This rich and hot curry comes from the north, and is very much like the Thai Muslim Curry. Serve with plain rice or Roti, and a fresh sweet and sour accompaniment such as Tomato Pickle or Green Mango and Soy Sauce Sambal.

1½ (750 g) chuck steak, trimmed of fat and cubed

4 tablespoons oil

5 shallots, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Small piece stick cinnamon

2 points of star anise

2-3 cups (500-750 ml) very thin coconut milk or water

3 medium-sized potatoes, quartered (optional)

1 cup (250 ml) thick coconut milk

1-2 tablespoons tamarind water, or more to taste

Palm or dark brown sugar to taste (optional)

Salt to taste

Spice Paste

2 tablespoons coriander seed or 1½ tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons fennel seed

2 teaspoon cumin seed or 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Small piece cinnamon stick or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 cloves or ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

2 cardamom pods, broken open or ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 point of star anise or ¼ teaspoon anise

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

10 medium-sized dried chilies, soaked in warm water until soft and squeezed dry, or chili powder to taste

1-in (2½-cm) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

10 shallots, sliced

If using whole spices for the Spice Paste, grind them to powder in a mortar or an electric grinder. Add the remaining Spice Paste ingredients and grind together with a little water. Alternatively, substitute 4 tablespoons of Malay meat curry powder (rempab daging) for the ground dry spices and the chilies in the paste. Mix the meat and Spice Paste in a bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic and shallots with the cinnamon and star anise until brown and fragrant. Add the meat and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add the thin coconut milk or water, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender, adding the potatoes (if using), halfway through. When the meat is cooked, reduce the heat to low, add the thick coconut milk and stir, then add the tamarind water, sugar and salt to taste and reheat but do not boil.