Rawon Recipe | East Javanese Black Beef Soup

Rawon is East Java's black beef soup, colored by keluak nuts. Its inky appearance hides one of the most complex, satisfying broths in Indonesian cuisine.

Rawon is one of Indonesia's most distinctive soups - a rich, deeply flavored beef broth that is colored jet black by keluak nuts (Pangium edule). Despite its dark, mysterious appearance, the flavor is clean, aromatic, and complex.

The keluak nut is the key ingredient that makes rawon unique. These large black nuts grow in mangrove swamps and must be specially processed (fermented for weeks) before they are edible. They contribute a subtle, earthy flavor and the signature dark color.

Spice paste: Blend 8 shallots, 6 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 2cm galangal, 2cm ginger, 2cm fresh turmeric, and the flesh of 3-4 keluak nuts. Fry in oil until fragrant.

Method: Brown 500g beef chuck in oil, remove. Fry the spice paste in the same pot for 10 minutes. Return the beef, add 1.5 liters water, 3 stalks lemongrass, 5 kaffir lime leaves, and salt. Simmer for 2 hours until beef is tender and broth is dark.

Serve in bowls with steamed rice, bean sprouts, salted egg, sambal, and lime wedges. Rawon is taught in our Indonesian Cuisine Class as an example of non-Balinese Indonesian cooking traditions.