Nasi Padang
If you've got jasmine rice, beef chuck and rendang spice paste, you're most of the way to this Indonesian beef: about 75 minutes of cooking across 7 steps. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (8)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- For the rendang, brown the cubed beef in oil, stir in 4 tablespoons of spice paste with the bruised lemongrass and lime leaves, then pour in the coconut milk and tamarind and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for 2.5 to 3 hours until the sauce dries to a dark glossy coat and the beef is fork-tender.
- Cook the rinsed jasmine rice in fresh water until fluffy, about 12 to 15 minutes, then leave it covered to steam while you finish the sides.
- Make a sambal hijau by frying the remaining spice paste with the chopped green chillies and shallots for 5 minutes until soft and fragrant, then season with salt and a pinch of sugar.
- Hard-cook the eggs for 9 minutes, peel them, then simmer in a little coconut milk with the rest of the spice paste for 10 minutes so they take on colour and flavour.
- Blanch the cassava leaves in salted water for 5 minutes until tender and drain well.
- Warm the fried anchovies and peanuts through and check the seasoning of every component.
- To serve Padang-style, mound rice on each plate and arrange small portions of rendang, sambal-egg, cassava leaves, sambal hijau and the crunchy anchovy-peanut mix around it so everyone builds their own plate.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet Β· Saucepan Β· Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk Β· Β½ cup evaporated milk + Β½ cup water
- Lime
- lemon
- Lemon
- lime Β· 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
- Eggs
- ΒΌ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) Β· 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
What to serve with Nasi Padang
- Ayam Goreng Chicken
- Ayam Penyet Chicken
- Bubur Ayam Breakfast
- Dadar Gulung Dessert
Tips & common questions
How long does Nasi Padang take to make?
About 75 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 14 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Nasi Padang is an original Indonesian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Nasi Padang dishes at Simpang Raya Jam Gadang Restaurant - Guguk Panjang, Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra.jpg by Firzafp, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.