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Tongseng Kambing

Name: Tongseng Kambing
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 55 min
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: ID
Ingredients: 800 g goat meat (shoulder or leg), cut into bite-size pieces; 3 tbsp cooking oil (vegetable or coconut); 8 shallots, peeled; 5 cloves garlic; 4 candlenuts (kemiri), or 6 raw cashews; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds; 3 bird's eye chilies (adjust to taste); 3 cm fresh turmeric, or 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 4 cm piece galangal, bruised; 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and tied in a knot; 5 kaffir lime leaves, torn; 3 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam), or substitute regular bay leaves; 1 cinnamon stick (about 4 cm); 3 whole cloves; 800 ml water or light goat/beef stock; 400 ml coconut milk; 5 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce); 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges; 250 g green cabbage, roughly sliced; 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 tsp ground white pepper; 1 tsp sugar, or to taste; 2 spring onions, sliced, for garnish; 2 tbsp fried shallots, for garnish; to taste sliced red chilies, for garnish

25m

Prépa

115m

Cuisson

Portions

Moyen

Difficulté

Ragoût de chèvre épicé au lait de coco, chou et tomate, relevé de sauce soja sucrée.

#indonesian#goat#stew#coconut-milk#spicy#comfort-food

Portions

5portions

Ingrédients

Nutrition

calories390

protein30g

carbs11g

fat25g

fiber2g

Par portion

Étapes

Blend the spice paste

In a blender or mortar, blend the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chilies and turmeric with a splash of water into a smooth, fine paste. A smooth paste (not chunky) is what lets the spices cook evenly and release their full flavor.

8 shallots
5 cloves garlic
4 candlenuts
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 bird's eye chilies
3 cm turmeric

✅ C'est prêt quand : the paste is smooth with no visible chunks of shallot or nut

Fry the paste and brown the meat

Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat (about 170°C/340°F) until shimmering. Add the spice paste along with the galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves, and fry, stirring, until fragrant and slightly darker. Add the goat meat and stir until it is coated and lightly browned on the outside.

3 tbsp cooking oil
4 cm piece galangal
2 stalks lemongrass
5 kaffir lime leaves
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
800 g goat meat

✅ C'est prêt quand : the raw smell of the paste is gone and the meat is seared on all sides

⏱8:00

Simmer until tender

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Add coconut milk and kecap manis

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Finish with cabbage and tomato

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Serve

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Blend the spice paste

8 shallots
5 cloves garlic
4 candlenuts
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 bird's eye chilies
3 cm turmeric

✅ C'est prêt quand : the paste is smooth with no visible chunks of shallot or nut

Fry the paste and brown the meat

3 tbsp cooking oil
4 cm piece galangal
2 stalks lemongrass
5 kaffir lime leaves
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
800 g goat meat

✅ C'est prêt quand : the raw smell of the paste is gone and the meat is seared on all sides

⏱8:00

Simmer until tender

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Add coconut milk and kecap manis

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Finish with cabbage and tomato

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Serve

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History & Culture

The Story Behind the Dish

📍 Solo (Surakarta), Central Java📅 19th–20th century🍲 ID

Tongseng is closely related to gulai kambing, the older Javanese goat curry, but it tells apart from it by two things: cabbage and kecap manis. Street vendors in and around Solo are said to have started stretching gulai broth with sliced cabbage and tomato, then sweetening it with the dark soy sauce that became common across Java, creating a dish that was heartier to sell and gentler on the goat's strong flavor.

Today it's a fixture of Central Javanese street food, often sold from the same carts as sate kambing, with the skewered meat sometimes dropped straight into the hot broth.

⭐ Why It's Famous

It's loved for the way it balances the richness of goat and coconut milk with the sweetness of kecap manis and the freshness of cabbage and tomato, a comfort food that rewards slow cooking.

💡 Fun Fact

Many tongseng vendors cook the stew to order in a small pan or wok right in front of the customer, so each bowl is freshly finished rather than ladled from a big pot.

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