Sate Padang

Ingredients

• 600 g beef shin or chuck
• 250 g beef tongue, optional
• 1.5 litres water
• 8 shallots
• 6 garlic cloves
• 4 cm fresh turmeric
• 3 cm ginger
• 3 cm galangal
• 6 dried red chillies
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 0.5 tsp ground fennel
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick, 5 cm
• 3 cloves
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 turmeric leaf, optional
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 5 tbsp rice flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 4 ketupat or 400 g compressed rice cake
• 4 tbsp crisp fried shallots
• 16 bamboo skewers

Before you cook

• Soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for 30 minutes.
• Soak the dried chillies in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain them.
• Peel the shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger and galangal.
• Bruise the lemongrass stalks with the back of a knife.
• Cut the beef into 2 cm cubes and cut the tongue into similar pieces.
• Slice the ketupat into thick cubes.

Steps

1. Blend the shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, galangal, soaked chillies, coriander, cumin, fennel and curry powder into a smooth paste with a splash of water.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and fry the paste for 8 minutes, until it turns a shade darker and the oil rises to the surface.
3. Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaf, star anise, cinnamon and cloves and stir for 1 minute.
4. Tip in the beef and tongue and turn the pieces until every side is coated in the paste.
5. Pour in the water, add the salt and sugar, and bring the pot to a boil.
6. Turn the heat to low and simmer, part-covered, for 60 minutes, until the beef gives easily under a fork.
7. Lift the meat out with a slotted spoon and leave it to cool enough to handle.
8. Strain the cooking broth into a jug and measure out 700 ml, discarding the whole aromatics.
9. Thread the meat onto the soaked skewers, three or four pieces to a stick.
10. Whisk the rice flour into 150 ml of cold water until there are no lumps.
11. Return the measured broth to the pot and bring it back to a simmer.
12. Pour in the rice flour slurry in a steady stream, whisking hard the whole time.
13. Cook the gravy for 5 to 6 minutes, whisking, until it thickens to the consistency of double cream and loses any raw floury taste.
14. Taste the gravy and adjust the salt, then keep it warm over the lowest heat.
15. Heat a charcoal grill or a ridged griddle pan until very hot.
16. Grill the skewers for 2 minutes on each side, brushing them with a little gravy, until the edges char.
17. Arrange the ketupat cubes on plates and lay three or four skewers over each.
18. Ladle the hot yellow gravy generously over everything and finish with a heavy scatter of fried shallots.