Recipe : Famous Banten Rabeg

     This lamb stew is an all-time favorite in Banten.The name rabeg is believed to have come from the Saudi Arabian port city of Rabigh. It was Banten king Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin (1552-1570) who first brought the dish home from Saudi Arabia upon completing his hajj pilgrimage. Story has it that he had stopped by in Rabigh and was deeply imprressed with both the city and its cuisine. When he arrived at home, he then ordered the palace chef to recreate the lamb dish he had encoutered the palace chef to recreated in Saudi Arabia. Soon after, the recipe speared to commoners, who since then have never ceased to replicate the recipe.

     In Serang, you'll find plenty of food stalls and restaurants serving rabeg made from lamb meat, innards or ribs. when it comes to the spices and ingredients used, rabeg is one flexible dish. For example, coconut sugar-widely produced in Banten-can always be repleaced with sweet soy sauce. Altought cardomom and star anise are used to bring out an Arab flavor, most would do with a little cinnamon. One widely shared belief in Banten is that rabeg cooked for islamic celebration of aqiqah (a required secrifice of an animal to mark a child's birth, two goats for a baby boy and one goat for a baby girl) shouldn't be too spicy. "Better cook is sweet, so that the child will grou up and be a sweet person", so the saying goes. Some of the sacrifice meat will then be cooked as sate, and the rest as rabeg. So, now let's make your own Rabeg!

Main Ingredients:

1. 1 kg lamb meat and ribs. (Optional: you can also use the back lamb leg marrow bones)
2. 1 lemongrass stalk
3. 3 Indonesian bay leaves

Spices:

1. 100 grams shallots (sliced)
2. 100 grams garlic (sliced)
3. 3 tbsp. white pepper
4. 10 bird's eye chillies
5. 1 nutmeg (bruised)
6. 1 thumb- sized piece galangal (bruised)
7. 1 thumb-sized piece ginger (bruised)
8. 1 little finger- sized piece cinnamon
9. 5 tbsp. sweet soy sauce (or coconut sugar)

How To Make:

1. Heat oil in a work, then sautee the spices until fragrant.
2. Pour cold water in a pot, then place the lamb inside it. Add the Indonesian bay leaves and lemongrass. Cook on medium heat. Removed any impurites. (Note: Cooking lamb in cold water on medium heat will help reduce the strong, meaty smell of the meat).
3. When the lamb is cooked trough, remove and drain. It dosn't matter if the meat isn't tender yet.
4. Add the sauteed  spices into the broth.
5. Cut the lamb into any sized desired, then put them back into the broth.
6. Continue cooking until the meat is fully tender and the spices will immersed.
7. Ready to serve!

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