this dish is inspired by a dish we tried on an island in malaysia a couple of years ago. every day, this family of women from a neighbouring island would boat over with a few giant tupperwares of home cooked food that they'd sell on the beach. one of our favourite recurring dishes was called kecap beef (pronounced "ketchup"), named after the kecap manis, or sweet soy, that was in the dish. this recipe is our best attempt at re-creating their kecap beef. it's sweet, savoury, a bit spicy and incredibly rich. to balance the richness and to complement the soft texture, we recommend serving it with a side of either pickled vegetables or a vinegar-based slaw as well as topped with something crispy - fried shallots, fried potato, peanuts, whatever you want.
Serves 4-6 people, with leftovers
Ingredients
2 lbs. beef chuck, cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1x1x2" pieces
2 tbsps. fish sauce
1 tbsp. neutral cooking oil, plus more for browning meat
1 bird's eye chili, roughly chopped
2-inches fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, skinned
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 cups beef stock or water
2 stalks of fresh or frozen lemongrass, pounded to release aromas
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 cup palm or brown sugar
1/4 cup filipino soy sauce / gf tamari
1 long red chili such as cayenne or serrano, sliced on the bias into 1" segments
1 medium red onion, sliced lengthwise into wedges
1 tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 3 tbsp. of water to form a slurry
crispy shallots, to garnish (optional)
crispy garlic, to garnish (optional)
a handful of cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 250°F, skip this step if using a pressure cooker.
Marinate the beef in fish sauce.
While the beef is marinating, make the paste. In a small food processor or blender, add all the ingredients from 1 tbsp. neutral cooking oil to shallots, then pulse until relatively smooth.
Heat a large pot or dutch oven or stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of neutral cooking oil and swish the pot to evenly coat the bottom. Brown the beef in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pot, and place the browned meat in a nonreactive bowl.
Add the paste to the hot pot and sautée for a few minutes until the paste smells amazing and the aroma of raw shallots and garlic subsides.
If there are still brown bits from the beef stuck to the bottom, deglaze the pot with a splash of stock, scraping off those delicious goodies as the stock evaporates.
Return the beef to the pot, along with the stock or water, lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon, sugar, soy and chili.
Place the pot, covered, in the oven and let cook for two to three hours, until the beef is tender. If using a pressure cooker, cook at pressure for 45 minutes. After the elapsed time, depressurize and remove lid.
Remove the lid, place the pot back on the stove at medium heat and add red onions. Reduce the liquid until it is slightly syrupy, just under 10 minutes. Skin foam and oil from the top as necessary. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and keep heating for a couple more minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Serve with white rice, coconut rice or sticky rice, as well as some pickled veg or coleslaw and crispy shallots or garlic. Garnish with cilantro.