Beef Sate with a Hot Mango Dip (Sate Bali)

450g sirloin steak, 2cm thick, trimmed
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
50g raw cashew nuts
1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 shallots, or 1 small onion, finely chopped
1 piece fresh ginger, 12mm long, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp tamarind sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp rice or white wine vinegar

Hot Mango Dip
1 ripe mango
1-2 small red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander leaves

Slice the beef into long narrow strips and thread, zig-zag, onto 12 bamboo skewers. Lay on a flat plate and set aside. For the marinade, dry fry the seeds and nuts in a large wok until evenly brown.

Place in a pestle and mortar with a rough surface and crush finely. Alternatively, blend the spices and nuts in a food processor. Add the vegetable oil, shallots or onion, ginger, garlic, tamarind and soy sauces, sugar and vinegar.

Spread this mixture over the beef and leave to marinate for up to 8 hours. Cook the beef under a moderate grill (broiler) or over a barbecue for 6-8 minutes, turning to ensure an even color.

Meanwhile, make the mango dip. Process the mango flesh with the chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and salt until smooth, then add the coriander. Serve this dish with a green salad and a bowl of plain rice.

Beef in Tamarind Sipcy Sauce (Daging Asam)

750g rump beef, diced
1 tbsp peanut oil, extra
3 green shallots, sliced
2 medium red chilies, deseeded and sliced
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
1/2-3/4 cup beef stock
3 Okra (lady's fingers or gumbo)

Paste
2 French shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp terasi
2 tsp peanut oil

Crush or pound paste ingredients in a food processor. Heat oil in a wok or saucepan. Add beef and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until brown. Add paste and shallots and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add chilies, kecap manis, tamarind and stock.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add eggplant and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until beef is tender and sauce has reduced. Stir through green shallots, and serve with steamed rice.

Javanese Style Beef Steak (Bistik Jawa)

400 g beef steak meat (sliced, according to your taste)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp nutmeg powder
salt to taste

2 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks (or other vegetables you like)
1 small canned of corn
5 potatoes, cut into french fries style
Boiled egg, peeled and cut in half

Sauce
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbs tomato sauce
3 tbs sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
1 tbs of pepper
1/2 cup of water

Season the steak with salt, pepper and nutmeg, set aside for 30 minutes. Heat oil, and fry the steak until it turns into golden brown.

Make the sauce by frying the garlic and onion from leftover oil. Add the sweet soy sauce, tomato sauce, pepper and 1/2 cup of water. Cook the sauce until it's thick.

Vegetables: cook the carrots in boiling water until tender. French fries: fry the potatoes. Set aside.

Arrange the steaks, carrots and corn, boiled egg and french fries. Pour the sauce around the steaks.

Sliced Beef with Thick Sweet Sauce (Semur Daging Manis)

250 g beef, cut into thin slices
3 potatoes, peeled and cut
2 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
5 tbs of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
1/2 tbs of pepper
1/2 tbs nutmeg powder
500 ml water
2 tbs fried shallots
salt to taste
Cooking oil

Heat the oil in a wok, fry the potatoes. Set aside. With the leftover oil, sauté the onion, garlic until fragrant. Add meat and fry until it changes colour. Add water, sweet soy sauce, salt, pepper and nutmeg powder.

Reduce heat, cover the wok and cook the beef until its tender. Add a little water from time to time to get the desired tenderness. Add the fried potatoes. Sprinkle with the fried shallots.

Best serve with steamed rice.

Beef Curry (Gulai Sapi)

300 g beef
500 ml coconut milk
1 stalk of Lemongrass, crushed
3 fresh Kafir Lime leaves
2 Salaam leaves (bayleaf)
1 tbs coriander leaves (optional)
100 g green soya (kacang hijau), clean and cooked
1 block beef seasoning mixture
salt and sugar to taste
2 tbs fried shallots

Spice Paste
6 shallots
4 cloves of garlic
5 Candlenuts (Kemiri), or 7 almonds as a substitute, crushed and fry without oil
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 cm fresh Galangal (Lengkuas/Laos)
1 cm ginger
1/4 tsp cloves powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 eye's bird chillies (or paprika powder for less spicy)

Cut the beef into small pieces, cook under boiling water until the meat is tender. Leave the broth for about 1 cup.

