Name: Jakarta Beef Noodle Soup (Soto Mi Betawi)
Yield: Makes 4–6 servings
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and bruised; 6 oz (170 g) dried rice noodles, prepared according to package directions; 3 salam leaves or bay leaves; ½ lb (225 g) dried or 1 lb (450 g) fresh, cooked egg noodles; 2 Persian limes, cut into wedges; 2 (¼-inch/6-mm) slices fresh ginger; 12 cups (2.8 L) water; 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper; 4 (½-inch/12-mm) slices galangal; 4 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided; 2 lb (1 kg) boneless crosscut beef shank or brisket, trimmed of fat if desired and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes; 4 makrut lime leaves; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided, plus more if needed; Fried shallots for serving; Sambal Soto or sambal oelek for serving; 1 yellow onion, chopped; 1 leek, white part only, chopped; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds or ground coriander; 1 teaspoon sugar; 3 tablespoons kecap manis; 1 bunch green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated; ½ cup (15 g) Chinese celery leaves or parsley, chopped; 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped; ¼ head green cabbage, shredded; Kecap manis for serving

Preparation info

Makes
4–6
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mortar and Pestle

By Patricia Tanumihardja

Published 2024

About

Whenever I’ve had soto mi in Jakarta, it’s been a cornucopia of beef parts: tendon, tripe, offal and even cow’s trotters. While Julia doesn’t make it with all these parts, she does save beef fat or scraps with tendon to add flavor to the soup. She never wastes food! You can add them together with the beef cubes and render the fat. Beef shank is a naturally tough piece of meat. But it is a bargain cut, cheaper than both chuck and short ribs, which can also be used in this re