Sour-Sweet Beef Dish

Name: Sour-Sweet Beef Dish
Ingredients: 500 g minute steak; 2 tsp oil; 25 g ginger, grated; 1 l broth or water; 2 tsp salty soy sauce; 2 tsp Indonesian sweet soya sauce / kecap manis; 3 tsp tomato sauce / tomato ketchup; 3 tsp tamarind water; 2 tsp fried onions; 1 tsp salt; 150 g shallots, chopped; 50 g garlic, chopped

Origin: Palembang – South Sumatra Province

Ingredients

500 g minute steak
2 tsp oil
25 g ginger, grated
1 l broth or water
2 tsp salty soy sauce
2 tsp Indonesian sweet soya sauce / kecap manis
3 tsp tomato sauce / tomato ketchup
3 tsp tamarind water
2 tsp fried onions
1 tsp salt

Spice for the paste

150 g shallots, chopped
50 g garlic, chopped

Sour-Sweet Beef Dish

Use Minute Steak and original sort of Indonesian sweet soya sauce or known as Kecap Manis. This sauce is thick, sweet and contains almost no salt. It is often used in the Indonesian kitchen, in particular for Satays. You can find it eventually in Asian shop. Though in many western countries many varieties of "claimed to be indonesian sweet soy sauce" are now available, personally I would say, those people absolutely have no idea of what they're labelling ;-((. To my indonesian tongue, those products taste really salty, even worst than our salty soya sauce!!. Sad to say these kind of products which give a bad image to people who use it in their first indonesian recipe and get only an awful result.

However there is a simple trick to recognize it's originality:

1. They usually put the label completely in two languages "Indonesian sweet soy sauce – Kecap Manis / Ketjap Manis" not only "Indonesian sweet soy sauce".

2. Just shake the bottle downside, if the sauce has a thick, almost syrupy consistency then you get it right. When it flows like water then never think twice to even try, coz I have enough experience with them, especially in my first year living abroad & was desperately looking for my "Beloved Kecap Manis" 😉

Instructions

Cut the beef into cubes about 2 cm on a side, wash and set aside to drain.
Put all ingredients for the paste in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and stir fry the paste. Stirring all the time until fragrant.
Add the ginger and stir often until you smell the good aroma.
Put the meat into the pan and cook until the meat is harder and it's colour turn to white.
Pour in the water and add the rest of the ingredients.
Adjust the heat to medium and continue cooking until the meat is well cooked.
Garnish with fried onions and serve hot with rice.