Grind or blend the spice paste.

Heat the oil, and saute the spice paste. Add lemograss, kaffir lime leaves, salam leaves. Mixed well.

Put the spice paste into the meat, then pour the coconut milk and let it boil until the spice is absord. Add the beef seasoning mixture, coriander leaf, sugar, and salt. Continue cooking.

Serve it with lontong (race cake), garnish with fried shallots.

Spicy Vegetables Salad with Shrimp paste (Rujak Cingur)

50 g bean sprout, cleaned
50 g shredded cabbage
1 stalk water spinach
100 g egg noodle
1 cucumber
1 un-ripe/green Mango
1/2 Pineapple
2 fried tofu
2 fried tempe (bean cake)
200 g cooked beef lips (Cingur)
Lontong (rice cake)

Sauce :
100 g fried peanut
4 tablespoon petis (black fermented shrimp paste)
2 or 3 bird's eyes chillies (optional, you can make less spicy if you want to)
1 tbs of fried sliced garlic
1 tsp roasted terasi (dry shrimp paste) - optional
1 tsp palm sugar
1 tsp tamarind

Clean all the vegetables, then cook. Set aside.

Peel and clean all the fruit and slice into small slices. Set aside.

Prepare the sauce by grind or blend all the ingredients, add a little of water to make it thicker.

To serve, cut lontong into small slices, arrange it on the plate, add cooked vegetables, the fruits, fried tofu, tempe, cingur (cooked beef lips) and pour with the sauce. Garnish with prawn cracker.

Terik Daging (Spicy Beef with Coconut Sauce)

600g beef (chuck or topside), cubed
1/2 cup thick coconut milk and 1.5 cups thin coconut milk from 1 coconut
2 kaffir lime leaves
4 tbsp cooking oil
4 tbsp toasted peanuts, pounded

Spices, ground :
10 shallots
5 pips garlic
5 red chilies
1 cm kunyit
1/2 cm galangal
1 lemongrass
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp pepper
5 candlenuts
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt or to taste

Heat oil in wok and saute ground spices till aromatic. Add beef and daun kaffir lime leaves, and fry till beef loses its pink color. Add thin santan and bring to boil. Lower heat and leave to simmer till the beef is tender. Add thick santan, pounded peanuts, brown sugar and salt to taste. When gravy is thick, remove from heat. Serve with warm rice.

Beef and Bean Sprouts Soup with Rice Cake (Lontong Balap Surabaya)

100 g beef meat
3 shallots or half of medium red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 block beef seasoning
250 g of bean sprouts
1 stalk of celery leaf
2 tbs of fried shallot
500 ml of water
Pinch of pepper

Lentho
100 g of red soya bean
50 g of tapioca flour
30 g granted coconut
1 teaspoon coriander
3 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
A pinch of pepper
salt to taste

Sambal Petis
1 cloves of garlic
5 bird's eyes chillies (optional)
2 tbs of dried shrimp paste (petis udang)
1 tbs of water
1 tsp of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

Other Ingredients
Lontong (rice cake)
200 g fried tofu
Sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
2 tbs of fried shallot for garnish

The broth: Boiled beef meat with 500 ml water until you get the beef broth. Take out the meat.

Blend or grind the shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat the oil and sauté the paste until fragrant.

Add the fried paste into the broth; then beef seasoning. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the celery and the bean sprout. Let it cook for few minutes.

Lentho: Bring to boil red bean. Cook until its soft enough. When it's done, take out from the water and let it cold.

Grind or blend the shallots, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper into paste. Add the red bean and smashed coarsely. Add the tapioca flour and the granted coconut. Mix well all the ingredients.

Form into small dough. Fry in deep wok over medium heat until crispy. Remove from the pan. Cut into pieces before serve.

