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Masak Lemak Cili Api (Negeri Sembilan Turmeric and Coconut Curry)

Masak Lemak Cili Api (Negeri Sembilan Turmeric and Coconut Curry) reads umami 7.9, richness 6.9 and sweetness 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Malaysian main, about 2 hr 23 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.3 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 6.0 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.8 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.6 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 7.9 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.9 · Richness 6.9 · Sweetness 4.9 · Salinity 4.1 · Allium 4.0 · Fruity 3.8 · Heat 3.6 · Citrus 3.3 · Nutty 3.2 · Earthy 2.4 · Herbaceous 2.4 · Floral 2.1 · Sourness 1.9 · Bitterness 1.3 · Warm Spice 1.1

What's in it (12)

• beef brisket — 800 g
• turmeric — 60 g
• red thai red chili peppers — 60 g
• shallots — 160 g
• garlic — 20 g
• coconut milk — 736 g
• lemongrass — 80 g
• turmeric leaves — 1 g
• asam gelugur — 2 g
• young jackfruit — 300 g
• salt — 10 g
• water — 400 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 23 min (2 hr 8 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 127.3 kcal, 7.5 g protein, 8.4 g fat, 6.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

1. Pound the fresh turmeric, bird's eye chillies, shallots and garlic to a coarse paste in a mortar. Use fresh turmeric, not powder: masak lemak cili api takes its startling egg-yolk yellow and its earthy, faintly medicinal edge from the fresh root, and powder gives a dull mustard colour and a flat taste. The chillies are green and go in whole-ish rather than as a smooth blend, so the heat arrives in bursts.
2. Put the beef, the paste, the water, lemongrass and asam gelugur in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 60 minutes, until the beef is beginning to soften. Asam gelugur is the sun-dried slice of Garcinia atroviridis and is not the same as tamarind or as kokum; it gives a clean sourness that stands up to long cooking.
3. Add the jackfruit or cassava and simmer 20 minutes more.
4. Pour in the coconut milk and the salt. From here the pot must never boil: bring it to the faintest shiver and cook uncovered 35 to 40 minutes, stirring in one direction every few minutes, until the gravy has reduced by about a third and coats a spoon. Masak lemak means cooked rich, and the reduction is what makes it so; a split, greasy gravy means the heat was too high.
5. Add the shredded turmeric leaf in the last 5 minutes. It is the signature aroma of Negeri Sembilan cooking and it goes flat if cooked long.
6. Taste. It should be rich, sour, deeply yellow and genuinely hot, and Negeri Sembilan cooks are proud of exactly how hot. Rest 10 minutes and serve with rice and a plate of raw ulam leaves to cool the mouth.
7. Substitutions: cassava can stand in for the young jackfruit.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Rendang (Malaysian Dry Beef Curry) — Malaysian
• Kalio Daging (Minang Beef Stopped at the Wet Stage) — Indonesian
• Chapli Kabab (Flat Minced Beef Patties with Pomegranate Seed) — Pakistani
• Beef Malabar — Indian
• Martin'S Minestrone — Italian

Keep reading: what umami, richness, sweetness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.