Rawon Surabaya, the dark-coloured soupy

Indonesian Cuisines - Rawon is an authentic dark-colored soupy dish from Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, known for its rich taste, which results from the use of strong spices. Because of its strong taste, rawon is usually served with rice, and not as a single meal such as soup or soto. When served as an appetizer soup, rawon must first be thinned.

Indonesian Cuisines - Rawon Surabaya

The strong nutty, earthy flavor and dark color of rawon come from kluwek or keluak (Pangeum edule). Keluak tastes much like a black olive. The basic ingredients for rawon include shallots, garlic, red chili, candlenut, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and Indonesian bay leaves. Although most of the spices are then ground, it is still relatively easy to trace the tastes of candlenut, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. The slow cooking method results in tender and savory meat.

Rawon is served with fried shallot sprinkles on top. Should scallion be excluded from the cooking process, it can always be sprinkled on top of the dish. By default, rawon is served with salted egg, raw bean sprouts, sambal terasi (chili condiment with shrimp paste) and shrimp crackers. In Pasuruan, sate komoh adds to the side dish.

Rawon Surabaya, dark-colored soupy dish

in Central Java, there is a similar dish called garang asem. Rawon has become a nationally accepted dish, always present on major Indonesian restaurants.

Betawi natives also have a traditional soupy dish made with pucung or keluak, called gabung pucung. Making use of ikan gabus (Channa striata), Gabus Pucung is a twice cooked dish-requiring the fish to be fried and then cooked in pucung soup. In Sulawesi, a similar dish is called pallu kaloa, made with snapper head. Kaloa means keluak in Bugis dialect.

It is believed that rawon, garang asem, gabus pucung and pallu kaloa have existed in indonesian culinary for more than one hundred years.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6):

• 2.500 cc water
• 500 gr beef rump
• 39 gr 3 pcs lemongrass stalks, crushed
• 20 gr 1 1/2 cm galangal, crushed
• 8 gr 8 sheet kaffir lime leaves
• 45 gr 3 stalks scallions, sliced by 1 cm
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil

GARNISH:

• 180 cc 3 pcs salted eggs, cut into 6-7 small pieces
• 150 gr mung bean sprouts

Sambal terasi (chili paste that uses shrimp paste)
Shrimp crackers
Sliced limes (to taste)


GROUND SPICES:

• 60 gr 2-3 pcs red chilies
• 80 gr 8 pcs shallots
• 8 gr 4 pcs garlic
• 8 pcs keluwak (black nut), use the soft flesh inside
• 12 gr 3 pcs candlenuts, lightly toasted 3 gr 1 1/2 teaspoons shrimp paste, roasted
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 7 gr 2-3 teaspoons coriander, lightly toasted
• 3 gr 1 1/2 cm turmeric
• 21 gr 1 1/2 cm ginger
• 1-1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place meat in water, bring to boil. Add lemongrass stalks, galangal and kaffir lime leaves, continue cooking until meat is tender. Take out the meat, cut in 1x1 cm dices. Measure the broth at 1.600 ml. Put the meat back into the broth. Cook at medium heat.

2. Sautee the ground spices until well cooked and aromatic. Add the scallion, stir for two minutes, then add into the broth pot. Continue cooking until all ingredients are well cooked. Remove from heat.

SERVING:

Pour the meat soup into a bowl; serve with mung bean sprouts, salted eggs, samba! terasi, lime juice and shrimp crackers. 

Happy cooking and enjoy Rawon Surabaya.
     

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