Asia → Timor-Leste → Dili
🍽️ DINNER
Tukir
A festive Timorese stew of goat or lamb braised with tamarind, turmeric, lemongrass and mint, traditionally cooked in bamboo.
Timorese · medium · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 120 min
~555 cal · 43g protein · 6g carbs · 39g fat · 1g fiber · 2g sugars · 14g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Tukir is a celebration dish of Timor-Leste, most traditionally goat or lamb seasoned with , turmeric and and cooked inside a length of green bamboo set directly over fire. Cooking in bamboo is a method that survived colonisation, which is why Timorese cooks consider it very special.
Away from an open fire it is simmered slowly in a pot until the meat is spoon-tender and the sour sauce has reduced, then brightened with fresh mint. It appears at weddings and family feasts, often served with mashed or rice.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 1 1/2 lb goat or lamb, in pieces
- 3 tbsp paste
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- 2 green chilies, chopped
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 2 stalks , bruised
- 1 bunch fresh mint
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cups water
- to taste salt
Instructions
- 1Sear the meat in the oil until browned, then lift out and set aside.
- 2Soften the onion, garlic, ginger and chilies in the same pot, then stir in the turmeric and lemongrass until fragrant.
- 3Dissolve the tamarind in the water and return the meat with the tamarind liquid and salt.✎ Chef’s noteLet the tamarind lead: its sourness is the backbone of tukir, so taste and add more if it seems flat.
- 4Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for about 2 hours until the meat is very tender.
- 5Uncover and reduce the sauce a little, then chop and stir through the fresh mint just before serving with cassava or rice.
Timorese feast cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Dili. Timor-Leste became independent in 2002 and its kitchen carries four centuries of Portuguese contact behind that: coffee grown in the highlands and a bread and pastry habit sitting beside Southeast Asian cassava, coconut and tamarind. The fish comes out of water on both sides of a narrow island.
🗺️
Timor-Leste. The beans in batar daan are mung beans, cooked down with corn and pumpkin until it thickens into something between a stew and a mash. Its classic partners are ikan sabuko, Spanish mackerel marinated in tamarind, and budu, a raw relish of tomato, mint, lime and onion that does the job a pickle would elsewhere.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Timor-Leste
Batar Da'anA humble Timorese stew of corn, mung beans, and pumpkin simmered soft in a light, comforting pot.
Jagung BoseThe Timorese corn staple: dried corn and red beans slow-cooked until creamy in coconut milk, humble everyday nourishment.
Ikan SabukoMackerel marinated in tamarind and lime, then grilled with basil and chili, the fresh coastal favourite of Timor-Leste.
Browse all Timor-Leste recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Timor-Leste meal
Kafé TimorDrink
Babilak Ai-luka (Cassava and Coconut Balls)Dessert
Ikan SabukoLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Tukir?
A festive Timorese stew of goat or lamb braised with tamarind, turmeric, lemongrass and mint, traditionally cooked in bamboo.
Where does Tukir come from?
Tukir is a Timorese dish from Dili, Timor-Leste.
Can Tukir be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Tukir recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Tukir safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Tukir take to make?
About 140 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 120 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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