Beef with Coconut – Hagape Daging

A coconut-rich beef dish from ambon, in the Spice Island of Maluku, Which unlike similar dishes from Java and Sumatra has no chili, sugar and soy sauce, nevertheless, the combination of coconut with galangal, lemongrass, turmeric and ginger gives this dish a wonderfully complete aroma and flavor.

Ingredients:

2 lbs (1 Kg) top round or stewing beef

1 cup (100 g) freshly grated coconut or 1 cup (80 g) unsweetened desiccated coconut

2 tablespoon oil

2 ½ cups (675 ml) thick coconut milk

1 stalk lemongrass, thick bottom third only, outer layers discarded, inner part bruised

Spice Paste

6 candlenuts, roughly chopped

2 in (5 cm) fresh galangal, peeled and sliced

3 in (8 cm) fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced, or 1 tablespoon ground turmeric

3 in (8 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Cooking Direction:

1. Slice the beef into bite-sized
2. Dry-fry the grated coconut or desiccated coconut in a skillet over low heat until golden brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes for fresh grated coconut or 5 to 8 minutes for desiccated coconut. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. While still warm, grind the coconut in a mortar or blender until fine. Set aside
3. Prepare the Spice Paste by grinding all the ingredients to a smooth paste in a mortar or blender, adding a little oil if necessary to keep the mixture turning. Set aside.
4. Heat the oil in awok over medium heat and stir-fry the Spice Paste until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beef, ground coconut, coconut milk and lemongrass, mix well and bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the coconut milk from separating. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer uncovered, stirring from time to time, until the beef is tender and the sauce has almost dried up, about 30 minutes. Add a little water if the sauce dries up before the meat is cooked. Removed from the heat.
5. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot with steamed rice.