Main, Malay, Menu / August 28, 2021 August 28, 2021 / By eatwkriss
Vegan Mushroom Rendang – monkey head mushrooms in a spicy flavourful gravy made with fresh spices, coconut milk and more. Quite the ubiquitous dish in Malaysia.
Rendang is one of those dishes you HAVE to try when you’re in Malaysia, and I have yet to meet a fellow Malaysian who doesn’t like rendang. It’s one of those dishes everyone loves, no matter what race or religion you come from. My Popo makes the best beef rendang, period. (Sadly, I’ve yet to learn her secret but this rendang recipe is really good too.)
The most common types are chicken rendang and beef rendang. If you remember from my Vegan Sweet and Sour Pork recipe, I used monkey head mushrooms in place of pork. Well, turns out they’re a good substitute for beef too. It’s close in texture IMO, but it’s not as rich. I quite like not feeling super heavy after eating it.
The key to a good rendang is in the (very lengthy) ingredient list. Fresh aromatics like lemongrass and galangal, spices such as coriander, cumin and fennel, tamarind juice, coconut milk, gula melaka (please don’t sub for white sugar), and kerisik, which I would describe as a toasted coconut butter. All these flavours meld together and cling on to whatever you toss into the mix – be it chicken, mushrooms or tofu. In conclusion, rendang is ✨ chef’s kiss ✨ and you should try making it at home yourself.
Notes to Making Mushroom Rendang
- I used powdered spices but you can also toast and grind whole spices before adding to the rendang.
- Some people like rendang with a lot of sauce, others prefer dry rendang. Adjust the amount of liquid based on how you’d like it.
- If you want a darker colour, simmer the rendang for longer and make sure you use gula melaka.
- Rendang tastes better the longer you let it sit. It’s even more flavourful a few days after cooking.
- I like monkey head mushroom in rendang, but I’ve also made a version with tofu and it was good too.
You can serve rendang with rice and other dishes, however a classic pairing is nasi lemak! A vegan version is coming to the blog soon so stay tuned 🙂
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram@eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Vegan Mushroom Rendang
Kristin Tan
Vegan Mushroom Rendang – monkey head mushrooms in a spicy flavourful gravy made with fresh spices, coconut milk and more. Quite the ubiquitous dish in Malaysia.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 hrs
Cook Time 2 hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine Malaysian
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 75 g dried monkey head/lion's mane mushroom
- ¼ cup oil
Kerisik
- 200 g freshly shredded coconut
- salt
Chili paste
- 4 shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 inch galangal (lengkuas)
- 2 stalks lemongrass (serai) chopped
- 1 inch fresh turmeric sub for powder
- 2 candlenut (buah keras)
- 10 dried chili
Spices
- ½ tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp fennel powder
Other
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 tbsp tamarind juice (asam jawa) more to taste
- 40 g coconut palm sugar (gula melaka) more to taste
- 1½ tbsp kerisik (toasted coconut butter)
- salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare monkey head mushroom
Tear the dried monkey head mushroom into small bite-sized chunks (they will absorb the water and expand later). Soak in water for 30 minutes, then gently squeeze the mushroom to remove all the liquid. Discard the water, and repeat this two more times.
Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Add in the rehydrated mushrooms, cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes.
After cooking, I like to rinse the mushrooms in cold water to cool. If there are tough ends, use scissors to cut them off. Very gently, squeeze some of the remaining water, then set them aside
Make kerisik
Toss the freshly shredded coconut in some salt, then steam for 10 minutes. In a large pan over medium heat, toast the coconut until golden brown and fragrant. Then blend to get a smooth and thick paste.
Blend paste
Soak dried chili in hot water for 15 minutes, then deseed them thoroughly.
In a blender, combine all the chili paste ingredients with enough water to blend. It's okay if the paste is not completely smooth.
Cook rendang
Heat a large pan with oil over medium heat and cook the paste for 5 minutes. Add powdered spices and monkey head mushroom, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add one cup of water, cover the pan partly with a lid and let simmer on low heat until the rendang has dried up a bit. Stir it every so often.
Once the rendang is drier, add in coconut milk, tamarind juice, gula melaka, kerisik and salt to taste. Cover the pan partly with a lid and let simmer on low heat until the rendang reaches your desired consistency.
Serve with nasi lemak, plain rice and other dishes of your choice.
Notes
Rendang tastes better the longer you keep it. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for one week, or freeze to keep longer.
- I used powdered spices but you can also toast and grind whole spices before adding to the rendang.
- Some people like rendang with a lot of sauce, others prefer dry rendang. Adjust the amount of liquid based on how you’d like it.
- If you want a darker colour, simmer the rendang for longer and make sure you use gula melaka.
- Rendang tastes better the longer you let it sit. It’s even more flavourful a few days after cooking.
- I like monkey head mushroom in rendang, but I’ve also made a version with tofu and it was good too.
This recipe is adapted from Che Nom.
Keyword coconut milk, mushrooms, vegan malay food
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
