• Place the beef in a cooking pan and cover it with a litre of water. Boil it at medium heat until the meat has just cooked through. Take care, not to over boil. 
• While the meat is boiling, peel and chop the onion. Then pound it into a paste. You can use either pestle and mortar or a food processor. Set aside.
• Once the meat is cooked through, drain the water and rinse it to clear any impurities left on it. Then cut the beef into ½ inch cubes. 
• In another pot, boil 1 litre of water. Once it reaches boiling point, add in the onion paste, galangal, salam leaves, and lemongrass. Leave it to cook more for another 2-3 minutes to infuse the herbs in the boiling water. 
• Next, place the beef cubes into the herbed boiling water. And season it with ground pepper and salt. Let it cook at moderately low heat until the water reaches boiling point again.
• Then pour in the milk and cook further until it boils and the beef is tender. Check the taste and adjust the salt to your liking. 
• Serve your Soto Betawi with some tomato wedges, spring onion slices, and fried shallots. Enjoy it with a squeeze of lime and freshly made chilli sauce. And don’t forget to have your beef stew accompanied with crispy rice crackers. 

To make chilli sauce:

• Put all the ingredients in a blender and give it a few blitzes until you get a slightly smooth mixture with a few small chilli pieces.
• Pour the chilli mixture into a saucepan and cook it until it is boiling. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Check the taste. You want a spicy chilli sauce with enough saltiness, slightly tangy and a hint of sweetness.