Cut the 700g beef chuck or shin into large 4–5cm chunks if it is not already cut, leaving the internal marbling and connective tissue in place, since that is what softens during the long braise. Pat every piece genuinely dry with kitchen paper, then season all over with the 1 tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp black pepper and set aside while you make the paste. Keep the chunks large: smaller pieces dry out and shred long before the sauce has reduced. That drying step matters because damp beef waters down the fried paste, while dry surfaces grip it evenly and later colour properly in the rendered coconut oil.

Put the 8 shallots, 5 garlic cloves, 4 red chillies, the 2 bird’s eye chillies if using, 25g ginger, 30g galangal, 20g fresh turmeric and the sliced inner lemongrass into a blender or food processor; if using ground turmeric instead, add the 1½ tsp now. Blend to a mostly smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides, and add up to 2 tbsp neutral oil only if the blades need help to move. Alternatively, pound everything in a mortar, starting with the hardest ingredients — lemongrass, galangal and ginger — and finishing with the shallots. The paste should look fine and even, with no visible fibrous pieces of lemongrass or galangal. That fine texture matters because a coarse, chunky paste fries unevenly and never coats the beef smoothly.

Heat a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the 1 tbsp neutral oil only if the paste was blended without oil. Add the spice paste and fry for 8–12 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens, smells genuinely fragrant and the raw shallot-garlic smell has gone. If it starts sticking too aggressively, lower the heat slightly and stir more often. Add the 1½ tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, cinnamon stick, 2 cloves and the star anise, if using, and stir for 30–60 seconds until fragrant. The paste is ready when it looks glossy and slightly reduced and is beginning to release oil at the edges. That thorough frying is what builds the base flavour of the rendang, since raw aromatics only stew, never fry, once the coconut milk goes in.

Add the seasoned beef and turn every piece well in the paste until coated. Pour in the 400ml coconut milk and 250ml water, then add the 3 kaffir lime leaves, the knotted turmeric leaf if using, the 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp palm sugar. Stir, scraping the paste from the base, and bring just to a gentle simmer over medium heat, about 6–7 minutes. Small bubbles should break steadily at the edges, never a rolling boil. The liquid should just about cover the beef and look loose and orange-brown at this stage. That gentle start is what keeps the coconut milk from splitting too early and lets the beef braise evenly instead of seizing on the outside.

Reduce the heat to low or low-medium and cook uncovered or partially uncovered for 2–2½ hours, stirring every 15–20 minutes at first and more often as the liquid reduces. After about 1 hour the beef should still be firm and the sauce loose; after about 2 hours it should be getting tender, with the sauce clearly thicker and deeper in colour. Stir often enough to prevent scorching, especially in the final hour, and if the pot dries before the beef is tender, add a little hot water, 30–60ml at a time. The beef is genuinely ready for the final reduction when a fork enters with little resistance but the pieces still hold their shape. That patient, low-heat braise is what melts the collagen in the chuck or shin while the sauce slowly concentrates around it.

If using the coconut, toast the 40g grated coconut during the first hour of the braise in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 5–8 minutes, stirring constantly, until deep golden brown and nutty. Do not let it burn: it should smell nutty and look dark golden, neither pale nor bitter. Tip it onto a plate, cool slightly, then grind it in a mortar or spice grinder into a coarse, slightly oily powder. Stir the kerisik into the pot after 1½–2 hours of braising, once the beef is already tendering and the sauce has reduced somewhat. That toasted coconut is what thickens the final sauce and gives the rendang its deeper, more classical nutty flavour.

While the beef braises, make the garlic chips if using fresh garlic. Heat the 3 tbsp neutral oil in a small pan over medium-low heat, add the 4–5 thinly sliced garlic cloves and fry for 2–4 minutes, stirring, until only lightly golden. Lift them out immediately with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper, since they keep darkening as they cool. Very thinly slice the 2 kaffir lime leaves, cutting away the central rib, and thinly slice the red chilli. Keep everything at room temperature until serving. That careful, low-heat frying matters because garlic turns from golden to bitter within seconds once it overcooks.

Toward the end of the braise, rinse the 300g jasmine rice in cold water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain well. As the final reduction begins, combine it in a saucepan with 390–420ml water and the pinch of salt, if using, bring to a boil, then cover tightly, reduce to the lowest heat and cook for 12–15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork; a rice cooker works equally well. The grains should be cooked through, separate and fluffy rather than wet or mushy. That timing is what has the rice ready just as the rendang finishes, without pulling attention from the pot during its final reduction.

Continue cooking for 30–45 minutes more over low-medium heat, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom well, until the sauce becomes very thick, dark brown and clings tightly to the beef. Do not walk away during this stage, since it can catch quickly, and turn the chunks gently so they stay intact. The oil should visibly separate around the edges and the beef should look deeply lacquered rather than soupy. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise and whole leaves if you prefer, then taste and adjust the salt. The finished beef should be genuinely tender but not shredding, with small pools of red-brown coconut oil around it. That final reduction is the defining stage, because the beef fries in its own separated coconut oil and turns from a curry into true rendang.

Divide the rice among 4 bowls, about 75g uncooked rice per serving once cooked. Spoon the rendang beside or partly over the rice, giving each bowl about 175g beef by raw weight and an even share of the thick sauce and oil. Scatter the thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves, red chilli and crispy garlic chips over the beef. The rendang should look dark, glossy and dry-coated against the white rice, with no thin liquid pooling in the bowl. Serve warm. That fresh garnish is what lifts the dense, deeply spiced beef with sharp citrus aroma, clean heat and a genuinely crisp, savoury crunch.