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Empal Gentong (Cirebon-Style Beef Offal Curry)

A rich, creamy, and aromatic Indonesian beef and offal curry from Cirebon, West Java — traditionally cooked in a clay pot over wood fire, but now easily made in your kitchen.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Cirebon / West Java, Indonesian
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 200 g beef brisket sandung lamur, cut into cubes
  • 200 g beef liver hati sapi, cleaned and cut into cubes
  • 200 g beef spleen limpa sapi, cleaned and cut into cubes
  • 3 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 800 ml thin coconut milk santan encer, from 1 fresh coconut or canned equivalent
  • 250 ml thick coconut milk santan kental, from ½ fresh coconut or canned equivalent
  • 1 stalk scallion finely sliced
  • 2 tablespoons crispy fried shallots bawang goreng
Spice Paste (Bumbu Halus), blended until smooth
  • 10 shallots or 5 small red onions
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 3 cm fresh turmeric or 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 4 candlenuts kemiri, or substitute with macadamia nuts
  • ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon bouillon powder optional
Additional Aromatics
  • 2 Indonesian bay leaves daun salam, or substitute with regular bay leaves
  • 1 stalk lemongrass serai, bruised

Instruction
 

  1. Clean the offal thoroughly
    Rinse liver and spleen with water and a squeeze of lime or vinegar to remove any strong odor. Boil briefly and drain.
  2. Boil the beef and offal separately until tender. Remove and cut into bite-sized cubes. Reserve 500 ml of the beef stock for the broth.
  3. In a large pot, heat oil and sauté the spice paste together with bay leaves and lemongrass over medium heat until fragrant and the paste turns a bit oily (about 5–7 minutes).
  4. Add the cooked beef and offal pieces. Stir well to coat them evenly with the spices.
  5. Pour in the beef stock and thin coconut milk. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Let it cook uncovered until the broth reduces by about half.
  6. Lower the heat and stir in the thick coconut milk. Simmer gently (do not boil) until the curry thickens and oil begins to surface on top.
  7. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or bouillon if desired.
  8. Serve hot, topped with sliced scallion and crispy fried shallots.

Notes

  • Coconut milk: You can use canned coconut milk. To substitute fresh: dilute full-fat canned coconut milk with water (2:1 ratio) for thin, and use undiluted for thick coconut milk.
  • Candlenuts (kemiri): Common in Indonesian cooking for creamy texture; macadamia nuts are the best Western substitute.
  • Daun salam (Indonesian bay leaf): Not the same as Western bay leaf, but if unavailable, use regular bay leaf or skip.
  • Beef offal: If spleen or liver is unavailable or too exotic for your guests, feel free to use only beef brisket or add beef tendon or tripe (cleaned well).
  • Serving suggestion: Traditionally served with steamed rice or lontong (compressed rice cake) and sometimes with krupuk kulit (crispy beef skin crackers) or emping (melinjo nut crackers).