Sambal Petis: Fry the garlic and the chillies. Set aside. Grind them with dried shrimp paste (petis udang). Add the water and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), mix them.

To Serve: In a plate or bowl, cut lontong (rice cake) into small pieces, add the bean sprout, lentho, fried tofu and garnish with fried shallot. Pour broth, and drizzle with sweet soy sauce. If you like it spicy, add sambal petis.

Meatballs Soup (Bakso Kuah)

meatballs:
275 gram minced beef
2 white eggs
35 gram tapioca flour
75 gram crushed ice cube
2 tablespoons of fried garlic
2 tablespoons fried shallots
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
salt and pepper to taste

the broth:
250 gram Beef ribs
750 ml water
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and fried
1 stalk onion spring, finely chopped
1 stalk celery leaf, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Other ingredients:
150 g dried egg noodles, cook and set aside
Any Green salad (and bean sprouts)
Fried shallots
Sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) and Chilli sauce (sambal)

Directions

Mix all ingredients for meatball and grind them in food processor until it's sticky. Then put in fridge for one hour.

Boil some water for cooking the meatball. Scoop with 2 tablespoons and make round ball and drop the meatballs into boiling water. When it's floating, it means it's done. Set aside.

the broth : boil the beef ribs into 750 ml water, add the salt, pepper and the rest of ingredients. Cook until it's boiling. Then add the meatballs inside.

To Serve: place the meatball with cooked egg noodle, green salad and bean sprouts, and garnish fried shallots. Add sweet soy sauce and sambal if you like. Then pour with the broth. Eat when it's hot or warm.

Fried Meatball (Bakso Goreng)

250 g Minced beef/Chicken/Prawn (or mixed meat)
35 g tapioca flour
75 g ice cube, crushed
2 white eggs
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fried shallots
2 tablespoons sesame oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients for meatball (except spring roll wrapper) and grind them in food processor until it's sticky. Then put in fridge for 45 minutes to one hour.

Heat oil in deep fryer, and fry with medium heat until it is golden and cooked.
Serve with fresh chillies or chilli sauce.

Fried Stuffed Tofu (Tahu Isi)

6 medium tofu *cut into triangle and fried half done

Filling
150 gram of minced beef/chicken/prawn
2 carrots cut into small cubes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
pepper to taste
salt to taste or 1/2 beef seasoning cube

Flour Mixture
100 g of flour
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp coriander, pan-broil
3 candlenuts
2 cm kaempferia galanga (kencur)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
125 ml water

Heat the oil in deep wok and fry the tofu until brown in both sides. Set aside. When they are already cold, scoop out the middle part to make a hole for filling.

Make the filling: in remaining oil, stir fry the onion and garlic. Add the meat, stir well until brown. Then put carrots inside. Pour some water, just enough to make the carrots tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. When it is about to be done, mix corn flour with small water and pour it to the filling to make it thicker. Cook until about 10 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Take a spoon of it and stuff it into the hole of tofu one by one until all is done. Put it aside.

Make the flour mixture : In a small bowl mix all ingredients. Add a little water if necessary.

Dip the stuffed tofu into flour mixture before frying it (to get crunchy skin).

Deep fry stuffed tofu under medium heat until brownish.

Cooking Tips: Unevenly Grilled Meat

When you grill, pull your steaks [or other meat] out of the refrigerator one hour ahead of time so they can come to room temperature.

East Java Traditional Black Beef Soup (Sop Rawon)

600g Beef rump
20g Ginger roots
30g Turmeric roots
50g Garlic

100g Shallot
50g Candlenut
20g Red chili
5g Kaffir lime leafs
30g Lemon grass

200g Black Nut (Kluwek) use the meaty part
10g Coriander Powder
2g Bay leaf (Salam)
20g Galangal
3g Cumin

Salt to taste
White Sugar to taste
White Pepper Powder
Cooking oil

Clean the beef rump and cut into cubes.
Blend shallot, garlic, ginger, candlenut, turmeric, red chili and black nuts (kluwek) until smooth.

