Dendeng Balado (Padang Crispy Beef in Chili Sauce)
In short: Thin beef slices simmered until tender, fried until crisp at the edges and topped with a fiery red balado sauce of chilies, shallots, tomato and lime. It takes about 1 h 20 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 1 h 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 340 kcal
Dendeng balado is a West Sumatran classic and a fixture at Padang restaurants, where it is stacked high on the serving plates. Thin slices of beef are simmered until tender, flattened, fried until crisp at the edges and smothered in balado, a red chili sauce cooked down with shallots and tomato. Each bite is crunchy, chewy, sour and fiery. Serve with plain rice.
Instructions
- Put the beef, water, crushed garlic and 1 tsp salt in a pot. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer gently for 25 minutes, until the beef is tender. Drain well.
- Pat the slices very dry. Flatten each one lightly with a meat mallet or the flat of a heavy knife to about 3 mm (1/8 in) thick.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan to about 170°C (340°F). Fry the beef in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, until deep brown and crisp at the edges. Drain on paper towels.
- For the sauce, roughly blend the chilies, shallots, garlic and tomato into a coarse paste. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Cook the paste for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until thick, dark red and the oil separates. Add the salt, sugar and lime juice.
- Pile the crisp beef on a plate and spoon the sauce on top, or toss the beef with the sauce for 1 minute. Serve with steamed rice.
Tips
- Dry slices fry crisp. If the beef still feels damp, rest it on a rack for 10 minutes, or dry it in a 100°C (210°F) oven for 15 minutes before frying.
- For a milder sauce, remove the seeds from the chilies. Use more hot chilies if you want it to burn like it does in Padang.
Questions and answers
Can I use another cut of beef?
Yes. Topside, flank or silverside work best because they slice thinly and crisp well. Very fatty cuts turn greasy instead of crisp.
Can I make dendeng balado ahead of time?
Fry the beef and make the sauce separately up to 2 days ahead. Reheat the beef in a hot oven to crisp it and warm the sauce before combining.
How spicy is dendeng balado?
It is traditionally quite hot, but you control it with the chilies. Use mostly long mild chilies and a few hot ones for medium heat.
How long does it take to make Dendeng Balado (Padang Crispy Beef in Chili Sauce)?
About 1 h 20 min in total: 25 min of preparation and 55 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Dendeng Balado (Padang Crispy Beef in Chili Sauce)?
About 340 kcal per serving, with 27 g of protein, 6 g of carbohydrates and 22 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 340 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 27 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Sodium | 900 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
