1 lb lean stewing beef, cut in chunks
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons sambal ulek
3-4 birds eye chili
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
4 kaffir lime leaves
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1/3 cup oil (for frying)
vinegar
salt
sugar
Add enough water to the beef to cover, bring very slowly to a simmer and cook until done, (as with making any stock, this can take a few hours).
Put in the food processor: onions, sambal, chilies, garlic and shrimp paste.
Process until you have a paste.
Fry this paste in the oil on a medium heat for a few minutes together with the kaffir and bay leaves.
Add the soy sauce, a little vinegar, the cooked meat and 1 to 2 cups of the meat stock.
Simmer for approx 15 minutes, and then taste for salt, sugar and maybe more vinegar.
Serve this with rice and other Indonesian dishes, what is really great as a little side dish is to quarter a few bananas and quickly fry them in butter until brown and starting to soften, keep warm in the oven until you are ready to serve.