Coto Makassar: a beef soup built on peanuts and patience

Coto Makassar is one of the great soups of Indonesia. Beef, liver, heart, tripe and other cuts are simmered for hours with garlic, shallot, coriander, cumin, lemongrass and ground peanuts, which thicken the broth and give it a deep, nutty flavour.

It is served with ketupat, the compressed rice cakes cooked in woven palm leaf, and eaten with a spoonful of sweet soy sauce and a fiery sambal. The soup is rich, slightly sweet and very savoury, and it is traditionally a breakfast dish, eaten before the heat of the day.

What goes into the pot

Coto is a nose-to-tail dish. Beef shank, brisket, liver, heart, lung and tripe are all common, simmered until tender. The spices are toasted and ground: coriander, cumin, fennel, garlic, shallot, lemongrass, galangal and plenty of black pepper.

Ground peanuts are the defining ingredient. They are stirred into the broth towards the end, thickening it and adding a rounded, savoury sweetness. The result is closer to a stew than a clear soup, and it is usually served with the meat and broth together in a deep bowl.

• Beef, liver, heart and tripe
• Coriander, cumin and black pepper
• Ground peanuts for body
• Ketupat rice cakes on the side

How it is eaten

The soup arrives with a plate of ketupat, sliced into chunks. You break off pieces, dip them in the broth or drop them in, and eat with a spoon. Sweet soy sauce and sambal are added at the table, and some people squeeze in a little lime.

The flavour is rich and nutty, with a slow chilli heat if you add the sambal. It is a heavy breakfast, and most people eat it early, before the day gets hot. In Makassar, coto stalls open before dawn and often sell out by mid-morning.

Where to eat it

Makassar is full of coto warungs, from simple roadside stalls to large restaurants. The best-known include Coto Nusantara and Coto Kuda, both busy from early morning. Look for a place with a big pot on the boil and a queue of locals.

Outside Makassar, coto is served in South Sulawesi communities across Indonesia, especially in Jakarta and Surabaya. The versions vary: some are thicker, some add more offal, and some use chicken instead of beef. Ask what is in the pot before ordering if you are squeamish.

What it costs and when to go

A bowl costs IDR 30,000 to 60,000, with ketupat and extras adding a little more. It is a substantial meal, and one bowl is usually enough. Prices are higher in Jakarta and tourist areas, lower in Makassar itself.

Go for breakfast or an early lunch. Traditional coto stalls open around six in the morning and close when the pot is empty, often by noon. In the afternoon, some restaurants serve a second batch, but the early morning is the real thing.

The offal question

Coto traditionally includes offal, and that is part of what makes it distinctive. If you are not comfortable with liver, tripe or heart, ask for “coto daging saja”, meat only. Most vendors will accommodate, though the broth will still have been built on the full range of cuts.

If you are adventurous, try the full version: the textures are part of the pleasure, and the liver and heart add a mineral depth that plain beef cannot. Either way, the peanut and spice base is the star, and it is worth eating even if you stick to the meat.

Coto in the wider Sulawesi food scene

Makassar has one of the most distinctive food cultures in Indonesia, with a strong emphasis on seafood, grilled fish and spicy sauces. Coto is the city’s most famous dish, but it sits alongside konro, grilled beef ribs in a dark soup, and pisang epe, grilled banana with palm sugar.

If you are in Makassar for a few days, eat coto for breakfast, konro for lunch and seafood at the night market near the waterfront. The city is a natural stopover for Tana Toraja and the dive sites of Bunaken, and the food alone justifies a day or two.

Makassar’s breakfast culture

Makassar eats early. Coto stalls open before dawn, and by seven in the morning they are full of workers, students and families. The dish is heavy, warm and salty, designed to fuel a day in the heat. Coffee is strong and sweet, and the pace is quick.

Breakfast is a social ritual. People share tables, talk about the day and linger over a second bowl. The stalls are often run by families who have been cooking coto for generations, and the recipe is a point of pride. If you ask about the spices, you will get a detailed answer.

For visitors, eating coto for breakfast is one of the best ways to see the city wake up. Go early, sit where the locals sit, and order a bowl with ketupat. The heat and the richness might be a shock first thing in the morning, but it is worth it. By noon, the best stalls are already closing.

Offal is central to coto, and it is worth trying the full version at least once. The liver adds a mineral depth, the heart a firmer texture and the tripe a slight chew. If you are not used to it, start with a mixed bowl and eat the meat first, then try the offal. The broth carries the flavour, so even a small piece will taste of the peanuts and spices.

If you have time, visit a traditional market in Makassar in the early morning. The spice stalls sell the coriander, cumin and peanuts that go into coto, and the fish market shows what the city eats the rest of the day. It is the best context for the bowl you had at breakfast, and it is only a short ride from the coto warungs.

Questions people actually ask

What does coto Makassar taste like?

Rich, nutty and savoury, with a deep beef flavour from the long simmer and a slow chilli heat from the sambal. The ground peanuts give it a thick, rounded body.

Does coto contain offal?

Traditionally yes, including liver, heart and tripe. You can ask for coto daging saja, meat only, if you prefer.

When should I eat coto?

It is a breakfast dish. Stalls open around six in the morning and often sell out by noon, so go early for the best version.

Where can I find coto outside Makassar?

South Sulawesi communities across Indonesia serve it, especially in Jakarta and Surabaya. The versions vary, so ask what cuts are in the pot.