Semur Daging Djawa

Semur is derived from the Dutch word ‘smoor‘, which means smothered. Daging lembu is beef and Djawa means Java. Javanese beef stew.

It was one of my favorite meals as a kid. I loved coming home from school and getting hit with the smell of this slow-braised beef with sweet soy sauce, onion and warm spices simmering. This is the only sweet dish I really like. Once you have a bite of this, you’ll never be the same.

Oh, for the record, I handed my camera over to my love for this posting. Yes, I really did.

Well, handed it over… he had to pry it from my hands seeing as I was curled around it in fetal position protecting it with my body. But now, after seeing the result of his hard labor, I must say; I taught him well.

Thanks, babe. A million.

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless beef chuck
4 garlic cloves
thumb size piece ginger
2 onions
1 chili pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1 tsp laos (if you can get it)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 heaping tbsp tamarind paste (or a tbsp vinegar)
1 tsp brown sugar
1/3 cup kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup water
3 tbsp oil

Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp five spice powder

Directions:

I used my slow cooker for this, but you can also simmer this on your stove-top.

The beef. Lots of it.

Cut it in bit-sized pieces. Glad I took at least 1 shot myself. It’s an honor thing.

Grab a big bowl and mix the brown sugar with the sweet soy sauce.

Add 1 heaping tbsp tamarind paste. No paste? No problem. Just add a tbsp vinegar instead.

Add 1 tsp salt, grate the ginger in there and stir well.

Add your beef cubes. Oh, wait, I shot this one as well!

Let it sit there and marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Remove the seeds and finely mince the chili pepper. You can also use 1/2 of it, if you like, but this won’t make it really hot.

Mince the onions.

And grate the garlic.

Mix the spices. I love what a heaping 1/4 tsp of chinese five-spice did to the stew. Very fragrant.

It’s not part of the original recipe, so I won’t scold you for leaving it out. Not this time.

Heat the oil and sauté the onion and chili pepper for 5 minutes.

Add the spice mix, nutmeg and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Next, add the beef cubes. Marinade and all.

Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes until the beef loses its rawness. Because of all the liquid the beef won’t brown, of course. That’s okay.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute to sweeten it up.

There’s. That’s what I was aiming for. Or better said; what he was aiming for.

Pour in the water.

When you cook this on your stove top, add roughly 1/3 cup water extra.

Season with 1/2 tsp salt and sprinkle the black pepper in there.

Cover and cook on low for at least 8 to 9 hours. Then check the seasoning and adjust where needed.

Simmer for at least 3 hours when cooking this on your stove-top!

I did help plating. A little. Serve with lots of steamed rice and steamed Chinese cabbage or paksoi.

I love you, man. No, really. I also love this beef stew. Not bad for someone who can’t cook!

Just how good does this look?

I used my slow cooker for this, but you can also simmer this on your stove-top

Cut the beef in bit-sized pieces. Grab a big bowl and mix the tamarind paste (or vinegar) and brown sugar with the sweet soy sauce. Add 1 tsp salt, grate the ginger in there and stir well. Marinate the beef in this for 15 to 30 minutes.

Remove the seeds and finely mince the chili pepper. Mince the onions and grate the garlic. Mix the laos with the ground coriander seed, nutmeg and optionally the fice spice blend.

Heat the oil and sauté the onion and chili pepper for 5 minutes. Add the spice mix, nutmeg and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Next, add the beef cubes. Marinade and all. Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes until the beef loses its rawness. Because of all the liquid the beef won’t brown, of course.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute to sweeten it up. Pour in the water, season with 1/2 tsp salt and sprinkle the black pepper in there. Cover and cook on low for at least 8 to 9 hours. Then check the seasoning and adjust where needed.

When you cook this on your stove top, add roughly 1/3 cup water extra! Serve with lots of steamed rice and steamed Chinese cabbage or paksoi.

Indonesian food, stews, beef, main course

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Babi Tjin

Or Babi Chin, as it’s called in English. All these different names can get confusing! I’m no spring chicken anymore and it’s hard to keep up in my old age.

Whatever you want to call it, it’s always a delicious and very simple dish: pork in dark soy sauce. Very straightforward. Doesn’t require a whole lot of exotic ingredients and is probably even considered pantry cooking to a lot of you. Those are my favourite Indonesian dishes because they’re perfect for a busy and hectic weeknight.

Did I already mention that it’s scrumptious?

In all honesty… I’d forgotten all about this dish until I stumbled upon it while flipping though the pages of a Dutch cookbook I got for my 25th-and-holding birthday, Boekoe Kita, and there it was in all its sweet and salty glory.

So I cooked it…

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound pork belly
1 medium onion
2 large garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
4 tbsp sweet soy sauce (ketjap)
1 tbsp Taotjo (salty soybean sauce)
4 tbsp water
1 tbsp peanut oil

Directions:

Turn the pork belly into roughly 1? cubes.

