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Beef Soup

Malay-style beef soup, beef chunks pressure-cooked in broth infused with aromatic spices, made heartier with carrots and potatoes.
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Equipment

  • 1 Pressure Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 4 shallots roughly chopped
  • 2 inches ginger roughly chopped
  • 4 pieces candlenuts roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1.5 kilograms beef stew cubes OR beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 piece star anise
  • 3 pieces cloves
  • 4 pieces cardamom pods
  • 2 tablespoons soup spice mix see Note 1
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 stalk lemongrass
  • 2 stalks green onions
  • 1 sup bunjut see Note 2
  • 2 to 3 green Thai chilis halved
  • 3 pieces dried dates optional, see Note 3
  • 2 potatoes quartered
  • 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 1 teaspoon Cukup Rasa seasoning all-in-one seasoning powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon mushroom powder optional
  • Fried shallots for garnish
  • Lime wedges for serving, optional

Instructions
 

  • In your blender jar, add the garlic, shallots, ginger and candlenuts. Blitz into a fine paste, then set aside until ready to use.
  • In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat the oil. When the pan is hot, sear the beef cubes in batches, until browned, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the pan and add to your pressure cooker pot.
  • In the same pot, add the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and cardamom pods. Cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add the blended ingredients and cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Add the soup spice mix and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper and cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add some water to the pan and scrape off any bits from the bottom. Pour the contents of the pan into your pressure cooker pot, along with the remaining water.
  • In your pressure cooker pot, add the lemongrass, the white part of the green onions, the sup bunjut pouch, the Thai chili, and the dates if using.
  • Close and lock the pressure cooker lid and cook at high pressure, 30 minutes. When done, let the pressure cooker depressurize and carefully remove the lid.
  • Turn on the Sear function on your pressure cooker, and return the mixture to a boil. Add the potatoes, celery and carrots and cook, until potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
  • Season with the beef stock cube, seasoning powder, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon black pepper and mushroom powder if using. Adjust to taste.
  • Garnish with the chopped green parts of the green onions, and fried shallots.
  • Serve hot, with steaming hot white rice. Squeeze a wedge of lime if desired, to add a little brightness to the soup.

Notes

  1. Malaysian-style soup spice mix, containing spices such as coriander, fennel, cumin, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper, lightly toasted to bring out the aroma and ground into a powder.
  2. A spice sachet commonly used in Malaysian soup recipes, containing rough pieces of whole spices similar to the ones contained in Malaysian soup spice mix.
  3. Dates act as a meat tenderizer and adds complexity to the flavor of the broth.