I will just jump straight to the recipe as requested and will write my notes on how to create this dish a little further down the recipe.
INGREDIENTS FOR ‘DAGING SALAI’
500g tenderloin (batang pinang)
Salt
Turmeric powder
Dry coconut husk (sabut kelapa)
Charcoal
STEPS FOR ‘DAGING SALAI’
- Marinate the beef with salt and turmeric powder.
- Start up a barbecue with a handful of dry coconut husk and charcoal.
- Once the charcoal is hot, start smoking smoking your meat. For further tips: Please continue reading after this recipe.
- This process will takes few hours so be prepared for it. It took me 3 hours till my meat is ready.
INGREDIENTS FOR MASAK LEMAK CILI API
500g, thinly sliced smoked beef
a handful of cili api, thinly sliced
a jug of water
2 sticks of lemongrass
2 cups of fresh coconut milk
1 small box of KARA coconut cream (200ml)
1 turmeric leaf , thinly sliced
2 tbsp of tamarind juice
1 tbsp of turmeric powder or more.
Bilimbis (belimbing buloh)
Salt & Sugar
STEPS FOR MASAK LEMAK CILI API
- Add in the smoked beef, the chillis and 1/2 cup water (from the jug) into your cooking pot. Turn up the heat and stir it until the water has evaporated. NO OIL PLEASE.
- Add in the lemongrass and stir it for a couple of minutes.
- Add in 2 cups of fresh coconut milk, 1/2 cup water and 200ml of KARA coconut cream. Mix it until it is fully incorporated and add the turmeric powder.
- Add in the turmeric leaf.
- Add in the tamarind juice.
- Add in the bilimbis.
- Season it with salt and sugar. At this point, you will need to taste as you go.
- Stir, stir, and stir. Let it boil for a 1 minute and voila.
Notes :
- You can opt to sear the meat on a griller. No problem. You just dont get the smokiness that you get out of ‘daging salai’.
- NO OIL PLEASE : This is apparently the biggest sin for anyone that claims to make Masak Lemak Cili Api Nismilan but use oil -_- because the Nismilan people dont saute the beef and chilli with oil at all. They just throw everything in a pot and let it cook. Just don’t ok. If you want to make masak lemak cili api, go ahead – just do not call it Nismilan / Negeri Sembilan way.
- Choice of beef : This is something that I am very particular about. Tenderloin is my choice of meat for this dish because its great for bbq and its also tender. Hence, the name.
- Bilimbis is actually optional but it is such a great souring agent for this dish. Tamarind juice is great but with bilimbis, you will get that ooompphh.
- Turmeric leaf : This is new for me as I recently acquired from a friend of mine (yes, Nana – its you) who makes one of the best daging salai Ive ever tasted. I just realised that the taste that was missing from the recipe that my mom gave previously was the leaf. My mom is not a fan of turmeric leaf, so, she doesn’t use it in her recipe. But I will and in this recipe; please do add the turmeric leaf.
I love everything about making this from the tedious smoking the beef to the simplicity of just dumping everything in a pot and stir-stir-stir. If you don’t like the smoking bit, sear the meat. Theres no right or wrong way to do things except that OIL bit. NO OIL ok.
Love,
Sofia
thestolenrecipes.co 