Soto to Set You Straight

 

We're in Jakarta this week, working on a story that has not a whit to do with food. But that doesn't mean we're not eating well!

We headed out rather than later than usual this morning, still befuddled from an unexpectedly grueling day of travel yesterday (nine hours to get from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta? yes, it is possible, thanks to Air Asia). Hungry and bubble-headed, we didn't want to work too hard for lunch. So we made straight for a part of town where we knew we could find good grub with minimal effort. We weren't disappointed.

 

In the same Glodok (Jakarta's Chinatown) alley where we last supped on turtle soup (which we believed, during said supping, to be chicken soup)  - crowded today with vendors, their mobile stalls, and plenty of enthusiastic eaters (Sunday's a good day to visit Glodok) - we found a spic-and-span corner coffeeshop flanked by stalls offering soto Betawi, gado-gado, nasi campur, and jus buah (various fruit juices).

'Santan (coconut milk)?' the soto Betawi vendor asked me when I held up one finger, indicating how many bowls of sotoa and how many dishes of rice we wanted. Soto Betawi is a beef and beef parts soto with a richly flavored broth that's made with warm spices and a blend of coconut and cow's milk. This stall offers the broth with or without the fruit-and-dairy richness.

We're not afraid of lemak (richness). Of course, we opted for milk.

 

Our first and, before today, pnly taste of soto Betawi was enjoyed at Kafe Betawi, a very good (really, honestly) chain that I included in the Jakarta recommendations that accompanied our WSJA 'street food off the street' article. We were glad to have the opportunity to try a true street version.

Though it isn't as opulently spiced as Kafe Betawi's soto, this one is no slouch, rich but not over-the-top with the two milks, boasting chunks of tender beef and perfectly delicious 'parts', even floating a few shards of wonderfully smoky dried beef. Rounding out our bowl were slices of sourish tomato, sweetly caramelized shallot and garlic bits, chopped coriander, and kerepok (crackers) that half-melted in the broth. A squeeze of kalamansi brought it all together.

A nice touch here: two types of acar (pickles) - one of sweet-sour shallots and the other a mix of cucumber, shredded carrot, and whole small, fiery cabe (chilies) - included on the tabletop condiment tray. They add texture, heat, and a bit of tartness (always a plus in our book) to the dish.

 

Accompanied by two glasses of fresh-squeezed orange juice, our bill came to Rp 40,000 (roughly $3.50). Warm welcome, wide smiles, and the reminder not to forget my umbrella on the house. Set straight, we hit the road and wandered up to Kota Tua (Jakarta's 'Old Town').

Jakarta catches so much trash talk from travellers. But we're happy to be looking at the rest of the week here.

Soto Betawi 'Afung', alley off of Jalan Pancong next to Pasar Glodok building.

Comments

[J2Kfm]

but isnt Air Asia flights supposed to be punctual? I've yet to have a bad experience with them though.

[Robyn]

J2kfm - you must have an angel sitting on your shoulder because I have *never* taken an Air Asia flight that left on time. Still, I figure that for the savings 1/2 hour or even an hour delay I can live with.
But on Sat our flight was rescheduled for 8.5 hours after the original departure time! We managed to switch to another flight (leaving 4 hours after our original flight) ... which left 90 minutes late.
I think I may give MAS another look.

[Mel]

Coconut AND cow's milk. I can swim in that. *drool*

[ntgerald]

I love Jakarta, and Indonesia in general, although I have been there only once.
I look forward to returning and visiting some other cities - Jogjakarta, Surabaya, Banjarmasin, Bandung, and Manado.

[Pat]

Jakarta isn't the friendliest place for tourists but if you know where to go, boy can you eat like a king or queen! Aah, it's been way too long since I've been back...

[Deepak Bista, Australia]

The picture of the dishes above look divine. I love the street food venders in Singapore, Hong Kong and Jakarta.
There should be a lot of write ups and promotion of Asian cooking and Asian Dining as it represents 2/3rd of the world population.

[Fulltime Mom]

Hi, the photo of the soto sign, AFUNG. Do you think it is one and the same as the bakso/soto shop in Malaysia. It used to be in Desa Sri Hartamas and since have relocated to Sunway?

[Lisa]

Robyn,
ohh I miss those soto. there is also a stall in glodok - again I am talking about 15 years ago - which sold this amazing sup kambing (mutton soup) done the soto way but also with the same santan, acar, bawang and chilies. and of course kerupuk.
If you chance one, please try it and let me know the address ;-) I should add it to my must eat black book.

[Irene]

IMHO you have not tasted soto until you've tried soto Madura and soto Lamongan :)

In Malang (East Java), a roadside soto Lamongan stall is famously called soto "dok". Not because it's made of dog meat (eeeuuuwww), but because of the loud "dok" sound the bottle of soy sauce makes when the vendor slams it down after seasoning the soto. It is 100% beef - trust me.

I'm drooling now...

[hungrypig]

For the best soto betawi, you have to try the one in Jl.Minangkabau. Your cardiologist will hate you for it, but oh.my.god. The beef bits are fried first before soaked by the rich broth, making them crisp on the outside & chewy inside. It's so popular with the locals, you'd be lucky to still get a bowl of anything by 2 pm.

[vicong]

For Soto I prefer Soto Bandung for may favorite, so different with other cities soto. Hard to find in Jakarta, found one in Sumur Batu area.

Try google Soto Bandung for some picture :)