Heat pan and put all blended ingredients and saute until cooked and fregrance.
Add beef rump cubes and water to make the stock.
Put kaffir lime leafs, salam, galangal, lemon grass and boil until beef is tender.
Season with coriander powder, cumin, salt and sugar according to taste.

Serve this soup with steamed rice, salty egg, small beans sprout, and shrimp crackers.

More Brain-Boosting Foods

A good diet improves your health, but also boosts your energy. Create a shopping list of these must-have endurance foods recommended by Dr. Mike Moreno, author of The 17 Day Diet: A Doctor’s Plan Designed for Rapid Results.

Hot chilies: Contains the fiery-tasting chemical capsaicin. Capsaicin stimulates circulation, aids digestion, opens your nasal passages and, even better, sends a feeling of euphoria straight to your brain.

Legumes: Provide glucose to fuel the brain, and the fiber they contain slows the absorption of glucose, helping to maintain stable levels of energy and support alertness and concentration overtime.

Beef: Loaded with vitamin B1, which protects myelin, a fatty substance that helps facilitate communication among cells.

Romaine lettuce: High in folate, a B vitamin important for memory and nerve cell health.

Spinach: Packed with iron, which is involved memory, concentration, and mental functioning.

Tuna: Full of omega-3 fatty acids, which help build and maintain myelin.

Yogurt: A probiotic food that has been found in many studies to boost mental alertness.

Smashed Sweet Fried Beef (Empal Gepuk)

600 gr beef shanks, cut into 4 big pieces
4 dried bay leaves
1 stalk lemongrass, take the white part and bruise
650 ml coconut milk
2 1/2 tsp salt

spices (blend) :

7 cloves of shallots, sliced then sauteed
5 cloves of garlic, sliced then sauteed
5 candlenuts, toasted
1 cm ginger
2 cm fresh galangal
3 tsp corriander
60 gr brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients in "spices" together and process in a blender or food processor until smooth.
In a big pot, stir in beef shanks, coconut milk, blended spices, bay leaves, lemongrass, and salt.

Bring them to boil, then cook on low heat (simmer) until the beef is fully cooked and the liquid has decreased by half (about 2 hours)

Remove the pot from heat. Cut the beef chunks according to the meat pattern into 2 cm slices.

Heat oil in a sauteeing pan, then fry the beef with the remaining liquid until all the liquid is drained.

Beef Rib Soup From Gorontalo Sulawesi (Kuah Bugis ala Gorontalo)

1000 g beef ribs
200 g grated coconut, brown roasted
3 litres water
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp salt

6 tomatoes sliced
1 stalk lemon grass
2 cm cinnamon
3 tbsp roughly chopped spring onion
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 pandanus leaf
15 sweet basil

Spices blend :

4 tbsp sliced garlic
1 tbsp sliced red chili
5 tbsp sliced shallots
2 tsp sliced turmeric
1 tsp sliced ginger
6 candlenuts
1 1/2 tbsp galangal
Pinch of cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

Put the beef ribs and water in a pan and bring to boil over medium heat until the beef tender and the stock remains 1000 ml, set aside.

Pound the roasted coconut until smooth an oily, set aside.

Blend all spices into a paste. In a wok, put oil and saute the paste over medium heat. Add salt, cinnamon, lemon grass, and tomatoes.

Add the coconut, mix well. Add this mixture to the beef rib stock, bring to boil over medium heat.

Before removing from heat, add spring onion, kaffir lime leaves, sweet basil, and pandanus leaf, continue boiling until done.

Transfer into a serving bowl and serve.

Spicy Tegal Soup Traditional Style (Soto Tegal)

150 g chicken breast boiled, fried, and cubed
100 g cow's heart boiled, fried, and cubed
100 g tripe boiled, fried, and cubed
150 g boiled chicken intestine, fried
750 ml stock
100 g bean sprouts, blanched, drain
5 tbsp sliced green onion
3 tbsp fried sliced shallots
2 tbsp fermented soybean (miso)
2 tbsp oil for sauteing

Spices :

3 tbsp sliced shallots
1 tbsp sliced garlic
5candlenuts
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 tbsp sliced boiled red chilies
2 1/2 tbsp sliced capsicums
1 tsp sliced galangal
2 salam leaves/bay leaves
1 stalk lemon grass
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Sambal Tauco :

1 tbsp sliced red chilies
1 tbsp fermented soybean (miso)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
To make the sauce : Blend all the spices. Put oil in the pan, saute the paste over medium heat, add fermented soybean, salam leaves, lemon grass, sugar, and salt as seasoning.

