Many variations of Soto can be found in Indonesia cuisine with regional cooking techniques and ingredients (for example: Soto Jakarta, Soto Bandung, Soto Pekalongan, Soto Madura, Soto Banjar, Coto Makassar, Soto Padang, Soto Belitung etc). Although recipes and ingredients vary or almost similar from every regions , Soto is generally consists of shredded chicken or slices of meats with or without coconut milk. Served with hot steamed rice or lontong ( steamed rice rolls, compressed in banana leaves), ketupat. Pekalongan, known for its Batik, is a city on the central Java, Indonesia. I´ve got the recipe from Neni when I met her in Münich. I ´ve just made a little bit modification from her recipe.Ingredients:
500 g beef, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons soy bean paste
2 Hot Red chillies
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 shallots
3 cloves garlics
3 cm galangal, bruised
2 bay leaves/Salam
3 lime leaves
1 stalk lemon grass
1 stalk green onion, slices
1,7 liter water, or as required
3 tablespoons cooking oil
salt, as desired
served with: lontong/ketupat, chopped green onions, fried shallots or onions
rice vermicelli/thin rice stick noodles, softened with hot water and drained
directions: combine shallots, chillies and garlics then whirl in a blender to a paste. Boil beef with 1,7 - 2 liter water, then leave the broth water aside. Cut the beef into cubes or pieces. In a pan, stir fry the paste until fragrant. Pour in the broth and the beef, followed by lemon leaves, bay leaves, lemon grass, galangal and soy bean paste. Season broth with ground coriander, salt to taste. Bring to boil and simmer until the beef tender.