Chop the onion.

Heat the oil and cook the pork belly cubes over low to medium heat.

We’re gonna brown them and crisp them up.

Let’s slowly get rid of all the fat. See how it just melts away? I wish I could do that with my spare-tire as well.

As soon as most of the fat has melted and the pork cubes are crunchy and golden brown…

It’s time to transfer them to a paper towel and chuck out the fat. Leave about 1 tsp in there.

Sauté the onion for a minute or 3 before adding the thinly sliced garlic. Cook for another 3 minutes, until the onion is soft.

Add the chill flakes, ground ginger and ground coriander and cook for a minute to get the flavours going.

Add the sweet soy sauce and Taotjo, which is a salty soy bean sauce that gives the dish its characteristic flavour.

Add 4 tbsp water, stir everything well and simmer for a few minutes over low heat.

Add the crispy pork cubes and heat it all through.

Serve the pork on top of steamed rice and crunchy green beans and finish the dish with a small handful seroendeng and Kentang on top.

Sweet, salty and flavourful pork. What more could you possibly ask for?

Turn the pork belly into roughly 1? cubes. Chop the onion and thinly slice the garlic. Heat the oil and cook the pork over low to medium heat until brown and crunchy and most of the fat has melted. Throw away the fat leaving 1 tsp in the skillet.

Sauté the onion for a minute or 3 before adding the thinly sliced garlic. Cook for another 3 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the chill flakes, ground ginger and ground coriander and cook for a minute to get the flavours going. Add the sweet soy sauce and Taotjo, which is a salty soy bean sauce that gives the dish its characteristic flavour. taste it and look for a balance between sweet and salty.

Add 4 tbsp water, stir everything well and simmer for a few minutes over low heat. Add the crispy pork cubes and heat it all through. Serve the pork on top of steamed rice and crunchy green beans and finish the dish with a small handful seroendeng and Kentang on top.

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Seroendeng

Even though I grew up with big bowls of seroendeng on our dinner table, I can’t remember my mom ever making this wonderfully seasoned Indonesian coconut & peanut mix herself. Same goes for me. And why? I have no idea. It’s dead-simple. Especially this straightforward version.

Now that I made it myself I can tell you that I will never want to eat store-bought seroendeng again. This tastes a thousand, heck, even a million times better than the jars filled with bland, overly chewy and second-rate peanuts you can buy in our supermarkets and toko’s.

Normally I sprinkle this all over my Indonesian food—especially chicken satay or anything with peanut sauce—as sort of a finishing touch, but this I could eat by the spoonful.

Ingredients:

1 stalk lemon grass
4.5oz/125gr coconut flakes
4 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp ground ginger (djahe)
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander (ketoembar)
2 kaffir lime leaves (djeruk purut)
1 garlic clove
1 tsp kosher salt
3.5oz/100 gr unsalted peanuts (with skin)
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Directions:

Start by smashing your lemon grass, tie a knot in it and then smash the knot a few extra times: it will release more flavour this way.

Place it on a baking tray that you lined with a silpat or parchment paper.

Mix the coconut flakes with the brown sugar, ginger, coriander and salt.

Mix it with your hands because that way you can get rid of little sugar clumps.

Add the coconut mix to the baking tray.

Push the kaffir lime leaves in there as well.

Give the coconut flakes 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 175Cº (350Fº), but stir it every 5 minutes or so. Not only will it brown more evenly, but the lemon grass and lime leaf flavour will be distributed as well.

On to the peanuts.

You can add them whole, but I like to break them up a bit. Don’t smash the heck out of them, though.

Heat the oil and cook the peanuts until you start to see a tan. This will take virtually no time: few minutes tops.

Squeeze in the garlic and cook for another minute. Let the peanuts drain on paper towels.

The coconut mix should be nice and brown by now. Discard the lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves.

Mix the peanuts with the coconut. That’s it, folks! No more magic to it than this.

Store the seroendeng in a dark place in an airtight jar! You can also store it in the freezer, but I never do.

Sprinkle generously over rice and other dishes.

Start by smashing your lemon grass, tie a knot in it and then smash the knot a few extra times: it will release more flavour this way. Place it on a baking tray that you lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Mix the coconut flakes with the brown sugar, ginger, coriander and salt and add it to the baking tray. Push the kaffir lime leaves in there as well. Give the coconut flakes 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 175Cº (350Fº), but stir it every 5 minutes or so. Not only will it brown more evenly, but the lemon grass and lime leaf flavour will be distributed as well.

Add the peanuts whole or break them up a bit first. Heat the oil and cook the peanuts until you start to see a tan. This will take virtually no time: few minutes tops. Squeeze in the garlic and cook for another minute. Let the peanuts drain on paper towels. Once the coconut mix is all brown, discard the leaves and lemon grass and mix it with the peanuts.

Store the seroendeng in a dark place in an airtight jar or in your freezer.

Sauces and Condiments, Indonesian

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