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Sop konro
Sop konro: Makassar's dark beef-rib soup with keluak nut, coriander seed and spices
Sop konro is the pride of Makassar in South Sulawesi, where warung near the harbour serve big bowls of beef ribs in an almost black broth from lunchtime into the night, often with burasa (rice cooked in coconut milk) or plain rice. The colour and earthy, chocolatey depth come from keluak (kluwek) nuts, simmered with a paste of shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, toasted coriander seed and candlenut until the rib meat slides off the bone. The usual mistake is using raw keluak: the nuts are only safe after long fermentation, so buy them ready-prepared from an Indonesian shop, and discard any that smell sour or are dry inside. A pressure cooker gets the ribs tender in 50 minutes. Chef's tip: toast the coriander seeds until they crackle before grinding; they carry the whole soup.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 ⅝ lb beef short ribscut into 2-bone pieces
- 10 ½ cups water
- 5 prepared keluak (kluwek) nutscracked, flesh scooped out
- 2 stalks lemongrassbruised
- 1 ⅛ in galangalsliced
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp palm sugaroptional
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
For the spice paste
- 8 shallots
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 ⅛ in fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp coriander seedstoasted
- 1 tsp cumin seedstoasted
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp white pepper
To serve
- 4 tbsp fried shallots
- 2 spring onionssliced
- 2 limesin wedges
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cover the 2 ⅝ lb beef short ribs with water, boil 5 minutes, drain and rinse to get a clean broth.
10 minStep 2: Return the ribs to the pot with the 10 ½ cups water, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes, skimming now and then. (Pressure cooker: 40 minutes.)
90 minStep 3: Meanwhile blend the 8 shallots, 6 cloves garlic, 1 ⅛ in fresh ginger, 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 4 candlenuts or macadamias, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and ½ tsp white pepper with a splash of water into a smooth paste. Mash the 5 prepared keluak (kluwek) nuts flesh with a little hot broth until smooth.
10 minStep 4: Heat the 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the spice paste over a medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and the oil separates.
8 minStep 5: Stir the fried paste and keluak into the soup with the 2 stalks lemongrass, 4 makrut lime leaves, 1 ⅛ in galangal, 1 tbsp tamarind paste and 1 tsp palm sugar. Simmer 40 minutes more until the broth is dark and the meat pulls away from the bone.
40 minStep 6: Season with 1 ½ tsp salt. Serve in bowls topped with 4 tbsp fried shallots and 2 spring onions, with 2 limes to squeeze and rice on the side.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 590 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sop konro take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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