Semur: The Sweet Soy Braise

Semur — from the Portuguese *cimor* or the Dutch *smoor* (to stew) — is one of the clearest colonial-origin preparations in Indonesian cooking. The technique: protein (usually beef) braised in a sweet, dark sauce dominated by kecap manis, nutmeg, and clove. The Portuguese and Dutch both brought stewing traditions; the Indonesians added kecap manis and nutmeg and created something entirely new.

• Filipino adobo (same sweet-soy-vinegar braise — vinegar provides the acid that semur lacks), Japanese nikujaga (same sweet soy sauce beef-potato stew — dashi replaces the spice base), Dutch stoofvlees