Lapis Daging (Indo-Dutch Layered Beef)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy braadpan or 4-liter Dutch oven
• •Mortar and pestle or small food processor
• •Sharp slicing knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Slice the beef

   Cut the beef across the grain into slices about 5mm thick, then flatten any thick edges with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Salt the slices lightly and let them sit while you make the bumbu. Lapis means layer; if the meat is cut into hunks, the name has already lost its argument.

   Put the beef in the freezer for 20 minutes if your knife is struggling. Firm meat slices cleanly, and clean slices braise evenly.
2. 2

   Grind the bumbu

   Grind the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, coriander, white pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and 2 tablespoons of water to a thick paste. A mortar gives you the best texture, but a small food processor is no sin. The paste can be a little rough; raw chunks of shallot and garlic are what you must avoid.

   Candlenuts must be cooked before eating. Here they are fried and then braised, which is exactly what they want.
3. 3

   Fry the paste

   Heat the oil and butter in a heavy braadpan, a Dutch casserole, over medium heat. Add the bumbu and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the raw onion smell has gone sweet and the fat shines at the edges. Add the galangal, salam leaves, and lemongrass for the last minute. Hurry this and the sauce will taste dusty behind the ketjap.

4. 4

   Layer the beef

   Add the beef slices a few at a time, turning them through the cooked paste so every surface is coated, then settle them into loose layers in the pan. Pour in the ketjap manis, tamarind water, and water or stock down the side of the pan. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat, not cover it like soup. Bring it only to a quiet bubble.

5. 5

   Braise slowly

   Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, turning the slices gently every half hour. Add a splash of water if the bottom threatens to dry. The beef is ready when a slice bends over a spoon and parts at the edge with a fork. If the pan is boiling hard, turn it down; tough meat is often impatience wearing an apron.

6. 6

   Reduce and rest

   Uncover the pan and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is dark, glossy, and clings to the beef in a thin coat. Remove the galangal, salam leaves, and lemongrass. Taste for salt, sweetness, and sourness; add the palm sugar only if your ketjap is thin or sharp. Rest the beef for 15 minutes before serving with rice, cucumber, sambal, and a little bawang goreng.

Chef Tips

• •Ketjap manis is not ordinary soy sauce with better manners. It is thick, sweet, and dark. If you must improvise, simmer 100ml dark soy sauce with 50ml water and 3 tablespoons palm sugar until syrupy, then use it with caution because it will still be saltier.
• •Choose braising beef with a little connective tissue, not fillet. Fillet is expensive and dries out here; runderlappen, topside, or silverside understand the assignment better.
• •Salam leaf has a warm, resinous note that European bay cannot copy exactly. If bay is what you have, use one leaf and don't apologize. Substitute the ingredient, never the standard.
• •This is a dinner-party dish because it improves while you ignore it. Make it the day before, reheat gently, and spend the evening with your guests instead of conducting theatre at the stove.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook the lapis daging 1 to 2 days ahead, cool it in its sauce, and refrigerate covered. Reheat slowly over low heat with a spoonful of water to loosen the glaze.
• •The bumbu can be ground the day before and kept covered in the refrigerator, but fry it fresh so the shallots and garlic lose their raw edge properly.
• •Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated and freeze well for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight, then warm gently so the beef stays tender.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 460g)