Chicken Rendang
Chicken Rendang is a rich Indonesian main course of slow-cooked chicken in a fragrant spice paste of shallots, lemongrass, galangal and turmeric. The Thermomix grinds and blends the aromatics into a silky rempah, then simmers everything hands-free until the sauce caramelises around the tender chicken pieces.
About this recipe
Chicken Rendang Thermomix TM7 brings the crown jewel of Indonesian cuisine straight into your kitchen. Traditionally this festive main course demands endless pounding of shallots, chillies and galangal, followed by constant stirring to coax the coconut sauce into its famous caramelised coating. With this Thermomix TM7 recipe, the all-in-one kitchen machine does the heavy lifting: the freshest lemongrass, turmeric and candlenuts are ground into a silky rempah in seconds, while precise, gentle cooking keeps the coconut milk from splitting as it slowly reduces. The result is tender chicken wrapped in a thick, toasty, gently spiced sauce — ideal for a weekend feast, a festive rijsttafel or a slow Sunday dinner with friends. Anyone searching for authentic rendang recipes without the arm workout will find this version a revelation.
Preparation tips
- Toast the candlenuts briefly in a dry pan before adding them to the mixing bowl; this releases their oils and gives the rempah a deeper, nuttier backbone that defines a great rendang.
- For the most authentic texture, cut the whole chicken on the bone into pieces; the bones enrich the coconut sauce as it reduces and keep the meat remarkably juicy during the long simmer.
- Serve the rendang with jasmine rice and quick-picked cucumber; it tastes even better the next day, so make a double batch and reheat gently for an effortless second meal.
Recipe variations
- Beef rendang: replace the chicken with of beef chuck, cut into cubes, and simmer longer until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce has fully caramelised — the classic festive Sumatran version.
- Milder kid-friendly rendang: halve the dried chillies and add an extra tablespoon of palm sugar; the sauce stays fragrant with lemongrass and galangal but gentle enough for children.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- The TM7 grinds candlenuts, dried chillies and galangal into a silky spice paste in seconds, replacing laborious mortar work.
- Shallots and garlic cloves are chopped by the Thermomix finely and evenly, with no tears and no uneven chunks in the rendang.
- Heating with gentle temperature control keeps the coconut milk from splitting while the sauce slowly reduces around the chicken.
- The built-in scale weighs coconut milk, tamarind and palm sugar directly into the mixing bowl, so the balance of the rendang is exact every time.
- Steaming the chicken pieces in the Varoma beforehand keeps the meat succulent before it finishes in the caramelising sauce.
Ingredients
- shallots
- garlic cloves
- dried chillies
- fresh lemongrass
- fresh ginger
- fresh turmeric
- galangal
- candlenuts
- cooking oil
- star anise