Soto Betawi

Description:
I cooked this soto by using the cooking method that is usually used to cook Italian style osso bucco. The recipe is based on several recipes that I found on the internet and modify it to suit my taste.

This dish is served at MFM #2 - June 2009 edition hosted by Pepy


Ingredients:
3 osso bucco
plain flour for dusting
0.25 cup vegetable oil


Spices:
2 lemongrass, cut into 3 and bruised
9 cloves
6 kaffir lime leaves
2 Indonesian bay leaves

Ground spices:
1/4 cup oil
150g Spanish onion
7 garlic
4 candlenut
1/2 Tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cm ginger

Hot water just enough to cover the meat for cooking the meat

Last seasonings:
1 tsp salt or to taste
0.5 tsp sugar or to taste
0.5 cup coconut milk powder
0.5 cup FCMP
1 cup water

Condiments:
Fried potato discs
Tomato
Chilli sauce
Bitter bean crakers



Directions:
Dust lightly osso bucco with plain flour. Then, heat the oil on a frying pan and pan fry the osso bucco until the surface is golden yellow. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 160 deg C.

Use a dutch oven (heat proof pot and lid), heat the pot on the stove and saute the ground spices until fragrant. Add the meat, whole spices and top up with hot water until just cover the meat. Cover the pot and put in the oven. Cook for 1.5 hours or until meat is tender.

Cool the meat to room temperature. Then, keep it in the fridge until the fat solidify. Scrape the fat from the surface of the soup. If the dish is not going to be consumed on that day. Keep the osso bucco and the broth in a container and keep them in the freezer.

Drain the osso bucco. Heat up some oil on medium heat and pan fry until golden brown (Note: the oil will splatter). Then, cut the meat into cubes. Put the meat cubes back to the soup. Add the last seasoning mix. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Serve hot with the condiments and steam rice.