Beef Sinina

Ingredients

Measure and prepare everything before you begin cooking.

• 1 kg boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 3 cm cubes
• 40 g finely grated fresh mature coconut, unsweetened
• 30 ml neutral cooking oil, divided
• 150 g red onion, finely chopped, divided into 50 g and 100 g
• 30 g fresh ginger, finely chopped, divided into 10 g and 20 g
• 10 g fresh galangal, finely chopped; or an additional 10 g ginger as a different-flavoured substitute
• 20 g garlic, minced
• 1 red bird’s-eye chilli, finely chopped; seeds removed for less heat
• 200 g ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 400 ml unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
• 500 ml water, plus up to 250 ml hot water only if needed during braising
• 30 ml soy sauce
• 300 g peeled potatoes, cut into 2.5 cm chunks
• 150 g peeled carrot, cut into 2 cm chunks
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• Up to 1/2 tsp fine salt, only if needed
• Cooked rice, to serve separately

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the grated coconut in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 8–12 minutes, stirring until evenly deep golden and fragrant, not black. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Pound or process with the 50 g onion, 10 g ginger, galangal and chilli into a coarse moist paste. This is the measured coconut mixture for this recipe; use all of it in step 4.

2. 2

   Pat the beef dry. Heat 15 ml oil in a heavy 24 cm lidded pot. Brown beef in two batches for about 4 minutes per batch, then transfer to a clean plate. It will finish cooking during the braise.

3. 3

   Lower heat to medium. Add remaining 15 ml oil and the 100 g onion for 4 minutes. Add garlic and the 20 g ginger for 1 minute, then tomatoes for 4 minutes, scraping the base so nothing burns.

4. 4

   Stir in all the toasted-coconut mixture for 1 minute. Return beef and any juices. Add coconut milk, measured 500 ml water, soy sauce and pepper. Bring just to a simmer, then partly cover and keep the heat low.

5. 5

   Braise for about 1½–2 hours, until a fork enters the beef readily but it still offers a little resistance. Stir and scrape the base gently every 15–20 minutes. If liquid falls below halfway up the beef before it is tender, add reserved hot water in 50 ml amounts. A tougher cut may need longer than the estimate.

6. 6

   Add potatoes and carrot only once beef is nearly tender. Simmer partly covered for 20–25 minutes, until the beef yields easily to a fork and vegetables are cooked through. If they need longer, continue gently; the tenderness matters more than a fixed minute count.

7. 7

   Uncover and simmer gently for a further 5–10 minutes only if needed to make a spoon-coating sauce. Keep enough sauce to prevent scorching. Taste before adding any of the optional salt. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes and serve with rice.