Semur Batawi Recipe

If you love a good beef stew, you should give this recipe a try.  Because it was 100 degrees when I made this, I did it in the slow cooker.  Be prepared for a taste buds explosion.  This might be one of the most scrumptious things you will ever eat.  Semur is derived from the Dutch word smoor, meaning smothered or slow cooked.  Batawi comes from Batavia which is the colonial name for Jakarta. You can most often find this being sold from street vendors  these days and surely each family has their own version.

Some of the ingredients you will need.

Make a bouquet garni of 1 T. peppercorns, 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 T. coriander seeds, 1-2 dried chili peppers and 1 tsp. of whole cloves.  Tie this up and set it aside.

In a bowl, combine 1 T. brown sugar....

with one knob of grated fresh ginger, 6 cloves diced garlic, 2 T. tomato paste, 2 heaping T. tamarind paste, 1/3 C. ketchup manis (sweet soy sauce) and 1 T. fish sauce.  Whisk this together.

Cut 2 Pounds of chuck steak into bite sized pieces.

Place them in the bowl and toss to coat.

Add 2 tsp. ground black pepper and 1 tsp. salt.

Add 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg.

Add 1 cup beef stock.  Stir to combine.

Dice 2 large onions and add them to the slow cooker with the bouquet garni. add 2 T. of oil.

Add the meat mixture and one tub of Knorr's concentrated beef stock.  The wonky thumb continues to work.

Stir everything together and cover.

Set your slow cooker to low and set the timer to 12 hours.  Get ready for the most exotic, enticing cloud of heavenly scent to consume you.  I let this cook overnight and I kept waking up thinking I needed to run downstairs and stir it.  I've only recently been using the slow cooker and still can't get used to how effortless it is.

The next morning it looked like this.

This actually improves with age.  It is best the second day.

I served it next to curried cauliflower and cabbage with yesterdays naan. I also served chutneys as a condiment.  Outstanding.  We rarely eat seconds around here but my husband ate 2 bowls and The Blog Tech ate 3!

Comments

brokenteepee said…
I can imagine how good it smelled
Mary said…
This sounds fabulous! I never have read a recipe that sounded so enticing to make. When my arm fracture heals a little more and the weather cools a little, I am definitely going to make it. +++ I certainly identify with your recent hand injury! I really enjoy your blog and follow it regularly. Thanks for sharing this yummy sounding recipe. I think I can smell it cooking in my kitchen!!!
This sounds delicious! I'd love to try it sometime.

I see you have a Cuisinart slow cooker -- top of the line, I bet! I don't usually like slow cookers because I think they cook everything to mush, but maybe it's because I've only used garden variety slow cookers with only 2 settings?
Suzanne said…
That looks sooooooo gooood!
Vera said…
Oh my! this sounds so wonderful. I am going to have to try this soon...and make some naan. I roast cauliflower a lot with cumin...but will try adding cabbage and the curry flavoring instead. Also, you are the first person I've seen mention ketchup manis -- we love it!! It's a great marinade for chicken on the grill. I was planning to make spicy cuban beef this weekend, but I may try this instead. Thanks! Vera
Anonymous said…
this sounds amazing, I have never ever cooked anything as exotic as this but I am going to try, first I have to look for the ingredients, I have a feeling tamarind paste could prove to be tricky, I have never saw it but I will keep looking, this meal looks wonderful, just wonderful, i want to wake up to this smell cooking, I truly do!
Anonymous said…
That looks delicious and I ca only imagine how wonderful it tastes!

But I've never heard about a slow cooker before so I had to check what it is :-) I want one :-) Well the tax return will soon arrive I think :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.
I wish there was a street vendor at the end of my lane selling this. Looks heavenly. I can vouch for the naan bread. It is beyond wonderful. Thanks for telling me it freezes beautifully. At the rate I'm going there will be none to freeze.
Guillaume said…
You are in a very Far East, exotic cooking mood these days.
If it wasn't 9:45 p.m. at night, I would start this recipe. I know a trip to the butcher is in order!
Barb said…
It looks delicious. No wonder your husband and the blog tech ate so well!
TARYTERRE said…
This sounds so hearty. Bet it sticks to the ribs. Perfect for an autumn night.
Ina in Alaska said…
OH MY this looks FAB!!! I will try the recipe one of these days. I need to upgrade my crockpot too. My "low" setting seems too hot.
SharleneT said…
Ah, the joys of slow cooking (What a fabulous recipe!)... a perfect recipe for the solar oven, too! Guess what?! I'm introducing my solar oven to the world on Saturday at the Market. Pray for sun! I know; I know, you're tired of the heat -- just get me through the weekend, that's all. Definitely going to try this. My daughter shops at an Indian grocery, so I'll have her pick up some tarmarind sauce for me. Thanks for sharing.