What Does Rawon Mean?
Rawon is a traditional Indonesian beef soup from Surabaya, East Java. Rawon is known for its dark hue derived from one of its key components, the black keluak nut. Adding keluak to this dish brings out Rawon’s dark colour and nutty flavour!
Nasi Rawon is now available in a variety of forms throughout Indonesia. Balinese Rawon, for example, does not include keluak, resulting in a brown rather than black soup. However, the classic East Java version (which we’ll create in this recipe) is still the most popular.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
1 pound beef shank, dished cubed
2 tbsp oil
6 ½ cups water
1 tbsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
6 kaffir lime leaves
1 tsp lemongrass paste
1 stalk green onions , chopped
2 ½ tsp sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste, diluted in 1 tbsp water
RAWON SPICE MIX
7 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 keluak , steeped in hot water
½ inch fresh turmeric, sub 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
4 candlenuts, roughly chopped
NASI RAWON TOPPINGS
steamed rice
sambal terasi or sambal oelek (red chili paste)
shrimp crackers
bean sprouts
boiled eggs
fried onions
HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUS INDONESIAN RAWON
Heat oil in a big saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add in the rawon spice mix, lime leaves, and lemongrass paste once the oil is heated. Stir until the mixture has a pleasant aroma.
Toss the beef shank in the spice mixture until thoroughly blended. Cook until the meat is seared.
Water, salt, pepper, tamarind paste, and granulated sugar are added to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the soup boils and the meat is cooked for about 1 hour.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped green onions.
Serve rawon with steaming rice and chosen toppings. ENJOY!
Credit: https://dwellbymichelle.com/nasi-rawon/ :)