Quick and easy

“Semur is a type of meat stew that is braised in thick brown gravy commonly found in Indonesian cuisine. Soy sauce is the most important ingredient in the Semur-making because it serves to strengthen the flavor, but it should still have the blends of other ingredients. In addition to the main ingredient, semur has meat, potato, tomato, fried shallots.”

When ever I remember this dish, it brings me back to my grandma’s kitchen in Perth. I was her assistant with chopping of the vegetables but I guess I was mainly observing and asking as many questions as possible. When eating beef semur, it has a very peppery, gingery and spice to it.

You will need:

1 packet of beef fillets
1 packet of pork fillets
2 onions
1 big ginger
4 garlic cloves
2 star anis
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon grounded black pepper corns
2-3 tablespoon soy sauce
Seasoned white pepper powder
Handful of baby potatoes cut in half
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon rice bran oil
Water for stewing

Stir fried cabbage:
Half a cabbage
1 tablespoon rice bran oil
2 garlic cloves
2-3 eggs
White pepper powder
Garnished sesame seeds

In a stew pot, on a medium heat add some rice bran oil with the finely chopped garlic, quartered onions, thinly sliced ginger and grounded black pepper corn. Mix well together till there’s a distinctive aromatic smell before adding in the beef and pork that has been cut into mouth size cubes. Infuse the meat with soya sauce, cinnamon stick and star anis before covering it in water and a lid. Leave it to simmer on low heat for at least 20-30 minutes. Add the cut baby potatoes, again, chopped garlic and quartered onions before seasoning with white pepper powder and vinegar.
For the cabbage, whisk the eggs and leave it aside. In the wok add rice bran oil with the chopped garlic on medium to low heat, add in the sliced cabbage and cover with a lid for 5-8minutes to allow the cabbage to soften. There mustn’t have any colouring to the cabbage or garlic. Do a well in the middle and mix in the beaten eggs and leave it to sit for a minute or two, it must scramble. There must have big pieces of scrambled egg mixed into the cabbage. Season with white pepper and sesame seeds. Once done, serve with basmati rice.