Soto betawi (Jakarta beef soup)
Community member
"Soto betawi, or Jakarta beef soup, is a traditional soup from the Indonesian capital Jakarta. It can be found at street food stands but also in upscale restaurants. If you cannot source local ingredients like candlenuts or galangal, be creative and replace them with macadamias and turmeric. It's worth the effort!"
Difficulty
Medium 👍Preparation
Baking
Resting
Ingredients
Utensils
large pot, mortar and pestle, cutting board, knife, large frying pan, cooking spoon, small pot
How-To Videos
How to make fried onions
How to chop green herbs
How to grate nutmeg
How to cut green onions
How to peel ginger
How to cook aromatic rice
Nutrition per serving
Step 1/7
- ½ l water
- large pot
Boil water for the beef soup.
Step 2/7
- 1 cloves garlic
- 1¼ shallots
- ¼ tbsp ginger
- ¼ tbsp galangal
- ¼ tbsp white pepper
- ¼ tbsp ground coriander
- ⅛ tsp ground cumin
- 1 candlenuts
- mortar and pestle
- cutting board
- knife
Blend chopped garlic, shallots, ginger, galangal, pepper, coriander, cumin, and candlenuts. I did it the traditional way, using a mortar and pestle. But it’s alright to just use a blender.
Step 3/7
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1¼ bay leaves
- 150 g beef (diced)
- ½ potatoes (large)
- oil for frying
- large frying pan
- cooking spoon
Sauté all of the blended ingredients and add nutmeg, cinnamon, bay leaves, and diced beef. Fry for approx. 10 min. until browned and aromatic. Meanwhile dice potatoes and put in the beef soup water.
Step 4/7
Add all the fried ingredients to the boiling broth. Cover and simmer for approx. 5 – 7 min.
Step 5/7
- 200 ml coconut milk
- salt
Add the coconut milk and give it a good stir. Simmer for 10 – 15 min. Add salt to taste. Don’t be put off—it doesn’t look very attractive!
Step 6/7
- ¾ eggs
- ½ limes
- ½ tomatoes
- 1 spring onions
- 7½ g parsley
- small pot
In the meantime, hard-boil the eggs in a separate pot (approx. 10 min.). Cut limes, tomatoes, spring onions, and parsley.
Step 7/7
- 1½ tbsp fried onions
- rice for serving
It’s done! Put soup in a bowl, give it a good garnish with eggs, lime, tomatoes, spring onions, and fried onions, and enjoy! (Best served with rice!)
Enjoy your meal!
