Chef Joost
Babi Ketjap
Pork, sweet soy, ginger, and patience: the Indo-Dutch braise that carried the colonial table into Dutch kitchens and made rice feel like Sunday dinner.
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Sukadelappen
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The Dutch Sunday braise named for the pale seam through the beef, cooked until that stubborn line turns to silk and the meat falls into threads.
Soups & Stews
Dutch
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
Special Occasion
20 min
Active Time
3 hr cook•3 hr 20 min total
Yield4 servings
In my grandmother's second notebook, sukadelappen sit exactly where they belong: between weekday thrift and Sunday pride. No flourish. No decoration. Just beef from the shoulder, onion browned properly, a little vinegar, bay, clove, and enough time for the kitchen to admit it is winter.
The name already tells you the secret, though it tells it sideways. Sukade is candied citron peel, the little translucent strips Dutch bakers hide in feestbrood and old Christmas cakes. A sukadelap is not sweet, for obvious reasons, but the butcher saw that pale, glossy line of connective tissue through the blade steak and named the cut after what it resembled. Cook it too quickly and that line stays stubborn. Cook it low and long, and it melts into the gravy like a promise kept.
But let me tell you a secret: this is not a poor man's steak pretending to be grander. It is a different logic altogether. Dutch cooking often prefers patience to tenderness bought at the butcher's counter. Brown the meat hard enough to give the gravy its backbone, keep the liquid modest, and let the pan work slowly until the beef pulls apart into draadjesvlees, thread-meat. Hou het altijd simpel, always keep it simple. The pot does the clever part.
Sukadelappen belong to the Dutch tradition of braising economical working cuts, especially shoulder and blade cuts, for the Sunday meal or a make-ahead winter dinner. The name comes from the strip of connective tissue running through the cut, which Dutch butchers compared to sukade, candied citron peel used in festive baking. The spicing of bay, clove, and sometimes mace reflects the ordinary place of VOC-era spices in Dutch home kitchens, where a braise could be frugal and fragrant at the same time.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
sukadelappen or beef blade steaks
Quantity
800g
about 2cm thick
onions
Quantity
2 large
thinly sliced
butter
Quantity
50g
neutral oil
Quantity
1 tablespoon
flour
Quantity
2 tablespoons
beef stock
Quantity
250ml
dark beer or water
Quantity
150ml
red wine vinegar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
bay leaves
Quantity
2
whole cloves
Quantity
4
dark brown sugar
Quantity
1 teaspoon
ontbijtkoek (optional)
Quantity
1 slice
crumbled
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| sukadelappen or beef blade steaksabout 2cm thick | 800g |
| onionsthinly sliced | 2 large |
| butter | 50g |
| neutral oil | 1 tablespoon |
| flour | 2 tablespoons |
| beef stock | 250ml |
| dark beer or water | 150ml |
| red wine vinegar | 2 tablespoons |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| whole cloves | 4 |
| dark brown sugar | 1 teaspoon |
| ontbijtkoek (optional)crumbled | 1 slice |
| salt and freshly ground black pepper | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy braadpan or Dutch oven, 4-liter or larger
- •Wooden spoon
- •Tongs
Instructions
- 1
Season the beef
Pat the sukadelappen dry, then season both sides with salt and black pepper. Let them stand at room temperature for twenty minutes while you slice the onions. Cold wet beef stews before it browns, and browning is where this plain-looking dish begins to speak.
- 2
Brown the meat
Heat the butter and oil in a heavy braadpan, a Dutch braising pot, over medium-high heat. Dust the beef lightly with flour and brown the slices in batches until deep brown on both sides, about three minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan. Set the browned beef on a plate and keep every dark bit in the pot; that is tomorrow's gravy beginning today.
If the butter darkens too quickly, lower the heat and add a small splash of oil. You want nutty brown butter, not bitter black butter. - 3
Soften the onions
Add the sliced onions to the same pan with a pinch of salt. Cook them slowly for ten to twelve minutes, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, until they are golden and soft at the edges. The onions are not garnish here; they dissolve into the sauce and give it body.
- 4
Build the braise
Pour in the beef stock, dark beer or water, and vinegar, scraping the pan clean as the liquid bubbles. Add the bay leaves, cloves, brown sugar, and the crumbled ontbijtkoek if using. Return the beef and any juices to the pan. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat, not drown it; a braise is not soup with ambitions.
- 5
Braise slowly
Cover the pan, lower the heat until the liquid barely trembles, and cook for two and a half to three hours, turning the beef once or twice. The sukade seam will look stubborn for a long time, then suddenly give way into gelatin. The meat is ready when a fork slides in without argument and the beef begins to pull apart into draadjes, threads.
- 6
Finish the gravy
Lift the beef onto a warm plate and remove the bay leaves and cloves. Simmer the gravy uncovered for five to ten minutes until glossy and lightly thickened. Taste for salt, pepper, and vinegar. Return the beef to the pan and spoon the sauce over it. Serve with hutspot, stamppot, boiled potatoes, or red cabbage, and make sure there is enough gravy for the kuiltje, the little hollow in the mash.
Chef Tips
- •Ask the butcher for real sukadelappen, not lean stew cubes. You want the visible pale seam through the meat; that is the part that melts and gives the gravy its gloss.
- •Make it a day ahead if you can. The beef firms slightly as it cools, the sauce settles, and reheating makes the gravy taste deeper without any extra work from you.
- •Ontbijtkoek is optional but very Dutch. It thickens the sauce gently and brings rye, spice, and sweetness in one slice; use it sparingly or the braise begins to taste like cake, which is not our business here.
Advance Preparation
- •Cook the sukadelappen up to two days ahead, cool in the sauce, and refrigerate covered. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or stock if the gravy has thickened too much.
- •Leftovers keep three days refrigerated and freeze well. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and warm slowly so the beef stays tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 300g)
Calories
570 calories
Total Fat
35 g
Saturated Fat
16 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
160 mg
Sodium
950 mg
Total Carbohydrates
18 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
42 g
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