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What to eat in Indonesia? Top 14 Indonesian Meat Soups

Last update: Fri Feb 14 2025
Top 14 Indonesian Meat Soups
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01

Meat Soup

JAKARTA, Indonesia
4.6
Soto Betawi
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Soto Betawi is a hearty beef soup consisting of chunks of meat and offal that are slowly simmered in a coconut milk broth, which is usually enriched with various spices such as lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, kefir lime leaves, and coriander. When served, the soup is accompanied by different condiments that typically include tomatoes, scallions, sweet soy sauce, and emping crackers.


Because of its name, it is believed that the dish originated in Jakarta among the Betawi people, and today it is one of the most popular dishes in the city, usually sold at various street stalls, restaurants, or hawker-style establishments. Soto Betawi is traditionally enjoyed with steamed rice and pickled acar on the side.

MOST ICONIC Soto Betawi

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02

Meat Soup

SURABAYA, Indonesia
4.5
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Rawon is a unique Indonesian dish with origins in East Java. This flavorful soup is usually made with slow-braised beef and other traditional Indonesian ingredients such as lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger, and chili. However, the key element is buah kluwek, the Indonesian black nut.


This unusual Indonesian spice is highly toxic when raw, and always needs to be fermented before consumption. It is ground with other ingredients and spices, giving the dish its earthy and sour taste and the unique dark black color. The origin of the dish is believed to be the city of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. 

MOST ICONIC Rawon

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03

Chicken Soup

LAMONGAN, Indonesia
4.4
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As the name suggests, this traditional soto variety originated in Lamongan. It is mainly prepared with chicken cuts that are slowly simmered in broth, along with a spice paste that usually consists of lemongrass, coriander, caraways seeds, galangal, garlic, turmeric, and ginger.


The chicken is then shredded, and the dish is typically served with noodles, cabbage, scallions, boiled eggs, prawn crackers, or other garnishes. Soto Lamongan can be served as a standard soup, but sometimes the main ingredients and the broth may be served in two separate bowls. 

MOST ICONIC Soto Lamongan

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04

Meat Soup

MAKASSAR, Indonesia
4.2
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Makassar is one of Indonesia's most famous culinary destinations. This port city situated at the south of Sulawesi Island is represented in the most traditional dish of the area - coto Makassar. This thick and tasty soup is usually made with beef and a variety of innards, such as tripe, brain, lungs, or intestines.


The process of preparing coto Makassar is time-consuming, and the meat is left to simmer in the spice-enriched broth for many hours. It is typically served in bowls with a dollop of traditional Indonesian chili sauce known as sambal. The dish is typically served with rice or rice cakes packed in woven palm or coconut leaves. 

MOST ICONIC Coto Makassar

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05

Meat Soup

MALANG, Indonesia
3.9
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As its name suggests, bakwan Malang is an Indonesian dish that originated in the city of Malang, and it is closely associated with bakso - another well-known Indonesian meatball soup. Both bakso and bakwan Malang derive from the Indonesian-Chinese culinary tradition, and since Indonesia is predominantly a Muslim country, the meatballs are usually made with beef or chicken.


The two dishes share some similarities, but bakwan Malang is characterized by the addition of fried wontons (bakwan). Although it consists of common and inexpensive ingredients, the dish combines typical Indonesian flavors that are enjoyed both by locals and tourists.

MOST ICONIC Bakwan malang

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06

Beef Dish

SURAKARTA, Indonesia
3.7
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Selat solo is an Indonesian dish believed to have originated as a European salad that’s been adapted to Javanese tastes. It hails from Solo in Central Java, hence the name. The dish is made with a combination of beef tenderloin, onions, soy sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, shallots, cloves, nutmeg, hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, potatoes, and green beans.


The vegetables and eggs are layered in plate, the meat is then placed over them, and the watery soup is poured over the meat. The dish is traditionally served with a bit of mayonnaise on the side and can be categorized as a main meat dish, a salad, and a soup.

07

Meat Soup

SOUTH SULAWESI, Indonesia
3.6
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Konro is an unusual soup originating from the city of Makassar, located in South Sulawesi. This rich beef soup, commonly referred to as sop konro, is usually made with spare ribs cooked in a flavorful broth. The dish has a unique and distinctive flavor due to the use of traditional Indonesian spices such as kluwak and galangal.


However, even though it is flavorful, unlike the majority of national dishes in Indonesia, it is not particularly spicy. Usually, the ribs are served together with the broth, but the dish can sometimes be divided in a two-course meal, when broth and ribs are served separately. 

MOST ICONIC Konro

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08

Meat Soup

BANDUNG, Indonesia
3.6
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Soto Bandung is a traditional dish and a type of soto soup originating from Bandung. The soup is usually made with a combination of cubed beef, ginger, garlic, scallions, thinly sliced daikon, bay leaves, lemongrass, oil, sugar, salt, and white pepper.


The ingredients are cooked in water until the beef becomes tender. The soup is then seasoned with salt, pepper, and sugar, and daikon is added to the pot near the end of cooking. Once prepared, soto Bandung is garnished with many ingredients such as soy beans, scallions, shallot flakes, and often a squeeze of kaffir lime.

09

Meat Soup

JAVA, Indonesia
3.4
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Sop buntut is a traditional soup originating from Indonesia. The soup is made with oxtail, oil, carrots, potatoes, and a huge number of spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, white pepper, shallots, garlic, ginger, and onions. The combination is simmered for a few hours until the oxtails are fully cooked and have a tender consistency.


The spice paste is sautéed and it's added to the pot with carrots and potatoes, and the soup is simmered for a bit more until the vegetables are tender. Sop buntut is usually served with slices of scallions and tomatoes, and it's garnished with fried shallots. 
10

Meat Soup

MEDAN, Indonesia
3.2
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This soto variety combines chicken or beef with a creamy broth that is enriched with coconut milk and a myriad of different spices and herbs such as galangal, turmeric, ginger, and coriander. The meat is cooked, then shredded and fried before it's doused in a flavorful broth.


The dish is finished off with various condiments such as boiled eggs, fish cakes, prawn crackers, potato fritters, or fried shallots, while the rice is typically served on the side. As its name suggests, this soto variety hails from the city of Medan, where it's regarded as a signature dish and a highly sought-after regional delicacy.

MOST ICONIC Soto Medan

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Meat Soup
PADANG, Indonesia
n/a
14
Meat Soup
MAKASSAR, Indonesia
n/a

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Indonesian Meat Soups