Rawon ( Javanese: ) is an Indonesian beef soup. Originating from the

Javanese cuisine Javanese cuisine () is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major Native Indonesian, ethnic group in Indonesia in the provinces of Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java. Definition Javanese cuisine refers exclusively to the cuisine of Javan ...

East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...

, rawon utilizes the black keluak nut as the main seasoning, which gives a dark color and nutty flavor to the soup; thus rawon is often described as "black beef soup". In 2024,

TasteAtlas TasteAtlas is an experiential travel online guide for traditional food that collates authentic recipes, food critic reviews, and research articles about popular ingredients and dishes. Describing itself as "a world atlas of traditional dishes, ...

rawon was rated as the world's best soup. Also, Indonesian soup, Soto Betawi followed in the second place.

Ingredients

The soup is composed of a ground mixture of garlic, shallots, keluak, ginger,

candlenut ''Aleurites moluccanus'', commonly known as candlenut, is a tree in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It grows to about tall and produces drupe fruit. First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, the species' origin is unclear due to its spread b ...

turmeric Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...

, red chili, and salt and is sautéed with oil. The sautéed mixture is then poured into the boiled beef stock filled with beef cubes. Lemongrass, galangal, bay leaves,

kaffir lime ''Citrus hystrix'', called the kaffir lime, Thai lime or makrut lime, (, ) is a citrus fruit native to tropical Southeast Asia. Its fruit and leaves are used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and its essential oil is used in perfumery. Its rind and cr ...

leaves, and sugar are then added as seasonings. The special dark or black color of rawon comes from the keluak as the main spice. The soup is usually garnished with green onion and fried shallot and served with rice. Other toppings include bean sprouts, salted preserved egg, ''

krupuk ' (Javanese language, Javanese) is an Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian deep frying, deep-fried Cracker (food), cracker made from starch and other ingredients that serve as flavouring. They are a popular snack in parts of Southeast Asia, but are ...

'', and fried tolo beans (

black-eyed pea The black-eyed pea or black-eyed bean is a legume grown around the world for its medium-sized, edible bean. It is a subspecies of the cowpea, an Old World plant domesticated in Africa, and is sometimes simply called a cowpea. The common commerci ...

History

Rawon is one of the oldest historically identified dishes of ancient Java. It was mentioned as ''rarawwan'' in an ancient Javanese Taji inscription (901 CE) from the era of the Mataram Kingdom.

Variants

There are several variants of rawon, the most popular of which is Surabayan rawon. A version called ''rawon setan'' ("devil's rawon") is sold as a late-night meal at Indonesian food stalls open from midnight to dawn, supposedly the hours during which devils roam. In

Balinese cuisine Balinese cuisine is a cuisine tradition of Balinese people from the volcanic island of Bali. Using a variety of spices, blended with the fresh vegetables, meat and fish. Part of Indonesian cuisine, it demonstrates indigenous traditions, as well a ...

, rawon does not use any keluak—thus, the color is brown instead of black. Additionally, as the Balinese are mostly

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, they tend to favor pork over beef. In

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, the dish is known as ''Nasi Rawon'', usually sold at Malay hawker stalls. The dish is usually served with rice, paru (fried beef lung), sambal sotong and gravy made from buah keluak.

References

{{Singaporean cuisine Indonesian soups Javanese cuisine

Ingredients

History

Variants

See also

References