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Sekai Gohan
Serunding: Kelantan Spiced Beef Floss Fried Until Dry
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Beef (daging) | 1.1 lb (500 g) | The floss itself; a long-grained cut shreds best |
| Cooking oil (minyak) | ¼ cup (60 ml) | For frying the paste |
| Coconut milk (santan) | 2½ oz (70 g) | Richness and oil; fried until the oil separates |
| Kerisik (toasted, pounded coconut) | 1 tbsp | Toasty depth and oil |
| Tamarind pulp (asam jawa) | 1 oz (30 g) | Sourness; soaked in the warm water and strained |
| Warm water, for the tamarind | ½ cup (125 ml) | Draws the sour juice out of the pulp |
| Palm sugar (gula Melaka) | 2⅓ oz (65 g) | Sweetness and a dark, caramel note |
| Salt | 2 tsp | Seasoning |
| Coriander seeds (biji ketumbar) | 1 oz (30 g) | Main spice; toasted and ground |
| Fennel seeds (jintan manis) | ¾ oz (20 g) | Sweet anise warmth; toasted and ground |
| Dried chillies (cili kering) | 10, seeded | Heat and red colour |
| Galangal (lengkuas) | ½ oz (15 g) | Sharp, piney aroma in the paste |
| Ginger (halia) | ½ oz (15 g) | Warmth in the paste |
| Lemongrass (serai) | 2 stalks, bottom 3 inches (7–8 cm) only | Citrus aroma in the paste |
| Onion (bawang besar) | 1 small, 1¾ oz (50 g) | Body and sweetness in the paste |
| Garlic (bawang putih) | 2 large cloves, ⅓ oz (10 g) | Savoury base in the paste |
Steps
1Slice and simmer the beef
Cut the beef across the grain into thick slices. Put them in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1½ to 2 hours, topping up with hot water if the slices start to break the surface. The beef is ready when it is very tender and the fibres start to separate at the edges.
2Cool and shred the beef
Lift the slices out of the pot and let them cool on a board until you can handle them comfortably. Pull each slice apart along the grain with two forks or your fingers. Keep working the pieces down into thin strands, since fine shreds now give a light floss later. Stop when the pile is loose and thread-thin, with no solid chunks left.
3Toast and grind the spices
Put the coriander and fennel seeds in a dry pan over gentle heat. Stir them constantly until they smell warm and toasty and turn a shade darker. Tip them into a grinder or mortar with the seeded dried chillies. Grind until the powder is fine and no whole seeds are left.
4Grind the aromatic paste and soak the tamarind
Peel and roughly chop the galangal and ginger, and slice the lemongrass thinly. Grind or pound these three first, since they are the toughest, then add the onion and garlic and keep going. In a small bowl, soak the tamarind pulp in the warm water, squeeze it between your fingers, and strain it, discarding the seeds and fibre. The paste is ready when it is smooth and pale, with no stringy bits of lemongrass left.
5Fry the paste and add the ground spices
Heat the oil in the wok over medium heat and add the paste, standing back as it spits. Stir until the raw onion smell gives way to a sweet, fragrant one. Lower the heat and stir in the ground spices, keeping them moving so the powder does not catch. The base is ready when it has turned a dark orange-brown and oil shows at the edges.
6Add the coconut milk and kerisik
Pour in the coconut milk and stir as it bubbles. Keep cooking until the oil separates again and pools in red beads around the paste. Stir in the kerisik and keep frying, scraping the bottom of the wok as you go. Move on when the mixture is almost dry and gathers into a thick paste that pulls away from the pan.
7Season with tamarind, palm sugar and salt
Pour the strained tamarind liquid into the wok and add the palm sugar. Stir until the sugar has melted completely into the paste. Add the salt and stir it through. The seasoning is ready when the mixture is glossy and dark reddish-brown, with no lumps of sugar left.
8Add the beef and press it apart
Turn the heat to medium-low and add the shredded beef. Fold it through the paste until the strands are coated. Press the beef flat against the wok with the spatula, drag, lift and repeat, so the fibres separate as they fry. Move on when every strand is evenly orange-brown, with no pale patches and no clumps of paste left.
9Fry until dry and light
Keep pressing and turning the beef, and lower the heat as it dries, since scorching starts on the bottom of the wok. For finer threads, pound small batches in a mortar and return them to the wok. Keep going until the steam stops, the wet sheen is gone and the floss feels dry to the touch. A pinch should fall apart into light strands between your fingers.