East Javanese Rawon

Rawon is an East Javanese beef soup whose dark broth comes from kluwek. Sasa’s version pairs beef with a paste of shallots, garlic, roasted candlenuts, turmeric, galangal, coriander and cumin.

The beef first boils until tender, and that first cooking water is discarded. Kluwek flesh and the other paste ingredients blend with a little oil, then fry with bruised lemongrass, another portion of galangal and lime leaves until fragrant.

The cooked beef returns to a pot with fresh water. The fried paste joins it once the water boils, followed by salt, ground pepper, granulated sugar and the recipe’s beef seasoning. A gentle simmer lets the flavour develop and the broth thicken slightly.

A separate sambal combines boiled curly chillies and bird’s-eye chillies with salt and sugar. Rawon is served hot with rice, short bean sprouts, sliced spring onion, salted egg, sambal and prawn crackers; lime juice can finish the bowl to taste.

Tender beef sits in a strongly seasoned, dark soup, while the sprouts and crackers add contrasting texture. The chilli sambal and optional lime bring further heat and sharpness at the table.