Known as “Soto Betawi” or Indonesian Beef Ribs Soup. A special delicacy from Jakarta, the city where I was born and grew up in. But what does “soto” means?  Soto is another word for Indonesian soup, which usually more fragrant than the normal soup people know, as we would use lemon grass (plus other basic “soto” ingredients) lime leaves and coconut milk. Probably the best beef ribs soup – that is if you like rich oriental spices in your soup combined with a dash of light coconut milk stewed until the ribs are juicy and tender. Roasted candlenuts, fresh galangal, ginger, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves make this soup so refreshingly different.

Soto Betawi has become a regular menu that keeps popping up every two weeks or so in my home. I like it better than the chicken version and Michael would never say no this this. He’s definitely hooked on Indonesian soup.

I ran out of some ingredients & spices a few weeks ago. Little things like lemon grass, fresh galangal and frozen kaffir lime leaves. Of course you can substitute them with powdered ones if that’s the only option, but you know already, nothing beats the real thing. The moment I start cooking the paste ingredients, I can tell whether the soto is going to have the perfect taste or not simply from the its scent. Powdered or packaged ingredients usually have a slightly “off’ chemically taste to it – only a few very good brands such as Munik, tastes almost like the real thing.

A friend brought me new supply of the ingredients I’ve been dying to get from Shanghai. That gift equals with a pouch of gold nuggets to me. Seriously, where can you get these stuff in the middle of a grassland? So here I am, cooking away my favorite recipes once again….

SOTO BETAWI

Ingredients:
* 400 gram beef ribs
* 1 kg brisket (some bones if you have)
* 2 pcs bay leaves
* 3 stalks of lemon grass – bruised, tied into a knot & dump into pot
* 3 cm fresh galangal – roast in naked flame until fragrant
* 2 cm fresh ginger, sliced
* 3 pcs kaffir lime leaves
* 250 ml coconut milk
* 500 gr potatoe – cubed
* 4 cm cinnamon stick

Ground spices:
* 12 pcs shallots
* 7 pcs garlic
* 5 pcs red chilis
* 8 pcs candlenuts – roast in naked flame till fragrant
* 1 tbs coriander powder
* 1 tsp cumin powder
* 1 tsp white pepper powder
(all ground smoothly, then stir fry in cooking oil until fragrant)

Cooking Direction:

1.) Boil water with lemon grass, roast galangal, bayleaves in a pot &
cook ribs + brisket until tender. This should take a while.
2.) In the mean time shallow fry cubed potatoes until golden brown
(this time, I only steamed the potatoes, running out of cooking oil)
3.) When ribs & beef are tender enough, mix in the stir fried
ground spices, kaffir lime leaves and cinnamon stick.
Add salt + pepper, and pinch of sugar if needed
4.) Serve steaming hot. Place cubef potatoes first, then the ribs & soup.
Sprinkle with chopped spring onions, chopped tomatoes

Nothing beats this steaming hot soup and a bowl of warm rice with sprinkles of toasted coconut in the freezing winter like out here in Inner Mongolia