Meat Dishes (Page 1)
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Martabak 
(Pastry Parcels with Meat Filling)
Ingredients (Makes 10-12)
3 cups plain white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ghee (pure butter fat)
1 cup lukewarm water
½ cup oil
Filling :
2 tablespoons ghee
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon chilli powder
500g (1lb) minced meat
1 teaspoon garam masala (mixed spices)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 frsh red chilli, finely sliced
Put flour and salt in a large bowl, rub in ghee, then add the water all at once and mix into a fairly soft dough. Knead dough for at least 10 minutes. Divide into balls of equal size and put them into a small bowl containing the oil. If it is not enough oil to completely cover the dough balls, add a little more. Leave for at least 1 hour.
To make the filling, heat the ghee and fry onion until soft. Add garlic and ginger and fry until onion is golden brown. Add turmeric and chilli powder and stir for a few seconds, then add meat and fry, turning meat consistantly until colour changes. Break up any large lumps of meat, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add garam masala and continue cooking until meat is tender and quite dry. 
On a very smooth surface spread a little oil from the bowl and flatten one of the dough balls with a rolling pin or by hand. Gently press with the fingers, spreading the dough until it is almost as thin as strudel pastry. Spoon some filling onto the centre of the pastry, then fold the pastry up envelope fashion.
Heat up some oil in a frying. When the oil is hot enough, drop the parcel in and let it cook for a couple of minutes, checking the underisde. When the underside is golden brown, turn over and cook the top, again until it is golden. Place on absorbant paper when finished. Serve hot, either on it's own or with a dip of your choice.
 
Abon Daging 
(Shredded crisp-fried meat)
Ingredients
750g (1½ lb) round or topside steak
2½ teaspoons salt
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon petis (chinese shrimp paste)
2 tablespoons tamarind liquid or lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup peanut oil
4 dried chillies
4 tablespoons dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
Put meat in a large pan with enough water to cover, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 1½-2 hours or until meat is so tender it will pull apart with a spoon. Lift meat from stock (save stock for soup or sayur) and drain in a colander until dry and cool. Break up meat into sall pieces and use a mallet to pound it into very fine shreds, or use an electric blender using a slow speed, only adding 2 tablespoons of meat at a time and only blending for 5 seconds (any longer and you're left with meat paste!)
Crush garlic with remaining half teaspoon of salt, dissolve the petis in the tamarind liquid, mix  with pepper, chilli, coriander and cumin. Add to the meat and mix.
Heat peanut oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the whole chillies for a few seconds, drain on absorbant paper and cool. Put the onion flakes on a wire strainer and lower into the oil for a few seconds, just until they turn golden. Lift out and drain on absorbant paper. In the same wire strainer fry the dried garlic for 2 or 3 seconds. Drain on absorbant paper and cool.
Now add the meat to the oil and fry, stirring constantly, until it is a rich brown, but do not overcook (over a medium heat this should take 3 or 4 minutes). Drain and cool on absorbant paper.
Remove stems and seeds from chillies and crumble or chop the crisp pods. When meat is quite cold sprinkle with a little extra salt to taste and mix in chillies, onion and garlic. If liked, a teaspoon of sugar can be miced in. Store in an airtight jar.
 
 
Rendang 
(Dry Meat Curry)
Ingredients (Serves 8)
1kg (2lb) beef or mutton
2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 small stick cinnamon
4 or 5 whole cloves
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
½ teaspoon ground fennel
½ teaspoon ground kencur (aromatic ginger)
3 tablespoons desiccated coconut, toasted
4 cups thin coconut milk
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup tamarind liquid
1 cup thick coconut milk
Cut meat into large cubes. Finely slice one onion and set aside. Roughly chop the other onion and put into electric blender container with garlic and ginger. (If blender is not available, finely grate the onion, garlic and ginger). Blend into a smooth purée, adding 2 tablespoons thin coconut milk if necessary. Put meat into a bowl, mix well with ground ingredients and set aside. 
In a large saucepan heat the oil and fry the sliced onion and whole spices, stirring occasionaly, until onion is soft and starts to turn golden. Add meat and fry until meat changes colour. Add ground spices, coconut, thin coconut milk and salt. Stir while bringing to the boil and continue stirring for about 10 minutes. Simmer uncovered until meat is almost tender. Add tamarind liquid, stir well and simmer until liquid is almost dry. Add thick coconut milk, stirring constantly, and allow to simmer again until oil separates from gravy and curry is very dry.
 
