A mysterious jet-black beef soup from East Java, its inky color from keluak nuts, with tender braised beef, bean sprouts, and salted egg — hauntingly beautiful and deeply savory.
Ingredients
700g beef shank, cubed
5 keluak (pangium) nuts, flesh extracted
8 shallots
5 cloves garlic
3 candlenuts (kemiri)
2 cm galangal, sliced
2 cm ginger, sliced
3 stalks lemongrass, bruised
5 kaffir lime leaves
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
2L water
Salt
Bean sprouts
Salted duck eggs, halved
Lime wedges
Sambal
Fried shallots
Instructions
1Toast coriander and cumin seeds, then grind with shallots, garlic, candlenuts, ginger, and keluak nut flesh into a smooth spice paste.
2Sear beef cubes in a hot pot until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
3Sauté the spice paste in the same pot for 5 minutes until deeply fragrant and oil separates.
4Return beef, add water, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and turmeric. Bring to a boil.
5Reduce heat and simmer for 2-2.5 hours until beef is very tender and the broth turns jet black.
6Season with salt. Serve in bowls over bean sprouts, topped with halved salted egg, fried shallots, lime, and sambal.
Did You Know?
Keluak nuts are naturally toxic when raw and must be buried in ash and soil for 40 days before they are safe to eat, a fermentation process that gives rawon its signature black color.