Soto Mie Bogor is one of my favourite dishes from my hometown, Bogor. It is a comforting bowl of beef broth, noodles, vermicelli, cabbage, crispy risol, and plenty of fresh lime and sambal.
Ingredients
Beef & Broth
- 1 kg beef shank (sengkel)
- 250 g beef trimmings (tetelan)
- 4 stalks lemongrass, bruised
- 6 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam)
- 15 kaffir lime leaves
- 1½ whole nutmeg, lightly crushed
- 7 cloves
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 3 tsp chicken stock powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2½ tsp seasoning powder (optional)
- 3 litres water
Spice Paste
- 14 shallots
- 18 cloves garlic
- 9 candlenuts
- 2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
- ½ thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 1 thumb-sized piece of galangal
- 16 red chillies
- 10 bird’s eye chillies
- 2 tbsp dried shrimp (ebi), toasted
Noodles & Garnishes
- Risol, sliced into pieces
- Fried potatoes
- Shredded cabbage
- Yellow egg noodles
- Rice vermicelli
- Spring onions, finely sliced
- Celery leaves, finely chopped
- Lime wedges
- Sambal
- Emping (melinjo crackers)
Step 1: Prepare the Spice Paste
Blend the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, toasted cumin, ginger, galangal, red chillies, bird’s eye chillies, and toasted dried shrimp until smooth.
For a deeper flavour, sauté the spice paste in a little oil over medium heat until fragrant and the raw aroma disappears. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Beef Broth
Place the beef shank and beef trimmings in a large pot and add the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
Add the lemongrass, Indonesian bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, crushed nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon stick.
Add the prepared spice paste, followed by the salt, sugar, black pepper, chicken stock powder, and seasoning powder if using.
Simmer gently for 2–3 hours, or until the beef is tender and the broth is deeply flavoured. Skim off any excess foam or impurities that rise to the surface during cooking.
Step 3: Prepare the Beef
Remove the cooked beef from the broth and allow it to cool slightly.
Slice or shred the beef into bite-sized pieces, then return it to the broth. Keep the soup warm over low heat while you prepare the remaining components.
Step 4: Make the Risol
Risol is one of the things that makes Soto Mie Bogor so special. These thin fried rolls are usually filled with rice vermicelli and add a delicious crispy texture to the soup.
Wrapper Batter
This recipe makes approximately one batch. Double it if you need more risol.
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp oil
- 320 ml water
Whisk everything together until smooth, then strain the batter to remove any lumps.
Filling
- Cooked rice vermicelli
- Oyster sauce
- Chicken stock powder
- Spring onions
- Celery
Mix the cooked vermicelli with the oyster sauce, chicken stock powder, spring onions, and celery.
Assemble & Fry
- Heat a lightly oiled non-stick pan and make very thin crepe-like wrappers from the batter.
- Place a small amount of the vermicelli filling in the centre of each wrapper.
- Fold in the sides and roll tightly.
- Seal the edges with a little leftover batter.
- Deep-fry the risol until golden and crisp.
- Drain on a wire rack or paper towel, then slice into pieces before serving.
Step 5: Assemble the Soto Mie
For each bowl, add:
- Yellow egg noodles
- Rice vermicelli
- Shredded cabbage
- Sliced beef
- Fried potatoes
- Sliced risol
Ladle the hot beef broth over everything, making sure the noodles and other ingredients are covered with plenty of broth.
Step 6: Serve
Finish each bowl with spring onions and celery, then serve with lime wedges, sambal, and plenty of crunchy emping.
Squeeze fresh lime juice into the broth and add sambal to taste. The combination of rich beef broth, tangy lime, spicy sambal, soft noodles, and crispy risol is what makes Soto Mie Bogor so addictive.
A Few Tips
- Toast the cumin and dried shrimp before blending. It gives the spice paste a much deeper aroma.
- Keep the broth at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil. This helps develop a cleaner, richer broth.
- Don’t skip the risol. It takes extra time, but the crispy texture is an important part of Soto Mie Bogor.
- Adjust the lime and sambal at the table. The fresh acidity and heat balance the richness of the beef broth beautifully.
- Give yourself plenty of time. This is not an everyday 30-minute meal, but it is exactly the kind of dish worth making when you want something special.
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