Semur Daging (Betawi Soy-Braised Beef)
Betawi-style braised beef with sweet soy sauce and warm spices. Sajian Sedap recipe.
Want to scale this recipe?
Use the Indonesian Spice Calculator — enter the amount of meat/chicken/chili you need and all spices auto-scale proportionally.
Ingredients
Main Ingredient
- ▸0.5 kg beef Beef
Spice Paste
- ▸50 g Shallots (≈ 4 pieces)
- ▸20 g Garlic (≈ 3 cloves)
- ▸10 g Toasted candlenuts (≈ 2 nuts)
- ▸0.25 sdt Ground nutmeg
- ▸0.5 sdt Ground pepper
Whole Spices & Aromatics
- ▸4 butir Cloves
- ▸3 cm Cinnamon stick
- ▸2 lembar Bay leaves
Liquids
- ▸500 ml Water
- ▸100 ml Sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
Seasoning & Garnishes
- ▸5 g Salt (≈ 1 tsp)
- ▸15 g Palm sugar (≈ 1 tbsp)
Instructions
- 1Blend the spice paste (shallots, garlic, candlenuts, nutmeg, coriander). Bruise the lemongrass and prepare salam leaves and cinnamon stick.
- 2Sauté the paste with lemongrass, salam leaves, and cinnamon until fragrant (5-7 minutes).
- 3Add beef pieces and stir until they change color.
- 4Pour in sweet soy sauce, a little water, and add grated palm sugar. Stir to combine.
- 5Cover the pot and simmer over low heat until beef is tender and sauce thickens (1-1.5 hours). Add water if it gets too dry.
- 6Adjust sweet soy sauce and salt. Serve with steamed white rice and cucumber pickles.
Cooking Tips
- ●Sauté spice paste + cloves + cinnamon until fragrant.
- ●Cook beef with water until 80% tender, THEN add kecap manis. If kecap cooks too long, it turns bitter.
- ●Serve with fried potatoes, tomato, scallions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to cook Semur Daging (Betawi Soy-Braised Beef)?▾
1-1.5 hours total (PT20M prep + PT1H30M cook). For the most authentic result, don't rush — especially the slow reduction stages.
How many servings does this recipe yield?▾
4 servings from 0.5 kg beef of main ingredient. For larger gatherings, use the spice scaling calculator — all spices scale proportionally.
Where does this recipe come from? Is it authentic?▾
Base recipe sourced from Sajian Sedap. All references are publicly available and widely cited among Indonesian home cooks.
Can I substitute ingredients I can't find?▾
Core spices (chilies, shallots, herbs) define the flavor identity and shouldn't be substituted. Garnishes and add-ons can be adjusted. See cooking tips below for guidance.