Hearty Indonesian Beef Shank Soup with Aromatic Spices

Sup Sengkel Sapi: A Flavorful Beef Shank Soup

Ingredients:

• 250 grams beef shank
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• ½ nutmeg, crushed
• 5 cm cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 tomato, quartered
• Salt, to taste
• Fried shallots, for garnish
• 4 carrots
• 2 potatoes
• ¼ cabbage
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 scallions
• 1-1.5 liters water
• A bit of cooking oil for sautéing
• Mushroom stock powder, to taste (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Beef:

   • Rinse the beef shank thoroughly. In a pot, heat a small amount of water until it boils, then add the beef. Boil briefly and discard the water to remove impurities.

2. Cook the Beef:

   • In a clean pot, bring 1-1.5 liters of water to a boil. Add the beef shank, salt, and ground pepper. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently to extract more flavor from the beef and create a rich broth.

3. Prepare the Spice Paste:

   • While the beef is simmering, grind the garlic and nutmeg together into a fine paste. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and sauté the garlic-nutmeg paste along with the thinly sliced onion until golden brown and aromatic.

4. Add Spices and Vegetables:

   • Transfer the sautéed mixture to the pot with the beef. Add the quartered tomato, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom pods. Continue cooking until the beef is tender and fully cooked.

5. Prepare the Vegetables:

   • Wash and cut the carrots, potatoes, cabbage, celery, and scallions into bite-sized pieces.

6. Finish the Soup:

   • Once the beef is tender, add the potatoes and carrots to the pot. After about 7 minutes, add the cabbage. Adjust the seasoning with salt and, if desired, mushroom stock powder. Cook for an additional 2 minutes before adding the celery and scallions. Turn off the heat.

7. Garnish and Serve:

   • Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with fried shallots for a crispy, flavorful garnish.

Enjoy this comforting and aromatic beef shank soup, perfect for warming up on a chilly day or impressing guests with a hearty meal!