I am from northern sumatra, indonesia which is where this recipe comes from. I have done this recipe several times in the past, using indonesian recipe book. I think what is missing here are some ingredients: 1. coriander powder 2. turmeric leaves (hard to get outside indonesia) 3. black peppercorn Also, the authentic preparation is much longer. More like 6-8 hours. The minangkabau rendang (minangkabau is the region in sumatra where this dish come from) tends to be dry, with all the liquid evaporated in the slow cooking. The meat is very dark, almost black. To achieve this dark color, put the rendang in oven at 220F for 1/2hour.  -  03 Feb 2012  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)

Amazing dish! I had a similar recipe and I combined two recipes to make this. I didn`t find banana peppers, so I used 3 red pepper and I used only 2 1/2 cans coconut milk, I think, it was enough, because the sauce wasn`t very thick. I put the half of the paste into a pan and added the coconut milk, lemon grass and lime leaves, boiled for about 20 min., then added the meat mixture with the other half of the paste. Overall, this is a great dish, my family was impressed, thanks.  -  20 Jan 2010  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)

This recipe was far too salty - it was over powering. I have to imagine that it is intended to be 2 teaspoons of salt, not 2 tablespoons. I've had Beef Rendang at several Indonesian restaurants and it's never tasted like this.  -  27 Dec 2010  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)