Special Black Beef Soup of Indonesia called Rawon

 Rawon is a beef soup from east java that have the different soup color in Indonesia. This dish had existed 1000 years ago that had been found from an inscription called Prasasti Taji. In the inscription, this dish was called Rarawwan. Everyone in Indonesia has familiar with this soup with the various special recipe in each region notably from the east part of the center java to the east java. The people aboard know the dish as a black soup. Why black soup? it is because the black soup comes from a flavor called Kluwak.

Kluwak/kapayang is wild growing tree that producer of Indonesian spices, but nowadays it is already cultivated.  In every region of Indonesia kluwak seeds have some different names such as Sundanese called picung or pucung, Javanese called kluwak or kluwek, and in Toraja called pamarrasan. The kernel of kluwak seed is the based flavor that gives the dark chocolate color to the rawon soup. It is not only to give a thick color to the soup, but the rawon seasoning that uses kluwak will also give savory which anyone who tries it will be addicted to. Therefore, blending the kernel kluwak seed with Rawon seasoning is the perfect taste.

To make the originality of Rawon there are some ingredients that you must have. First, another main point is the meat which you can choose by using cow meat, etc. Second, the ground Spices that consisting of garlic, shallot, nutmeg, caraway, candlenut, turmeric, coriander, pepper, and kluwak/kapayang. Third, crush ingredients consisting the ginger, galangal, lemongrass, and additional ingredients such as the bay leaf, lime leaves, and green onion (cut). Fourth, for the garnish gives some fried shallot, salted egg, sprouts, and prawn crackers. Then, measure every ingredient based on how much meat that will you cook. For example, 1 kg meat that you will cook its need 1 kg of kluwak to. In addition, the ground flavor is the most important ingredient that no one can leave it. So, the complete ingredient and the way of cooking rawon are the keys to have the originality of rawon.  

The way of cooking rawon is the basic case that has to be organized step by step. First, cook the meat in boiling water for 30 minutes and take it after 30 minutes then cut it into small pieces, let the broth on the pot if the broth is not smelly, we can use it for the soup if it's not then using the additional water. Second, in another pan cook the ground flavor with the oil and add the crash ingredient except for green onion until the smell good and cooked enough. Third, add the cooked flavor to the broth and the meat, then season with the salt, sugar, additional flavoring, and add the green onion, let the broth and the meat boiling. Fourth, if the rawon soup has boiling turn off the stove and close the pot leave it for 2 hours, and after that rawon is ready to enjoy with fried shallot, salted egg, sprout, and prawn crackers.

            All in all, in the last 1000 years ago rawon had existed with a special black beef soup. The black soup which come from the flavor of Kluwak seeds from the kapayang fruit. The combination of ground and complete seasoning with Kluwak that will make someone who eats it addicted. Furthermore, the way of cooking is the key to making the originality of rawon perfect taste ever.