Bistik daging cincang is a western dish with an Indonesian twist. It’s another one of my favorites because it combines meat, vegetables, soy sauce, and spice. It’s flavorful and filling!

In an earlier post (risoles), I mentioned how the Dutch colonialized Indonesia for a long 300+ years. One of the bright sides coming out of that era is the influence of Dutch cooking; from kaastengel (cheese cookies/sticks) to bitterballen (Dutch version of croquette), and a variety of sauces that employ European techniques.

Bistik is one of them, as my dad puts it “makanan Belanda kuno (old Dutch cuisine)”. There are different versions, but the one I usually make has an Indonesian twist with the addition of kecap manis to flavor the sauce.

Additionally, the use of shallots is unique as most western cuisines are more accustomed to onions and garlic (except for the French who use quite a bit of shallots in their dishes/sauces). 

A CLOSER LOOK AT BISTIK’S KEY INGREDIENTS

Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

This soy-based sauce is a staple in Indonesian cooking.  I’d bet it’s in the pantry of every well-stocked Indonesian household.  It is used in dishes such as nasi goreng, satay, bistek.

When combined with lime juice and white pepper, it will make great marinating liquid for lamb, goat, pork, chicken and seafood (did I just mention every edible protein?).  Add lime juice, bird’s eye chilli pepper and shallot, it will make a simple hot steamed rice and sunny side up eggs that much more delicious.

The main ingredients in kecap manis are fermented soybean and coconut palm sugar.  Unlike regular soy sauce, it has a very thick consistency, similar to molasses.

It has a very pronounce sweet taste with a hint of other spices such as star anise, clove, etc.  I always wonder why it has not catch on in American palate yet.

Once you taste it and realize the variety of dishes you can create with this sauce, it’ll be a great addition to your pantry.  Just the other day I marinated a couple of lamb chops with kecap manis, lime, and white pepper. After 1/2 hour, I threw it on the grill for 10 minutes and my sister and I had a not-so-average dinner.

Shallot

Shallots are part of the same family as garlic, leeks, chives, and Chinese onion (similar to chive).  It has a sweeter, milder flavor than onions and is roughly the size of garlic.

The color is similar to red onion, purple to red, with a brown-red outer skin and off white with a tinged of purple-red flesh.  Shallots are extensively used in Indonesian cooking.

It is used in just about every savory local dish and also finds its place at the dining table, where it can be eaten raw alongside peanut sauce or kecap manis. It’s also commonly prepared in thin slices, fried and added to a variety of dishes.

Don’t be surprised if your white steamed rice comes with a sprinkle of fried shallot in a restaurant.  Growing up in Indonesia, I rarely saw yellow onion, let alone red onion.

Shallot is the queen of Indonesian cooking in my opinion!

TIPS FOR PREPARING BISTEK DAGING CINCANG

My kids are bacon lovers, so it’s only fitting to add bacon to our version of bistek.  The addition of chopped bacon gives an added smokiness and texture to the patty.

I usually add paprika which is not commonly used in Indonesian cooking, but since one of my good friends gifted me with a ½ kg of paprika from Hungary, it has become my go-to seasoning.  I put paprika in everything from Bolognese to Katsu don, and of course, my bistek.

Soaking white bread in milk provides a softer and moist texture to the meat.  Try not to squeeze the milk out of the bread too much before adding it to the patty.

To make the beef patty, combine all the patty ingredients into a large bowl.  Mix with your hands, but don’t overmix otherwise the meat will turn tougher/denser.

Scoop out about ½ cup of meat with your hand and roll them into a patty.  Continue with this process until you have about 8-10 patties.

Another trick is to taste the seasoning on the meat, before rolling out all the meat, take a tbs of meat, lightly roll it, and put it in a frying pan.  Once cooked, take a bite and you can adjust seasoning if needed.

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of saucepan.  Place about 4 patties in the pan.  Make sure not to overcrowd the pan.

Brown each side for about 4 minutes until cook through.  Remove the meat into a large plate and set aside.  You will probably end up frying the meat in 2-3 batches.  Once completed, remove all oil from the pan except about 1 tbs.

You should also see a lot of brown bits in your pan that will make the most delicious sauce.

To prep the sauce, I get all the ingredients ready (probably from watching too much cooking channel).  I grate the tomato into a bowl, place the chopped shallots, sliced mushroom and chopped parsley on a prepping plate and measure broth into measuring cup and add tomato paste and kecap manis.

Mix cornstarch with a little bit of broth into a small cup.  Once meat is off the frying pan, I can easily make the sauce without leaving my position in front of the stove.

Yield: 4-6

BISTIK DAGING CINCANG (Indonesian Beef Patty In Gravy)

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Indonesian beef patty in gravy

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lb ground beef
• 2 slices of bacon (optional)
• 2 tbs shallots
• 2 slices of white bread soaked in 1 cup of milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp white/black pepper
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp paprika
• Oil for pan frying

Sauce

• 3 tbs chopped shallots
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 cup mushroom
• 1 large tomato, grated
• 1 ½ cup of broth (I usually use chicken broth)
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tbs kecap manis
• ½ tsp of cornstarch
• 2 tbs parsley
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika

Instructions

For Meat Patty

1. Combine all ingredients for meat in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until combined. Do not overwork the meat.
2. To check seasoning, take a tbs of meat into your hands, roll to form a little patty. In the meantime, add enough oil to cover a large saucepan and place over medium high heat. When pan is hot, place the meat and brown until cook through about a couple of minutes. Take a bite and adjust seasoning if needed.
3. Scoop a handful of meat, about ½ of cup and lightly form into a patty with your palms. Continue with this process until all meat is gone.
4. Heat enough oil to cover a large sauce pan over medium heat. Fry about 4 patties at a time. Do not overcrowd pan. Cook about 4 minutes each side until brown and cook through.
5. Remove and place in a large plate and set aside. Continue with the remaining patty.
6. Remove all oil off sauce pan but 1 tbs.

To Prepare Sauce

1. Using the same pan, melt butter. Add chopped shallot and mushroom and cook for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add broth, grated tomato, tomato paste and kecap manis and using a slotted wooden spoon, scrap brown bits off the bottom of pan. Bring to a boil.
3. Mix ½ tsp cornstarch with about 1-2 tbs of cooking liquid and add to pan. Stir until thicken. 
4. Add salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Let simmer for a minute or two.
5. Add meat.

To serve

1. Serve immediately with steamed rice and steamed broccoli and carrots.

Notes

1. This dish also pairs well with cheesy potato casserole. (2 thumbs up from my kids).
2. Sunny side up eggs are delicious with this dish along with bird’s eye chili pepper or sambal terasi (if you like spicy food).
3. Roasted vegetable is another option to use as side dish.