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.