MakanApa

Rempah Calculator

Scale Malaysian spice paste recipes for any number of servings. Select a dish, adjust the servings, and copy your shopping list.

Ad Space (horizontal)
4
120

Rempah (Spice Paste)

Shallots
120 g(~5 pcs)
Garlic
30 g(~6 cloves)
Dried chillies (soaked)
40 g(~12 pcs)
Lemongrass
30 g(~2 stalks)
Galangal
20 g(~1 thumb)
Fresh turmeric
15 g(~1 thumb)
Ginger
20 g(~1 thumb)
Candlenuts (buah keras)
15 g(~3 pcs)

Other Ingredients

Beef (chuck or shin)600 g
Coconut milk400 ml
Kerisik (toasted coconut paste)80 g
Turmeric leaves3 pcs
Kaffir lime leaves4 pcs
Palm sugar (gula Melaka)15 g
Salt8 g
Tamarind paste10 g

Chef's Tip

Toast the spice paste until oil separates for deeper flavor. Stir the rendang continuously once the coconut milk reduces to prevent burning. Negeri Sembilan style uses more kerisik and turmeric leaves than Minang style.

Ad Space (horizontal)

What is Rempah?

Rempah is the Malay word for spice paste — the aromatic foundation of Malaysian cooking. A good rempah combines fresh ingredients like shallots, garlic, chillies, lemongrass, galangal, and turmeric, pounded or blended into a fragrant paste.

Every dish has its own rempah ratio. Rendang uses a rich, dry spice paste with plenty of dried chillies and shallots. Laksa uses a wetter paste with more lemongrass and galangal. Getting the ratios right is the key to authentic Malaysian flavour.

How to Use This Calculator

  1. Select a dish from the dropdown
  2. Adjust the number of servings using the slider
  3. Toggle between metric and imperial measurements
  4. Click "Copy Shopping List" to copy the ingredients to your clipboard — paste it into WhatsApp or Notes for easy reference at the market