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Empal Gentong - Cirebon Beef Soup
If you want a bowl of comforting soup, you can't go wrong with some empal gentong. Try serving this beef soup with ketupat (rice cake) and sambal rebus.
Empal gentong is a traditional beef soup from the city of Cirebon in West Java, Indonesia. I’d like to think of this soup as the representative soto (traditional Indonesian soup) of Cirebon. This beef soup is very rich and savory from the use of spices and coconut milk. It is enjoyed with either steamed white rice, or ketupat/lontong, and a side of sambal rebus.
Choosing the right beef cut to use for empal gentong
Like most other Indonesian soto/soup that use beef as its main ingredient, the most popular cut is beef brisket (Indonesian: sandung lamur). Basically, this is our most common stew cut to make any kind of soto. You don’t have to stick to this particular cut, and you can use other beef cuts that are also suitable for stew, such as:
- beef chuck
- beef round
- any beef cut that is labeled as beef stew cut
Aside from the meat, traditionally we also add equal part beef entrails to make empal gentong. Honeycomb tripe and intestines are always popular, but if you feel squeamish, or if it is not easy to obtain these, you can use 100% beef meat.
Herbs and spices to prepare empal gentong
To prepare empal gentong, you will need the following ingredients:
- lemongrass (Indonesian: sereh)
- kaffir lime leaves (Indonesian: daun jeruk)
- cloves (Indonesian: cengkeh)
- shallots (Indonesian: bawang merah), preferably Asian/Chinese shallots, but you can use French shallots too
- garlic (Indonesian: bawang putih)
- candlenut (Indonesian: kemiri), you can sub with an equal amount of macadamia nuts
- turmeric (Indonesian: kunyit)
- nutmeg (Indonesian: pala)
- coconut milk (Indonesian: santan)
- kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
When serving this soup, I usually prepare the following:
- steamed white rice, or ketupat (rice cakes)
- thinly sliced scallions
- deep-fried shallot (Indonesian: bawang goreng)
- lime juice
- sambal rebus
Empal Gentong - Cirebon Beef Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 lemongrass (Indonesian: sereh), bruised
- 2 cloves (Indonesian: cengkeh)
- 1 kilogram beef brisket (Indonesian: sandung lamur) or other beef cuts for stew, bite sizes
- 1500 ml (6 cup) beef stock/water
- 200 ml (~ 1/2 can) coconut milk
- 3 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Indonesian: kecap manis)
- 2 kaffir lime leaves (Indonesian: daun jeruk)
- Grind the following into spice paste
- 100 gram shallot (Indonesian: bawang merah)
- 4 cloves garlic (Indonesian: bawang putih)
- 5 candlenut (Indonesian: kemiri)
- 1 fresh turmeric (Indonesian: kunyit), or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (Indonesian: pala)
- For the garnishes
- thinly sliced scallions
- thinly sliced chives (Indonesian: kucai)
- chili flakes (Indonesian: cabe kering tumbuk)
- deep-fried shallot (Indonesian: bawang goreng)
- lime juice
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil in a soup pot and stir fry spice paste, lemongrass, and cloves until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the beef into the pot, mix well until the meat is no longer pink.
- Pour the beef stock (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the meat is fully cooked and tender.
- Add the coconut milk, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), and kaffir lime leaves. Stir and bring to a boil again. Once it boils, immediately turn off the heat.
- Add scallions, deep-fried shallot, and lime juice prior to serving. Serve empal gentong with steamed white rice, or ketupat/rice cakes, and sambal rebus.
Comments
hi anita in the ingredients it says: 2 cloves...is it 2 cloves of garlic? i want to try this one :) thanks :) elly
Hi Elly, hmm... the cloves is what we Indonesian call cengkeh. I've updated the recipe with Indonesian terms to clear up the confusion. :)
silly me heheh i know what you mean heheh
;)
This beef stew sounds absolutely delicious and perfect for the upcoming winter!
Same here. I start making soup all the time the moment the weather becomes chilly. Hot soup/stew is just the perfect remedy to chase away the cold.
Such a flavorful and hearty soup. I can't wait to try this.
So delicious and such unique flavors. We loved this!
Yay, I'm so happy. We love this too. :)
This beef soup looks and sounds so stinking good! I want to try this recipe later this week after I hit up the grocery store! YUM!
Can the leftover be kept in the fridge? If yes, for how long? Just in case the coconut milk in the recipe makes this spoil faster than normal soups.
Yes, you can safely store any leftover in the fridge, Ira. I have stored this soup for up to a week without any adverse effects. When you want to serve the soup again, simply reheat in a microwave, or if you prefer, you can reheat on a stove-top in a soup pot too. :)
I love the sound of this and it looks incredible!
Wow this looks amazing! I love Thai food, and this looks like there are some similarities. I can't wait to give this a try.
I've never tried Indonesion food before. With this combination of coconut milk and spices, though, this is a must-try recipe. Sounds amazing!
So easy to make and so filling. Love this soup so much, thank you!
I never try and heard empal gentong in Indonesia. I tried to cook it, it's very delicious and tasty! I'm using beef brisket cubes, but the meat was still hard even after boiled it for 1 hour. Is it not the right type of meat? Thanks, Anita.
Lisa, different cuts may take different time. But if after 1 hour the meat is still not tender, feel free to continue cooking for another 30-60 minutes, or until you are happy with the tenderness of the meat.
Hi... Anita turmeric I think is kunyit not kencur... Sorry if I'm wrong.
Hi Rista, you are right! I wrote down the correct translation in the recipe card, but somehow got the one in the post itself wrong. It will be updated. :)
Delicious, flavorful, and simple ! easy to follow recipe and it was soooo good thank you very much :-)
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