Lapis Daging

Preparation -- 15 minutes

Grind the cloves, you can use a mortar or bottom of a pan to do so. Peel and coarsely chop the shallots and garlic cloves. Create a puree of the shallots and garlic, you can use a mortar or small blender.

Create a spice paste by adding ground cloves, coriander, turmeric, nutmeg and black pepper to the puree. Remove any excess fat or muscles from the beef if needed and divide into small pieces.

Make sure the beef is completely covered with a thin layer of flour. 

Finishing the lapis daging -- 2 hours + minutes

Heat a dash of oil in a Dutch oven and bake the pieces of beef until they're golden brown on all sides. Don't overcrowd the pan, so maybe it's needed to cook them in batches.

Add the spice paste and cook a bit more. Pour in juice of a lime and a dash of vinegar. You can also add the squeezed lime and remove it later, to add some more flavour.

Pour in the beef stock along with tamarind, lime leaves and ketjap and let it simmer on low heat for about 1,5 to 2 hours. Check from time to time if you need to add some extra water to prevent the meat from burning.

If the beef stock has evaporated completely, but the meat is still not tender you can add some extra water. Remove the lime and lime leaves and season the stew with some more spices if needed.

Serve with rice and for example a simple carrot salad. Enjoy!