Soto Betawi (Jakarta Beef Soup with Coconut Milk)

The past few days, my family has been battling with cold. Yup, thanks to the unpredictable weather that cannot decide whether it wants to be warmed up or to cool down. ‘Fret not, I got some great recipes, passed down from my mom or aunt, for soothing us from the cold. So, today, I am going to share with you a recipe called, Soto Betawi (Jakarta Beef Soup with Coconut Milk).

Soto is basically an Indonesian hearty traditional soup that because it mainly consists of delicious broth along with vegetables and some sorts of tenderized meat. There are many kinds of Soto in Indonesia with each one unique to its so called its ‘birthplace’. Soto Betawi itself is originated from Jakarta and what makes it unique is that the savory taste of aromatic beef broth combined with coconut milk and some variety of spices. It is usually served with potato, tomato and emping (melinjo crackers). You can get emping from Asian grocery store. Since I do not have it handy, my version of Soto Betawi does not include it.

Now, you can find Soto Betawi literally everywhere in every corner of Jakarta – street food carts, at the food courts in the mall, restaurants, and so on. It is one of the authentic Indonesian cuisine that you simply cannot miss when you are in the city. So, this recipe is surely a keeper for me. How about you? Will you give it a try?

Tip: You can replace coconut milk with regular milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef round cuts for stew
• 1 lb beef tendon
• ½ lb beef honeycomb tripe
• 1 inch ginger, pound/smash it
• 1 inch galangal, pound/smash it
• 8 cups water
• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 cans (of 13.5 fl oz) coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ tablespoon salt
• 2 green onion, chopped
• White pepper and sugar to taste (optional) 

Spice Paste:

• 4 cloves garlic, crush it
• 3 medium-sized shallot
• ½ inch ginger, pound/smash it
• ½ inch galangal, pound/smash it
• 3 candlenuts
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder

Garnish for serving:

• 4 tomatoes, cut into 1 inch cube-sized
• 2 potatoes, cut into 1 inch cube-sized and fried
• ½ cup fried shallot
• Lime juice (optional)
• Sweet soy sauce (optional)
• Emping Melinjo cracker – (optional)

Directions:

• In a large deep pot, put the meat (beef round cuts, tendon and tripe), pounded ginger, pounded galangal, and water. Put the covered pot on a medium heat and boil them until the meat is tender or about 1.5 hours or so. Scoop out all the fat that float up while the water is boiling.
• Remove the meat. Set aside until it cools down. Cut them into bite-sized pieces.
• Keep the beef broth in the pot. Lower the heat and let it simmer.
• For the spice paste, using a separate pan, roast all the spices, except the cumin and coriander powder until fragrant. Then, transfer it to a blender and blend into a paste.
• Heat up the oil in a pan. Add the spice paste, bay leaves, cinnamon stick. Stir-fry it until it is fragrant.
• Transfer the spice paste and the bite-sized meat to the pot of broth.
• Pour in coconut milk, nutmeg, salt, (pepper, sugar) and stir in slowly for about 5 minutes or until it is boiled. Add chopped green onion.
• Turn off the heat. Soto Betawi is ready to be serve
• In each bowl, place several tomato and potato cubes. Then, ladle one or two scoop of Soto Betawi. Top it off with a dash of fried shallots.
• Depending on your preferences, you can also add a pinch of lime juice and a bit of sweet soy sauce.
• Soto Betawi is usually served with steamed rice. Enjoy!