One good Indonesian recipe deserves another! The tempe recipe posted by djamainten comes from west Java. This one was passed to me by a wonderful cook from Menado, northern Celebes.

½ lemon, squeezed
¼ cup water
1½ teaspoons salt
large hanger steak or skirt steak
1 large, or 2 small, red bell peppers
2 large garlic cloves, or 4 small
medium onion, chopped
corn or peanut oil
1½-2½ tablespoons or more sambal oelek*, or 4 fresh hot red peppers,
seeds removed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
(1 hour, for 4 people)

Combine lemon juice, water, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a glass pie dish, or low non-reactive pan. Slice the meat across the grain into thin diagonal slices on the bias, ¼ inch thick. Dip them into the lemon mixture and marinate about ten minutes.

Slice the red peppers and combine with peeled garlic cloves (and hot peppers if using them) in the bowl of a Cuisinart or in a mortar and pestle. Grind to a loose paste.

Heat six tablespoons of oil in a saucepan, add onions together with ½ teaspoon salt to help brown them evenly. Cook until the onions are translucent yellow, about 6 or 7 minutes.

Heat oil in black iron frying pan to a depth of ¼ inch until quite hot. Sauté the meat one layer at a time, leaving a little space between slices so that they sear rather than steam, until they are well browned. Turn to brown on other side, then remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat until all the pieces are nicely cooked. The first batch takes a while, but subsequent ones proceed more quickly. Best to use a splatter screen because the oil sputters a great deal.

Meanwhile, add the ground pepper and garlic mixture to the cooked onions. Stir in sambal oelek to taste, and tomato paste. Cook on a low fire for 10 more minutes.

Lastly, combine the cooked meat with the onion-pepper mixture while both are still warm. Balado may be served immediately with basmati rice and atjar pickles, or kept in the refrigerator a day or two and reheated slightly.

*Sambal Oelek is an Indonesian hot chili paste. I use the one manufactured by Huy Fong Foods, 5001 Earle Avenue, Rosemead, California 91770.