Indonesian jackfruit and potato rendang with coconut milk and coriander and toasted coconut garnish

Delicious home cooking all the way from Indonesia

Where does rendang come from?

Rendang comes from Indonesia originally from Minangkabau which is in West Sumatra. It’s also become popular in different countries in Southeast Asia.

What does rendang taste like?

Our jackfruit rendang is fresh, it’s full of citrus flavor, coconut milk and it’s spicy.

If you are not a fan of spice, then just add the chilli peppers in slowly and keep tasting it.

If you enjoy a Thai curry, then you’ll love a jackfruit rendang curry!

Ingredients for jackfruit rendang curry including lemon grass, coconut milk, young jackfruit and garlic cloves

What ingredients do I use?

Our rendang curry incorporates wonderfully fresh ingredients.

We use jackfruit, red potatoes, red chillies, lemongrass stalks, ginger, chopped onion (you could use shallots), coriander, lime and red bell peppers.

Then we incorporate turmeric, tamarind, ginger, garlic, desiccated coconut, cinnamon, kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk.

It’s such a wonderful flavor.

What is galangal?

Galangal is a root spice and it’s very much related to both turmeric and ginger (which we use in this rendang recipe).

It’s a Southern Asian spice and is a strong flavour, it has a sharp, spicy, peppery and citrus taste to it.

Young jackfruit ready to be cooked with coconut milk and garlic cloves

Do I need any special equipment to make this?

You’ll need a food processor or blender and a large frying pan to make this.

You’ll also need a chopping board and a sharp knife.

Is this vegan?

Yes, our jackfruit version is 100% vegan.

Traditionally an Indonesian rendang curry would be served with beef but not this vegan version!

We’ve replaced the beef with jackfruit, added potatoes and red peppers and cooked up a real tasty vegan treat!

Could I add meat into this dish?

Of course you can. We don’t think meat is needed but if you wanted, add in beef as this is the traditional Indonesian recipe for rendang.

Rendang curry paste with lemon grass, ginger and garlic cloves

Is it spicy?

Yes, this jackfruit rendang is spicy but you are in complete control of how spicy you make it.

If you are like your curries hot then add more chillies, if you like them more mild then reduce the chillies – easy!

What does canned jackfruit taste like?

You’ll read that jackfruit is often used as a meat substitute but when it’s straight out of the can, I don’t think jackfruit tastes anything like meat!

It’s a pretty bland flavour type of food, much like tofu. The secret behind using jackfruit is to make sure that it marinates in flavoursome seasoning or sauce, then it can take on the flavour of the dish.

It’s definitely worth a try and if you are vegan, it’ll give you more food variety.

I like to chop the jackfruit into small bite sized chunks so that it can really absorb the flavor or in other recipes, I’ll shred the jackfruit.

Can I use dried kaffir lime leaves?

Yes, you can. It’s not always easy to get fresh kaffir lime leaves so if you do use dried, then simply remove them before eating your rendang.

We like using them in our jackfruit rendang because they give a nice citrus zest to our cooking.

You’ll often find a fresh kaffir leaf in an Asian salad

Recipe notes and tips

Run out of turmeric? Take a look at our handy substitute for turmeric guide.

Bowls of Indonesian vegan jackfruit rendang

How do I make vegan rendang curry?

There are a few steps to follow to make our version of jackfruit rendang but they are all easy to follow and totally worth it!

First, you’ll need to wash 500g or 1.1lb of red potatoes, you don’t need to peel them. Then chop them into quarters or smaller if they are large potatoes. Once you’ve done this, set them aside in a bowl.

Next, you’ll need to take two cans of young jackfruit and chop them into small bite-sized pieces and once again, add the jackfruit into a bowl and set them aside.

Now you’ll need to marinate both the potatoes and jackfruit.

Over each bowl juice half a lime, sprinkle 1 tsp of turmeric powder and a pinch of salt. Stir until everything is well covered. Leave them both to marinate.

Take two red bell peppers, wash, deseed and then cut into thin strips, then set aside.

It’s time to prepare your toasted coconut.

Now take 5 tbsp of desiccated coconut and dry fry it over medium heat for approximately 4 minutes until they look golden brown and toasted. Once they are cooked, then set aside.

Next, you’ll need to make your rendang paste, full of delicious spices, and this is where you need your food processor.

Chop between 3 – 5 red chilli peppers into small pieces. If you like your curries mild then remove the seeds and start with 3 chillies and only add more by tasting the paste.

You’ll now need to chop 3 lemongrass stems and add them – it’s only the bottom half of the lemongrass that you want to cook.

Add in half a teaspoon of galangal paste followed by 5cm or 2″ of fresh peeled ginger. Chop it into smaller pieces before adding it to the food processor.

Peel 3 cloves of garlic and add them in whole.

Next, make sure you have chopped 2 onions into quarters and add them in.

The final ingredient is 1 tbsp of ground coriander.

Then blitz until a smooth paste is formed. Don’t add any water to the paste as you won’t need any.

Set the paste aside.

Now it’s time to get cooking. In a frying pan add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat and brown your potatoes for around 3 – 4 minutes, making sure you stir and turn them. When they are done, place them back in the bowl with any of the marinating liquid.

Now take the same frying pan and brown the jackfruit, this time it should take around 3 minutes, stir and turn them and then place them back in their bowl.

Now you’ll need a wok or large pan. Add in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and heat on medium heat.

Add your cinnamon stick and fry for just 15/20 seconds before adding your delicious paste.

Give it a good stir and saute it for around 5 minutes, it shouldn’t need any additional oil or water added to it.

Now add in your prepared potatoes and stir them into the paste so that they are evenly covered.

Next add in 1 tin or can of coconut milk, along with 125ml or half a cup of water. Give the mixture a good stir.

Now take your kaffir lime leaves and a pair of scissors and cut them very finely into the pan and give them a good stir into the mixture.

Now cover the pan and cook for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally – it should smell really good by now!

Now it’s time to add your bell peppers (capsicums), give them a stir so they are covered and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Then add in your chopped young jackfruit, stirring it in so all the ingredients are covered.

Cook for a further 5 minutes and when it’s done, stir in two-thirds of the toasted coconut and remove the cinnamon stick.

Now it’s all ready to be served! Serve in bowls and garnish with the remaining toasted coconut.

Enjoy your first homemade vegan jackfruit rendang curry – the first of many!

What do I serve it with?

You can serve your rendang curry with rice. You can eat it with steamed rice, coconut rice or even sticky rice.

An Indonesian may eat their rendang curry with a salad, a cucumber salad or even a pineapple salad.

Jackfruit rendang curry is one of those really flexible recipes that many things can be served with.

We think you’ll love our delicious recipe, we’d love to hear your feedback so please do leave a comment and let us know what you thought of this incredibly tasty dish.

Convert to US customary by pressing the toggle button below.

Homemade jackfruit rendang in spiced sauce and coconut milk

Print Pin Recipe

5 from 2 votes