Gulai Merah(Red Short Ribs of Beef)
Submitted by burley bear
Gulai merah is an Indonesian red beef short rib curry braised in a spice paste of shallot, chile, ginger, and turmeric with salam leaf, galangal, and lemongrass. Serve with rice.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
60 minREADY
110 minGulai merah translates to red curry in Indonesian, and this is one of the great slow-braised Javanese ways with beef short ribs. The color comes from a spice paste heavy on fresh red chiles and turmeric, and the depth comes from a trio of Southeast Asian aromatics that most Western kitchens ignore at their peril: salam leaf, laos (galangal), and lemongrass.
The paste starts in the food processor or mortar. Shallots, garlic, sliced fresh ginger, seeded red chiles, ground coriander, turmeric, salt, and half a cup of water blitz into a smooth sauce. Short ribs marinate in this paste for 30 minutes. This is the flavor foundation.
Into hot corn oil goes the beef with its marinade, along with two salam leaves (like Indonesian bay, but different), sliced galangal, a bruised lemongrass stalk, and a slice of lemon. Five minutes of stir-fry to bloom everything, then the remaining water covers and the pan simmers about an hour until the meat is fork tender. If the sauce reduces too fast, splash in another half cup of water. Serve warm over rice with a crunchy salad to cut the richness.
Chef Tips
- Don’t substitute for the salam and laos if you can avoid it. Ordinary bay leaf and ginger taste nothing like the real thing. Look for both in an Asian grocery freezer or dried.
- Bruise the lemongrass stalk with the back of a knife before adding. This releases the oils that perfume the whole braise; a whole stalk just sits there.
- Trim visible fat from the short ribs but leave the marbling. Marbling melts into the sauce and is where most of the flavor lives.
- Simmer at a bare bubble, not a boil. Short ribs toughen with aggressive heat; gentle simmer is what makes them fall-apart tender.
Variations
- With coconut: Add 1 cup coconut milk in the last 20 minutes of cooking for a richer, rendang-adjacent finish.
- Goat or lamb: Replace short ribs with bone-in goat or lamb shoulder for a very traditional Indonesian version.
- Extra heat: Leave the seeds in the red chiles or add a sambal oelek spoonful if you want this hotter.
Ingredients
Directions
Process shallots, garlic, ginger, chiles, coriander, turmeric, salt and ½ cup of water to a smooth sauce.
Marinate beef for ½ hour.
Heat the oil: add the beef and marinade, the salam, laos, lemon grass and lemon; stir-fry over moderate heat for 5 minutes.
Add remaining water, cover and cook until beef is tender, about 1 hour.
If the sauce evaporates too quickly, add another ½ cup water and continue to simmer.
Serve warm.
Serves six with rice and salad.
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