Beef Randang
Randang na Baka
Learn beef randang: Maranao-style braised beef in coconut milk, turmeric, and lemongrass until dark and tender—the Mindanao dish related to rendang.
Serves 6 · 3h total
The Story
Randang is what many Maranao families call their coconut-braised beef—cousin to Indonesian rendang, but lighter on palm sugar and heavier on lemongrass, turmeric, and the toasted coconut that Mindanao cooks love. The beef cooks low and slow until the coconut milk reduces to a thick, dark coating rather than a pool of sauce.
You will see randang at weddings and kanduli feasts beside piaparan, satti, and plain rice. It is not everyday ulam—the long simmer marks it as special—but the ingredient list is straightforward once you accept that patience is the main one.
If chicken piaparan is the golden Maranao dish, randang is the dark one: same coconut roots, different path, equally worth the wait.
Best paired with
Steaming white rice, fresh tomato and cucumber salad, and palapa or sambal if you have it.
Use it in these KusinaPH recipes
Lola's Tips
- ✦The sauce should cling to the beef, not pool at the bottom—keep reducing until it looks dark and glossy.
- ✦Toast grated coconut separately until golden before adding; it deepens flavor faster than plain gata alone.
- ✦Stir often once the coconut milk thickens or it can stick and scorch.
- ✦Randang tastes even better reheated—the flavors meld overnight.
- ✦Use full-fat coconut milk; light coconut milk will not reduce the same way.
Substitutions
- beef chuck → lamb shoulder cubes for a festive variation
- fresh turmeric → 1½ tsp ground turmeric
- toasted grated coconut → desiccated coconut toasted in a dry pan until golden
Ingredients
placeholder
placeholder
placeholder
placeholder
placeholder
placeholder
Instructions
- 1
Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add beef and brown on all sides.
- 2
Pour in 2 cups coconut milk with turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, star anise, and cinnamon. Simmer covered 1½–2 hours until beef is tender, stirring occasionally.
- 3
Add remaining coconut milk and toasted coconut. Continue simmering uncovered, stirring often, until the liquid reduces and coats the beef in a thick dark sauce—30–45 minutes.
- 4
Season with fish sauce, pepper, and chili if using. Discard lemongrass bundles. Serve with rice.
Kitchen Timer · 30 min prep first
150:00
