← Nouns Cooking · Indonesian & Filipino

Ingredients

• 600 g lamb or mutton shoulder, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 6 Shallot, peeled
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 3 Candlenuts (buah keras), toasted
• 1 tsp ground turmeric (or 3 cm fresh)
• 2 cm piece Ginger, peeled
• 1 tsp Coriander seeds, toasted
• ½ tsp White pepper
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 cardamom pods, cracked
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 3 Cloves
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 cm piece Galangal, sliced
• 1 Lemongrass, bruised
• 2 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam) or bay leaves
• 1.2 l Water
• 4 tbsp Kecap manis (sweet soy)
• 100 ml Coconut milk
• 200 g Cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tomato, cut into wedges
• 4 bird's eye chillies, left whole or sliced (optional)
• Salt
• 2 tbsp Crispy fried shallots

Method

1. Blend the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, turmeric, ginger, coriander seeds and white pepper with a splash of water into a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and fry the paste for 4–5 min until fragrant. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, galangal, lemongrass and bay leaves and stir for 1 minute.
3. Add the lamb and stir for 5 min until it loses its raw colour and is coated in the paste.
4. Pour in the water, bring to the boil and skim, then cover and simmer gently for 1 hour, until the lamb is tender.
5. Stir in the kecap manis and coconut milk and simmer for 5 min. Taste and add salt.
6. Add the cabbage, tomato and chillies (if using) and cook for 3–4 min, just until the cabbage wilts but still has some crunch. Serve in bowls topped with fried shallots, with rice.

Tips

• Beef chuck or chicken thighs work well too; chicken needs only about 25 min of simmering.
• Kecap manis and most fried shallots contain wheat. Candlenuts are a tree nut.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Cook Me Indonesian What To Cook Today Daily Cooking Quest