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1
Boil the beef until just tender
45 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Put the whole piece of beef in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a gentle simmer. Skim off any foam, then cook for about 45 minutes until a knife goes in with slight resistance — tender but still firm enough to slice. Lift the beef out and keep 400 ml of the cooking liquid.
Do not boil hard: a rolling boil toughens the meat. A lazy simmer with small bubbles is right.
Done when: A knife slides in with slight resistance; the beef holds its shape when lifted.
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2
Slice and pound the beef
10 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Let the beef cool for 10 minutes — use the cooling time to grind the spice paste — then slice it across the grain into palm-sized slabs about 1 cm thick. Lay each slab on a board and pound it gently with a pestle or the flat of a meat mallet until the fibres loosen and the slab spreads a little wider.
Slice across the grain, never with it — short fibres are what make the finished beef tender instead of stringy.
Done when: Slabs are about 1 cm thick, visibly loosened, and slightly wider than before pounding.
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3
Braise it down in spiced coconut milk
40 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Heat a little oil in a wide pan and fry the spice paste for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, the reserved 400 ml cooking liquid, palm sugar, tamarind paste, salt, lemongrass, galangal and salam leaves. Lay the pounded beef in a single layer, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook uncovered for about 40 minutes, turning once, until the liquid has nearly all evaporated and the beef is coated in a thick, dark, glossy paste.
This is ungkep — cooking the meat down in its seasoning until the pot is nearly dry. Do not rush it or the flavour stays in the liquid instead of the meat.
Done when: The pan is nearly dry, the beef is dark and glossy, and the sauce clings thickly to each slice.
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4
Fry until dark golden at the edges
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, oil about 175°C (350°F)
Heat the coconut oil in a clean pan over medium-high heat. Fry the beef slices in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until dark golden and caramelised at the edges. Drain on paper towels. The beef is already cooked through from the braise, so this step is about colour and texture, not doneness.
Do not crowd the pan — crowded slices steam instead of frying, and the edges never crisp.
Done when: Deep golden-brown with dark caramelised edges; the surface looks glazed, not wet.
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5
Fry the shallots and serve
5 Mins
Medium heat, oil about 160°C (320°F)
In the same oil, fry the sliced shallots for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels — they darken fast once out of the oil, so pull them while they are still light gold. Pile the beef on a plate, shower with the fried shallots, and serve hot with steamed rice, sambal and cucumber.
Watch the shallots every second: they go from golden to bitter black in under a minute.
Done when: Shallots are crisp, light gold, and smell sweet and nutty.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the beef hot, piled on a plate under its crisp shallot topping, with steamed rice to catch the sweet-savoury glaze and a spoonful of sambal on the side for those who want heat.
Indonesia
35m
