Coto Makassar (South Sulawesi Beef Soup)
In short: A rich Makassar soup of tender beef simmered with ground roasted peanuts, toasted spices and lemongrass, served with rice cakes, lime and sambal. It takes about 3 h 30 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 3 h
- Total
- 3 h 30 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 410 kcal
Coto Makassar is the signature soup of Makassar in South Sulawesi, a deep, nutty beef broth thickened with ground roasted peanuts and scented with toasted coriander, cumin and fennel. Cooks traditionally add several cuts of beef and offal, but this version keeps to tender shank and brisket. Eat it with ketupat (rice cakes), a squeeze of lime and plenty of sambal.
Instructions
- Put the beef, water, ginger, lemongrass, bay leaves and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then simmer gently for 1 hour.
- Toast the coriander, cumin, fennel and peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Grind them with the peanuts to a coarse powder.
- Blend the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, galangal and ginger with the ground spices and a little broth into a thick paste.
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the paste for 5 minutes, stirring, until it smells toasted and the oil starts to separate.
- Stir the paste into the pot. Simmer, partly covered, for 60 to 90 minutes, until the beef is very tender and the broth is rich and slightly thick.
- Lift out the beef, slice it into bite-size pieces and return it to the pot. Taste and adjust the salt.
- Ladle into bowls over ketupat or rice. Top with fried shallots, spring onions and celery, and serve with lime and sambal.
Tips
- Toast the whole spices just until fragrant. If they darken they turn bitter, and the soup loses its warm, nutty aroma.
- To use offal as in Makassar, add 300 g cleaned beef tripe or heart in step 1. Tripe needs about 2 hours of simmering to become tender.
Questions and answers
How is coto Makassar different from soto?
Coto is thickened with ground peanuts and flavored with toasted spices, so it is darker, nuttier and thicker than most clear soto soups from Java.
Can I make coto Makassar ahead?
Yes. It keeps for 3 days in the fridge and tastes better the next day. Reheat gently and add a splash of water if it has thickened.
What do you eat with coto Makassar?
Traditionally ketupat or burasa (rice cakes wrapped in banana leaf), with lime, chilies and sambal. Plain steamed rice is a fine substitute.
How long does it take to make Coto Makassar (South Sulawesi Beef Soup)?
About 3 h 30 min in total: 30 min of preparation and 3 h of cooking.
How many calories are in Coto Makassar (South Sulawesi Beef Soup)?
About 410 kcal per serving, with 36 g of protein, 7 g of carbohydrates and 26 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 410 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 36 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g |
| Fat | 26 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Sodium | 900 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
