Make Creamy Coconut Milk Soup - Soto Betawi Recipe

Get ready to dive spoon-first into a bowl of pure comfort! We're talking about Soto Betawi, a truly special Indonesian coconut milk soup that hails from Jakarta. This isn't just any soup; it's a rich, savory, and lightly sweet-spiced creamy dream that will warm you from the inside out. Imagine tender beef simmering in a deeply aromatic broth, made incredibly luxurious with a blend of coconut milk and evaporated milk. It's a flavor explosion that’s both exotic and deeply satisfying.
Soto Betawi is becoming a favorite among US cooks for good reason. It’s the ultimate comfort food, perfect for chilly evenings, and surprisingly meal-prep friendly. While it looks impressive, we’ll guide you through making this homemade beef soup with ease. The secret to its signature creaminess lies in the combination of rich coconut milk for soup, evaporated milk, and the natural collagen from the beef shank, which gives the broth an incredible body.
This simple beef soup recipe takes a bit of time to simmer, ensuring the beef is fall-apart tender (about 2.5 hours on the stovetop, or longer for a slow cooker beef soup), but the prep is manageable, making it a medium-difficulty culinary adventure that's absolutely worth it. We’ll show you how to master the spices for beef soup and achieve that perfect creamy texture without any fuss. So, grab your apron, and let's make the best slow-cooked beef soup you've ever tasted!

Ingredients

• Key techniques: Fry paste; simmer beef; add dairy last
• Beef & Broth
• 2 lbs beef shank or chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 6 cups water (plus more as needed)
• 1 tbsp oil for searing (optional)
• Spice Paste (Rempah)
• 8 shallots, peeled
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1-inch piece ginger, peeled
• 1-inch piece galangal, peeled (or extra ginger)
• 3 candlenuts (substitute: 3 macadamia nuts or 5 cashews)
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cardamom (or 3 green cardamom pods, crushed)
• Whole Spices / Aromatics
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
• 3 kaffir lime leaves (substitute: 1 tsp lime zest + 1 bay leaf)
• 2 salam leaves (substitute: 2 bay leaves)
• 1 cinnamon stick (2-3 inches)
• 2 star anise
• 3-4 cloves
• Dairy & Seasoning
• 1 (13.5 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
• 1 tbsp sugar (palm sugar or brown sugar preferred)
• 1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
• Optional: ½ tsp beef bouillon powder (for extra depth)
• Garnishes
• 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered or wedged
• ½ cup fried shallots
• ¼ cup chopped scallions
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• Optional: Emping (melinjo crackers) or kerupuk (prawn crackers), sambal (chili paste), steamed rice

Directions

1. Optional Blanching (For a Clearer Broth): Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the beef cubes and boil for 5-7 minutes. You'll see scum rise to the surface. Drain the beef, rinse it under cold water, and clean the pot. This step removes impurities, resulting in a cleaner, clearer, and less "gamey" broth, which is recommended for the best flavor.
2. Build the Broth: Return the blanched beef to the clean pot or Dutch oven. Add 6 cups of fresh water, the bruised lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest + bay leaf), salam leaves (or bay leaves), cinnamon stick, star anise, and whole cloves. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender. The broth should be rich and slightly thickened from the beef's collagen.
3. Make the Spice Paste (Rempah): While the beef simmers, combine the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, candlenuts (or substitutes), white pepper, nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground cinnamon in a blender or food processor. Add a splash of water (1-2 tablespoons) if needed to help it blend. Process until you have a very smooth, fine paste. If you have a mortar and pestle, you can pound it traditionally for an even finer texture.
4. Fry the Paste (The Key Step for Flavor): Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a separate small skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the spice paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 10-15 minutes. This is crucial! You're looking for the paste to become very fragrant, deepen in color, and for the oil to separate from the paste (a clear indication it's fully cooked). Don't rush this step, as it unlocks the full flavor of the spices.
5. Combine & Simmer: Once the beef is tender, remove the whole spices (lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves) from the broth if desired, though leaving them in is fine. Stir the fried spice paste into the beef broth. Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer and cook for another 20-30 minutes, allowing the flavors to "marry" and deepen.
6. Make it Creamy (No-Split Method): Reduce the heat to very low. Stir in the full-fat coconut milk and evaporated milk. Crucially, do not let the soup hard-boil after adding the dairy. Gently warm the soup through for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, ensuring it stays at a bare simmer to prevent the coconut milk from splitting.
7. Final Seasoning Checkpoint: Taste the soup. Add salt, sugar, and white pepper to balance the flavors. If you feel it needs a little more depth, stir in the optional beef bouillon powder. The soup should be savory, slightly sweet, and perfectly balanced.
8. Serve: Ladle the hot Soto Betawi into bowls. Garnish generously with quartered tomatoes, fried shallots, chopped scallions, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Serve immediately with steamed rice on the side and optional emping or kerupuk crackers, and sambal for those who like a kick.