Semur Daging [Smoor]

Semur daging [smoor] is a stewed beef dish with a heavy Dutch influence (Semur is a translation of the Dutch word “smoor”, which means stewing or braising). This dish comes in many variations, depending on the region in Indonesia where it’s cooked.

As cooking time can be up to 2 ½ hours, you can pick a cheap cut of beef and it will still come out tender. The combination of Clove, Nutmeg and Cinnamon gives this dish a really nice distinctive flavour. Serve with boiled rice.

Ingredients:

• 500 gr Stewing Beef
• 2 medium sized Onions
• 4 Cloves of Garlic
• 150 ml cooking oil
• 300 ml water
• 2 tablespoons Vinegar or lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Kecap Manis
• 3 large tomatoes
• 1 large potato
• 2 hardboiled eggs

Bumbu’s:

• 2 Salem leaves (Indonesian bay)
• 1 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 star anise
• Pepper and salt

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in heavy bottom pan and lightly brown the diced beef. Add the diced onions and garlic and wait for them to soften. Mix in the bumbu’s and add the Kecap, vinegar and enough water so that all the beef is covered.
2. Simmer on a low heat for about 2 ½ hours until meat is very tender. Add the diced potatoes, skinned and chopped tomatoes and halved eggs for the last ½ hour cooking time. Keep an eye on the water level, if it’s getting to dry, add a small amount of water.
3. The fresh tomatoes can be replaced with chopped, tin tomatoes for an equally good result.
4. Before serving remove salem leaves and star anise.