This recipe calls for an Indonesian sweet soy sauce called ketjap manis. You can find this in most Asian groceries, but it can be easily made at home by combining 1 cup each soy sauce, water and dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, and 1 teaspoon each of fresh minced ginger root, ground coriander and black pepper. Boil this mixture for 8 minutes until it is syrupy and store it in the refrigerator for up to three months.
Serve 6-8
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup red wine
1/3 cup ketjap manis
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped ginger root
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons sambal oelek (ground fresh chili paste)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon chopped lemongrass
1 (11/2-pound) top-round beef steak
24 large Boston lettuce leaves, about 2 heads
3 cups thinly sliced vegetables, such as cucumber, red onion, carrots and radishes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro and/or mint leaves
2 cups cooked brown rice
Place the onion, wine, ketjap manis, lime juice, ginger, sambal oelek, garlic, oil, cumin, coriander, lemongrass and 3 tablespoons water in a food processor. Process to a paste. Place beef into a non-reactive baking dish just big enough for it to fit inside. Pour marinade over beef and let sit 4 to 12 hours.
Preheat the grill. Remove the beef from the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan, bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while you grill the steak to your desired temperature.
Let the steak rest 10 minutes, then slice very thinly on a bias. Serve the sliced beef with lettuce leaves, vegetables, cilantro, rice and reserved marinade glaze. Eaters assemble their own bundles as desired.
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