Empal Serundeng Kemiri (Beef with Candlenut Serundeng)

Ingredients

• 1 kg Beef Roast (Topside cut; cut into large pieces)
• 200 g Candlenut (coarsely ground and toasted)
• 150 g Galangal (finely ground)
• 12 Shallot (for spice paste)
• 10 Garlic (for spice paste)
• 1 Ginger (3cm piece; for spice paste)
• 2 tbsp Coriander (seeds; for spice paste)
• ½ Nutmeg (whole; for spice paste)
• 3 Lemongrass (bruised and cut into sections)
• 4 Kaffir Lime Leaf (fresh)
• 4 Salam Leaf (Indonesian bay leaf)
• 100 g Palm Sugar (chopped)
• 2 tbsp Tamarind Water
• 200 ml Coconut Milk (fresh or canned)
• 2 tsp Table Salt (1 tsp for boiling beef; 1 tsp for sauce)
• 1 tsp White Sugar
• 2 tsp Beef Stock Powder (1 tsp for boiling beef; 1 tsp for sauce)
• ½ tsp White Pepper (to taste; for boiling beef)
• 500 ml Vegetable Oil (for blending paste and deep frying)
• 1½ L Water (for pressure cooking beef)
• 1 Fried Shallots (for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the whole beef topside in a pressure cooker with 1.5 liters of water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp beef stock powder, and white pepper.

2. 2

   Pressure cook the beef for 30 minutes until tender but still firm enough to slice.

3. 3

   While the beef is cooking, coarsely grind the candlenuts in a food processor.

4. 4

   Toast the ground candlenuts in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly until fragrant and slightly browned. Set aside.

5. 5

   Finely grind the galangal with a small amount of water in a food processor. Set aside.

6. 6

   Blend shallots, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, and nutmeg with a bit of vegetable oil until it forms a smooth paste.

7. 7

   Sauté the spice paste in a large pan until fragrant and the oil separates from the paste.

8. 8

   Add bruised lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and salam leaves to the pan. Sauté for another minute.

9. 9

   Stir in the toasted candlenut and ground galangal. Mix well.

10. 10

    Add coconut milk, tamarind water, palm sugar, white sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp beef stock powder, and 200ml of the beef broth from the pressure cooker. Simmer the sauce briefly.

11. 11

    Remove the cooked beef from the pressure cooker, slice into thick pieces against the grain, and pound each slice lightly with a mallet or pestle to open the fibers.

12. 12

    Add the beef slices to the pan with the sauce. Simmer on medium-low heat until the liquid is almost completely absorbed and the mixture becomes oily.

13. 13

    Remove the beef slices from the pan. Continue to cook the remaining spices in the pan, stirring constantly until they become dry, brown, and crumbly (serundeng).

14. 14

    Deep fry the beef slices briefly in hot oil until they are golden brown and slightly crisp on the edges. Drain well.

15. 15

    Deep fry the serundeng spices briefly until very crisp, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.

16. 16

    Serve the fried beef on a plate, topped generously with the crispy serundeng and fried shallots.