Rich and flavorful Mushroom Rendang under an hour

You wouldn’t guess this was a fully plant-based Rendang if we didn’t tell you!

Savor

•January 22, 2025•Recipes
Rich and flavorful Mushroom Rendang under an hour

Rich and flavorful Mushroom Rendang under an hour

You wouldn’t guess this was a fully plant-based Rendang if we didn’t tell you! Chef WoonHeng wows with her expertise on plant-based Malaysian dishes, and she absolutely delivers with her mushroom rendang. This is an excellent vegan spin on the Malaysian favorite, the mushroom mimics the texture and chew of meat-based rendangs, and the rich sauce pairs well with it. Learn how to make this from scratch and amaze your guests!

Ingredients for Mushroom Rendang:

  • ¼ cup [850g] frozen desiccated coconut 

  • 570g King oyster mushrooms

  • 3 tbsp palm sugar or coconut sugar

  • Handful of lime leaves and/or turmeric leaves sliced thinly

  • Pandan leaves knotted

  • 1⅓ cups [~300ml] coconut milk

Ingredients for Chili Paste:

  • 25 dried chilies seeds removed, boiled until soft

  • 150g shallots

  • 30g of garlic

  • 5 candlenuts (buah keras) or macadamia nuts

  • 5 slices of galangal or 2 slices of ginger

  • 3 stalks lemongrass

  • 1 tsp salt

  • Cooking oil

  • 1 tsp of sugar

Vegan-Rendang-Mushrooms-Step1-768x432

Kerisik (Coconut Paste):

  1. Place a non-stick pan on the stove.

  2. Put frozen desiccated coconut in the pan.

  3. Stir continuously until it turns golden brown.

  4. Transfer to a mortar or blender and pound or pulse until fine.

  5. Keep aside.

Mushrooms:

  1. Wipe mushrooms until dry.

  2. Cut oyster mushrooms in half.

  3. You can tear the mushrooms if soft enough.

Vegan-Rendang-Mushrooms-Step7-768x432

Chili Paste (Sambal):

  1. Put all Chili Paste ingredients in a blender. 

  2. Add about 2 tablespoons of oil and blend until smooth.

  3. Heat a large non-stick pan and add 2-3 tablespoons of oil.

  4. Pour in the blended paste. 

  5. Add the green part of lemongrass and pandan leaves 

  6. Stir continuously over low-medium heat.

  7. Continue cooking until the paste darkens and oil starts to separate.

Vegan-Rendang-Mushrooms-Step11-768x432

Mixing the rendang:

  1. Pour in coconut milk and cook for 30 seconds.

  2. Add mushrooms and cover the pan with a lid.

  3. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes until mushrooms are cooked.

  4. Add salt and sugar, then simmer for another minute.

  5. Stir in toasted coconut and lime/turmeric leaves.

Serving:

  1. Remove the lemongrass stalk and pandan leaves (you can skip this step).

  2. Best eaten with rice.

  3. Serves 3 people.

Notes from the Chef:

  1. Traditionally, the meat is slowly simmered in a mixture of chili paste, coconut milk, and finished off with toasted coconut paste (kerisik).

  2. Lions Mane mushrooms can be used in place of Oyster mushrooms.

  3. Certain supermarkets sell mushroom stems as mock mutton.

This traditional dish is best served during kenduri’s and festive celebrations, and is a favorite of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Personally, I wouldn’t mind wrapping this dish in chapati or tortillas, or even as a sauce base for noodles if we’re being creative!

Link to original recipe:

https://woonheng.com/vegan-mushrooms-rendang/#recipe

Link to video recipe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAnQk-TsjVM&ab_channel=WoonHeng%28woon.heng%29