INDONESIAN · INDONESIA

Soto Betawi

Name: Soto Betawi
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 1 kg Beef chuck; 2 l Water; 2 Lemongrass; 6 Makrut lime leaves; 2 Indonesian bay leaves; 4 cm Galangal; 6 Candlenuts; 10 Asian red shallots; 6 cloves Garlic; 3 cm Ginger; 2 tsp Coriander seeds; 1 tsp Cumin seeds; 1 tsp Black peppercorns; ½ tsp Ground nutmeg; ¼ tsp Ground cloves; 1 tsp Salt; 3 tbsp Neutral oil; 800 ml Coconut milk; 4 Tomatoes; 4 Spring onions; 6 tbsp Crispy fried shallots; 2 Limes; 3 tbsp Sambal oelek; 100 g Prawn crackers

Soto BetawiSoup

Jakarta's beef soup: beef simmered down in spiced coconut milk, sharpened with tomato and a squeeze of lime, and buried under fried shallots. Rich, aromatic and built to be eaten with rice.

Total: 150 min
Heat: 2/5
Serves: 6

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Heat

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Acid

Richness

Umami

Aromatic
Rich
Savoury
Sour

The real deal

Region: Betawi community of Jakarta, where Dutch, Arab, Chinese and native cooking met.
Technique: Aromatics and whole spices are pounded and bloomed in oil, then beef is simmered in thin coconut milk until it gives up everything; coconut milk goes in at the end so it never splits.
We kept: Coconut milk, tomato, lime and a mountain of fried shallots — the four things that make soto Betawi itself. No turmeric, no vermicelli.

Ingredients

6 Serves

soup

1 kg · cut into large chunks
2 l
800 ml
4 · wedges

Aromatics

2 · bruised, knotted
6 · torn
2

spice-paste

4 cm · sliced
6 · or a small handful of macadamia nuts
10
6 cloves
3 cm
2 tsp
1 tsp
1 tsp
½ tsp
¼ tsp
1 tsp
3 tbsp

finish

4 · sliced
6 tbsp
2 · wedges
3 tbsp · optional
100 g · optional

Method

Cut into large chunks, big enough to stay tender through a long simmer. Bruise with the back of a knife and knot it, then tear so the oils escape.
Pound , , , , , , , , , and 1 tsp to a smooth, fragrant paste. A blender with a splash of water gets you there.
Tip: If you pound the spices dry before adding the wet aromatics, they grind to powder instead of sulking into an oily, uneven paste.
Put the beef in a heavy pot with 2 l , , the knotted lemongrass and the torn lime leaves. Bring to a bare bubble and simmer until the beef is collapsing-tender, about 1 h 30 min. Skim the grey foam off the top in the first few minutes.
Tip: A hard boil tightens the meat and clouds the broth. Keep it at a lazy simmer, lid ajar.
Heat 3 tbsp in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the spice paste, stirring constantly, until it darkens a shade, smells toasty and the oil separates out around it, about 8 min.
Tip: Raw spice paste tastes floury and flat; there is no shortcut past this step.
Scrape the bloomed paste into the simmering beef pot and simmer another 10 min so the spices settle into the broth. Add the wedges and cook until they collapse into the broth and lose their raw edge, about 10 min.
Pour in the , bring to the edge of a simmer and hold it there, never boiling, for 5 min until the broth turns pale ivory and tastes rounded. Fish out the lemongrass, lime leaves and bay, then season with salt.
Tip: Coconut milk boiled hard curdles and goes grainy. If it looks like splitting, pull the pot off the heat and stir in a spoon of the hot broth.
Slice and cut into wedges for the table.
Ladle the beef and broth into bowls. Scatter over 6 tbsp and the scallion, and serve with lime wedges for squeezing, for heat and to dip.
Tip: Everything goes in at the bowl, never in the pot: the shallots stay crisp and each person controls their own acid and heat.

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Make it a meal

What hits hardest next to it.

Rice & noodlesStarchyLight
Plain rice turns the soup into a full meal and soaks up the coconut broth.
Try: Steamed white rice or lontong
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SaladFreshCrunchySour
A raw, sharp vegetable pickle cuts through the richness of the coconut and beef.
Try: Cucumber and shallot pickle with vinegar and chilli
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SnackFunky
Something crunchy and salty to dip into the broth while you wait for it to cool.
Try: Prawn crackers with sambal oelek
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