Semur: The Sweet Soy Braise

Ingredients

• 700 g beef, cut into large cubes
• 120 ml kecap manis
• 4 cloves, whole
• ¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 500 ml water, or enough to barely submerge the beef

Method

1. 1
   Place the beef cubes in a heavy-based pot or Dutch oven. Add the kecap manis, cloves, and nutmeg. Pour over enough water to barely submerge the meat. The liquid should smell immediately of warm spice and sweet soy.
2. 2
   Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Skim any foam that rises. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and braise. This is where the dish lives or dies: the sauce must reduce slowly around the beef — never at a rolling boil — until it thickens to a dark, glossy coat that clings to the back of a spoon and the meat yields without resistance when pressed.
3. 3
   Uncover for the final stage and allow the sauce to reduce further, turning the beef to lacquer each piece evenly. The surface of the sauce should sheet and wrinkle at the edges of the pot rather than pool loosely.
4. 4
   Taste the sauce: it should be deeply sweet and savoury, with clove and nutmeg present but not sharp. Adjust the balance with a small addition of kecap manis if the sweetness has retreated. Serve immediately.