Boil the stock over medium heat, put the seasoning and continue boiling for 10 minutes, turn off the heat.

In a serving bowl, put bean sprouts, chicken pieces, entrails, and green onion. Pour the hot sauce and serve immediately.

Serve with sambal tauco and sliced lime.

To make sambal tauco : blend red chilies, fermented soybean (miso), and sugar into a paste. Put oil in a pan, saute the paste over medium heat until done.

Beef Rib Soup (Sup Iga Spesial)

1000 g beef ribs
200 g grated coconut, brown roasted
3 litres water
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp salt

1 stalk lemon grass
2 cm cinnamon
6 tomatoes diced
3 tbsp roughly chopped spring onion
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 pandanus leaf
15 sweet basil

Spices :

1 tbsp sliced red chili
5 tbsp sliced shallots
2 tsp sliced turmeric
4 tbsp sliced garlic
1 tsp sliced ginger
6 candlenuts
1 1/2 tbsp galangal
Pinch of cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

Put the beef ribs and water in a pan and bring to boil over medium heat until the beef tender and the stock remains 1000 ml, set aside.

Pound the roasted coconut until smooth an oily, set aside.

Blend all spices into a paste. In a wok, put oil and saute the paste over medium heat. Add salt, cinnamon, lemon grass, and tomatoes.

Add the coconut, mix well. Add this mixture to the beef rib stock, bring to boil over medium heat.

Before removing from heat, add spring onion, kaffir lime leaves, sweet basil, and pandanus leaf, continue boiling until done.

Transfer into a serving bowl and serve.

Balinese Spicy Chunk Beef (Daging Bumbu Bali)

1 lb lean stewing beef, cut in chunks
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons sambal ulek
3-4 birds eye chili
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
4 kaffir lime leaves
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1/3 cup oil (for frying)
vinegar
salt
sugar

Add enough water to the beef to cover, bring very slowly to a simmer and cook until done, (as with making any stock, this can take a few hours).

Put in the food processor: onions, sambal, chilies, garlic and shrimp paste.

Process until you have a paste.

Fry this paste in the oil on a medium heat for a few minutes together with the kaffir and bay leaves.

Add the soy sauce, a little vinegar, the cooked meat and 1 to 2 cups of the meat stock.

Simmer for approx 15 minutes, and then taste for salt, sugar and maybe more vinegar.

Serve this with rice and other Indonesian dishes, what is really great as a little side dish is to quarter a few bananas and quickly fry them in butter until brown and starting to soften, keep warm in the oven until you are ready to serve.

Beef Soup Bandung Style (Soto Bandung)

250 g beef brisket
100 g boiled soy bean, fried
125 g white radish, thinly sliced
3 tbsp sliced celery
3 tbsp fried sliced shallots
3 tbsp sliced green union
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
2000 ml water
2 1/2 tbsp sliced shallots
1 tbsp sliced garlic
1 tbsp peppercorn
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sliced ginger
Sweet soy sauce

Chili paste (Sambal):
Red capsicums
Salt
Vinegar

put water and beef in pan, boil until the beef tender and the stock remains 1000 ml. Take out the beef, cut into small pieces.

Blend shallots, garlic, pepper, salt, and ginger into a paste. Add this paste into the boiling stock. Add lemon grass and green onion.

Add the pieces of beef and white radish into the boiling stock and keep cooking until the white radish is cooked.

Serve the hot soto in a bowl. Add fried soybean, sprinkle with celery and fried shallots. Serve with sweet soy sauce and sambal cuka.

Sambal: boil the red capsicums. Drain and blend, add salt and vinegar, mix well.