Step 1

Pound the following ingredients separately. Bowl 1 - ginger, garlic and onion. Bowl 2 -shallots, bowl 3 - fresh and dried chillies and the last bowl - galangal. Set aside. Bruise the most bottom part of the lemongrass by lightly crushing it with a pestle or the back of a knife.

Step 2

In a pot heated over low to medium heat, saute lemongrass until fragrant before adding the ginger, garlic and onion mixture. Continue sautéing until the mixture turns almost translucent. Add galangal and sauté until fragrant before adding shallots.

Step 3

Coat beef evenly with pounded chillies, coriander powder, fennel seeds and cumin powder. Add beef to the pot. Sauté until excess water from beef is released. This will take a few minutes. It is important not to skip this step.

Step 4

Soak tamarind in hot water. Add coconut milk, tamarind water, palm sugar and kerisik into the pot. Increase heat to the maximum and bring to boil. Then, reduce heat to the lowest. Cover the pot and allow dish to simmer for 2 hours or until gravy thickens. Stir every 15-20 minutes to prevent ingredients from sticking to the pot. Once the dish is ready, stir in a few slices of kaffir lime leaves.