 
Rendang Daging 
(Dry Fried Beef Curry)
Ingredients (Serves 8)
1.5kg (3lb) stewing steak
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
6 fresh red chillies, seeded
2 cups thick coconut milk
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 teaspoons chilli powder (optional)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
6 curry leaves
1 stem fresh lemongrass or 3 strips thinly peeled lemon rind
1 teaspoon laos powder
½ cup tamarind liquid
2 teaspoons sugar
Cut beef into strips about 2.5cm (1 inch) wide and 5cm (2 inches) long.
Put onion, garlic, ginger and chillies into blender container with ½ cup coconut milk. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan and wash out blender with remaining coconut milk. Add to saucepan all the remaining ingredients except tamarind liquid and sugar. Mix well, add meat and bring quickly to the boil.
Reduce heat to moderate, add tamatrind liquid and cook uncovered, until gravy is thick, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to low and continue cooking until gravy is almost dry, sturring frequently to ensure mixture doesn't stick to pan.
At the end of the cooking time (approx 2½ hours) when oil separates from gravy, add sugar and stir constantly. Allow meat to fry in the oily gravy until it is dark brown. 
Serve with white rice, one or two vegetable dishes, sambals and prawn crackers.
 
 
Dendeng 
(Dried Spiced Meat)
Ingredients
1kg (2lb) stewing or topside steak
5 tablespoons peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoons finely grated ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon petis or dried shrimp paste (trasi)
1½teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sambal ulek
6 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind liquid
3 teaspoons palm sugar (or substitute)
Cut steak into slices about 5cm (2 inches). Heat oil in a large saucepan and fry the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and petis (or trasi) for a minute or two, then add salt, sambal ulek, soysauce and tamarind liquid. Add meat and try, stirring, until meat is coated with spice mixture. Reduce heat, cover pan and let cook over a very low heat for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. At the end of the cooking time the liquid should be almost dry.
Uncover, add sugar and stir to dissolve. Turn the meat in this mixture over medium heat until liquid in the pan has evaporated, but do not let it burn. 
Remove pan from heat and spread the meat in an oven dish in a single layer. Put into an oven on a low heat, approx 125C (250F) for 30 minutes. Meat should be very dark brown but not burnt, and the oil should come out of the meat and be visable at the edge of the pan. Cool and serve airtight.
 
 
Pergedal Goreng Jawa 
(Javanese Fried Meatballs)
Ingredients (Make 60-70 meatballs)
500g (1lb) finely minced lean beef
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 fresh red chillies or 1 teaspoon sambal ulek
500g (1lb) potatoes
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons palm sugar or substitute
½ teaspoon dried shrimp paste (trasi)
3 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
peanut oil for frying
Put minced beef into a large bowl. Add onions, garlic crushed with salt, and chillies which have been seeded and chopped or, preferably, pounded to a paste with a mortar and pestle. Boil the potatoes, drain well and dry them off in the pan before mashing until smooth. Add water to the bowl. 
Dissolve the sugar and trasi in the soy and lemon juice, and mix in  the coriander, cumin and nutmeg. Pour over the ingredients in the bowl together with the beaten egg. Mix very thoroughly with the hand and shape into small meatballs. Allow to stand for an hour. 
Heat sufficient oil in a wok or frying pan to deep fry the balls. Add no more than 6-8 at a time to the hot oil and fry on medium heat until brown. This should take only 3 or 4 minutes. Drain on absorant paper.
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