, but sunflower seeds do the same job and keep the paste nut free.
- Do not stop frying early. The paste is ready when the oil separates and pools at the edges, not when it first looks cooked.
- For a mild paste, use two fresh chillies and deseed them. For a hotter one, keep the seeds in or add an extra dried chilli.
- For the fully traditional flavour add 1 tsp toasted shrimp paste (belacan) at the frying stage, but then it is no longer vegan or suitable for shellfish allergy.
Storing and freezing
Keeps up to 5 days in the fridge in a clean jar under a thin layer of oil, or up to 3 months in the freezer in 100 g portions. Cool completely before covering, defrost overnight in the fridge and use straight away once defrosted.
Dishes you can make with rendang paste
Lamb Rendang (Rendang Kambing)
GFDFEFRendang Jamur (Mushroom Rendang)
GFDFEFRendang Tempeh and Potato (Rendang Tempe dan Kentang)
GFDFEFRendang Fried Rice with Egg and Greens
GFDFNFTelur Rendang (Eggs in Rendang Sauce)
GFDFNFUdang Rendang (Prawn Rendang)
GFDFEFRendang Duck Legs (Itik Rendang)
GFDFEFRendang Chicken Noodle Soup
DFNFRendang Roast Cauliflower and Chickpeas
GFDFEFRendang Stuffed Peppers with Black Beans
GFDFEFRendang Turkey Lettuce Cups
DFEFNFRendang Chicken Thigh Traybake
GFDFEFQuestions
How spicy is rendang paste?
Medium hot as written. Most of the heat comes from the four fresh chillies, so use two and deseed them for a mild paste. The coconut milk in a finished rendang softens the heat a lot.
Can I use a blender instead of a food processor?
Yes. Add a splash of oil or water to help the blades catch and blend until finely chopped and thick. It does not have to be perfectly smooth because it cooks down in the pan.
Is this rendang paste vegan and allergy friendly?
Yes. As written it has no meat, fish, shrimp paste, dairy, egg, wheat or nuts, so it is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, egg free and nut free. Check your ground spice labels if you have a severe allergy.
What can I use instead of galangal?
Use an extra 30 g of fresh ginger and add a squeeze of lime juice to the finished dish. The flavour is less piney but still good. Do not use dried galangal powder, which tastes dusty here.
How much paste do I need for one rendang?
About 100 g of paste for a rendang serving four, made with roughly 700 g of beef or lamb. Taste near the end and add salt, tamarind or sugar before adding more paste.
Can I freeze rendang paste?
Yes. Freeze it in 100 g portions in small bags or an ice cube tray, which is easy to measure later. It keeps well for 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or add it straight to a hot pan.
More base recipes
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.