Varieties of 'soto' to please all types of palates

Varieties of 'soto' to please all types of palates

Claudine Frederik, Contributor, Jakarta

One of the local delicacies that will never tire Indonesian tastebuds is Soto, a glorified consommi enriched with bits of meat, at least two types of onion and a slice of lemon.

Soto was originally a dish from Java but, over the years this dish branched off in an assorted array of soto varieties, most of them tasty. Nowadays we have soto Betawi, soto Kudus, soto Madura, and so on.

In the past, East Java's soto variety was served along with lontong (rice steamed in a banana leaf). The soto dish is served in traditional parties before the revival of nasi tumpeng (a yellow rice or plain rice cone garnished with cut celery, chili and sliced omelette to give it a festive look).

Nasi tumpeng can be traced as far back as the 8th century when it was only served as food, according to well known local food expert Surtini Gani.

After Indonesia became an independent country in 1945, soto went downright to a folk dish and appeared in food stalls along roadsides as we can find it nowadays.

It is also served in restaurants and cafes for the middle income group. Here are some of them:

Kafe Mario

Situated on the seventh floor of the Pasarya Building in the center of Kebayoran Baru, adjacent to a sector that sells office equipment, Kafe Mario is tucked away in an unobtrusive corner.

It would not have attracted your attention if it was not for the artificial mandarin tree in front of the entrance. The establishment serves two types of soto: Soto Betawi and Soto Bandung. West Java's soto has a wholly different taste. Soto Bandung, for instance, is similar to a beef soup which is strewn with a few cut up carrots, a few sliced potatoes, and the ever present sliced spring onions and fried shallots.

Soto Betawi is made with offal and, according to my physician, is very rich in cholesterol. Such soto does not only taste different, it's also enriched with coconut milk. It makes Soto Betawi a very rich soup.

Kafe Mario is also situated at the ground floor of Ratu Plaza Building at Jl. Jend. Sudirman, where it serves the same menu. Here the establishment carries a loftier name, Grand Mario Cafe, maybe because of its wider space.

Pelangi Cafe, Hotel Ambhara, Jalan Iskandarsyah, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta

Here they serve soto Madura, a much lighter broth filled with shredded chicken, uncooked tomatoes, pieces of potatoes and a few strands of glass noodles apart from the standard ingredients to add taste to the soup.

Unlike West Java's sotos, the East Java's soup has some saffron to add flavor and color.

Restaurant Surabaya, Basement of Melawai Plaza, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta

This small ten-table restaurant serves only food from the eastern part of Java. It serves two types of soto, the traditional soto dish before the newer varieties arrived on the culinary scene and shoved it away.

Soto ayam is the soto that a good cook should know how to prepare. At the restaurant, the dish is served with loads of glass noodles, decent cuts of chicken, sliced boiled eggs, potatoes, fried shallots and a slice of lemon.

People who do not mind offal on the table may want to try soto Sulung. It used to be called soto Babat and consists of some part of the cow's large intestine. It is either made with or without coconut milk.