Empal Gentong - Cirebon Beef Soup
If you want a bowl of comforting soup, you can't go wrong with some empal gentong. Try serving this beef soup with ketupat (rice cake) and sambal rebus.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 lemongrass (Indonesian: sereh), bruised
- 2 cloves (Indonesian: cengkeh)
- 1 kilogram beef brisket (Indonesian: sandung lamur) or other beef cuts for stew, bite sizes
- 1500 ml (6 cup) beef stock/water
- 200 ml (~ 1/2 can) coconut milk
- 3 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Indonesian: kecap manis)
- 2 kaffir lime leaves (Indonesian: daun jeruk)
- 100 gram shallot (Indonesian: bawang merah)
- 4 cloves garlic (Indonesian: bawang putih)
- 5 candlenut (Indonesian: kemiri)
- 1 fresh turmeric (Indonesian: kunyit), or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (Indonesian: pala)
- thinly sliced scallions
- thinly sliced chives (Indonesian: kucai)
- chili flakes (Indonesian: cabe kering tumbuk)
- deep-fried shallot (Indonesian: bawang goreng)
- lime juice
Instructions
- 1
Heat cooking oil in a soup pot and stir fry spice paste, lemongrass, and cloves until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- 2
Add the beef into the pot, mix well until the meat is no longer pink.
- 3
Pour the beef stock (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the meat is fully cooked and tender.
- 4
Add the coconut milk, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), and kaffir lime leaves. Stir and bring to a boil again. Once it boils, immediately turn off the heat.
- 5
Add scallions, deep-fried shallot, and lime juice prior to serving. Serve empal gentong with steamed white rice, or ketupat/rice cakes, and sambal rebus.