Sop Konro

Ingredients

• 1.3 kg beef short ribs
• 2.5 litres water
• 4 keluak nuts
• 10 shallots
• 6 garlic cloves
• 5 candlenuts
• 3 cm fresh turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 0.25 whole nutmeg
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick, 5 cm
• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 5 cm galangal
• 4 salam leaves
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp palm sugar
• 4 spring onions
• 4 tbsp crisp fried shallots
• 2 limes
• 4 tbsp sambal, to serve

Before you cook

• Crack the keluak shells, scoop out the black flesh and soak it in 120 ml of hot water for 20 minutes.
• Cut the rack of ribs between the bones into individual pieces.
• Peel the shallots, garlic and turmeric.
• Bruise the lemongrass and slice the galangal into coins.
• Grate the nutmeg and slice the spring onions thinly.
• Cut the limes into wedges.

Steps

1. Put the ribs into a large pot, cover them with the water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
2. Skim off every bit of grey foam that rises until the broth runs clear.
3. Turn the heat down and simmer the ribs, part-covered, for 75 minutes.
4. Blend the soaked keluak with its water, the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, turmeric, coriander, cumin, nutmeg and peppercorns into a dark smooth paste.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the paste for 10 minutes, until it turns near-black and the oil separates.
6. Add the lemongrass, galangal, salam leaves, kaffir lime leaves, cloves and cinnamon and stir for 1 minute.
7. Scrape the paste into the rib pot and stir until the broth is a deep coffee brown.
8. Add the tamarind paste, salt and palm sugar.
9. Simmer for a further 45 minutes, until the meat pulls away from the bone with almost no resistance.
10. Skim any excess fat from the surface with a ladle.
11. Taste the broth and balance it with more salt or tamarind, aiming for rich and gently sour.
12. Pick out the lemongrass and cinnamon stick.
13. Ladle two or three ribs and plenty of broth into each bowl.
14. Scatter over the spring onions and fried shallots, and serve with lime wedges, sambal and steamed rice.