First, the beef is boiled until medium well, then cut quite thickly along the muscle fiber into half-palm size.

Then, using stone pestle and mortar, the beef pieces are beaten mildly to loosen the meat fibers and spread its size a little bit.

The spices used in this dish are ground shallot, garlic, chili pepper, coriander, palm sugar, and salt, mixed with bruised lemongrass, galangal, daun salam (Indonesian bay leaf), a little coconut milk, and turmeric water.

[1] Empal gepuk is sprinkled with bawang goreng (fried shallot) and served with steamed rice.

This fried beef dish tastes succulent with mild sweetness acquired from palm sugar and a hint of spiciness.