Rawon: the black soup of East Java

Rawon gets its colour from keluak, the fruit of a tree that grows in Southeast Asia. The nut is toxic when raw and must be processed before use; once cooked, it turns the broth a deep black and gives it an earthy, slightly bitter, almost chocolatey flavour.

The soup is made with beef, usually brisket or shank, simmered with garlic, shallot, lemongrass, ginger, galangal and chilli. It is served with rice, bean sprouts, a boiled egg and a spoonful of sambal, and it is one of the great dishes of Indonesian cooking.

The keluak nut

Keluak, also known as the Indonesian black nut or kepayang, is a large fruit with a hard shell and a dark, oily kernel. It contains hydrocyanic acid and must be soaked, boiled or fermented before it can be eaten. In Java, the nuts are often buried in ash or fermented for weeks.

The processed nut is grated or ground and added to the broth, where it provides colour, body and a complex, earthy flavour. It is not a hot spice: the heat comes from chilli and pepper. The keluak is what makes rawon unmistakable, and it is also what makes it slightly bitter in a way that is hard to describe.

• Hard black nut, toxic when raw
• Fermented or soaked before use
• Grated into the broth
• Earthy, slightly bitter flavour

What is in the bowl

Rawon is a beef soup, and the meat is usually brisket, shank or rib, simmered until tender. The broth is built on a spice paste of garlic, shallot, candlenut, coriander, turmeric, ginger, galangal, lemongrass and chilli, with the keluak added for colour and depth.

It is served with a plate of rice, a handful of bean sprouts, a boiled egg, fried shallots and a spoonful of sambal. Some versions add krupuk, prawn crackers, and a slice of lime. The broth is intensely savoury, with a slight sweetness from the shallot and a bitter edge from the keluak.

How to eat it

Spoon the broth over the rice, or dip the rice into the soup. Add the bean sprouts and the egg, and mix in the sambal to taste. The fried shallots go on top, and the lime is squeezed over the meat. It is a meal that is meant to be assembled at the table.

The flavour is strong, so start with a small amount of sambal and add more as you go. The keluak can be bitter, and the sweetness of the shallot is there to balance it. If you are not used to the flavour, try a spoonful of broth first before committing.

Where to eat it

Rawon is a Surabaya speciality, and the city has many warungs and restaurants serving it. The best-known include Rawon Setan, which is open late, and Rawon Kalkulator, both popular with locals. In Malang and Yogyakarta, there are also good versions.

Outside East Java, rawon is served in Indonesian restaurants and in cities with a Javanese community. Look for a menu that mentions keluak or “rawon” rather than a generic beef soup, and ask whether the broth is made from scratch or from a packet.

What it costs and when to eat it

A bowl costs IDR 30,000 to 60,000, with rice and extras included or added. It is a substantial meal, and one bowl is usually enough. In Surabaya, the price is lower than in Jakarta or Bali, and the quality is often better.

Rawon is eaten at lunch and dinner, and in Surabaya it is also a late-night dish: Rawon Setan is famous for serving until the early hours. It is rich and warming, and it suits the cooler evenings in the East Javanese highlands.

Rawon in the wider East Javanese kitchen

East Java has a strong savoury food culture, with dishes such as soto Surabaya, lontong balap and tahu campur. Rawon is the most famous, but it is part of a family of soups and rice dishes that are salty, spicy and deeply flavoured.

If you are in Surabaya, eat rawon for lunch and explore the night markets for the rest. The city is a good base for Bromo and for the ferry to Madura, and its food is one of the reasons to stay an extra day. Rawon is the place to start.

Keluak: the nut behind the colour

Keluak is one of the most unusual ingredients in Indonesian cooking. The fruit is large and hard-shelled, and the kernel inside is toxic when raw. It must be soaked, boiled or fermented to break down the hydrocyanic acid, a process that can take days or weeks depending on the method.

In Java, the nuts are often buried in ash or fermented in a pit, which gives them a dark colour and a complex, slightly bitter flavour. They are then cracked open, grated and added to the broth. The processed nut is also used in other dishes, including rawon’s relatives in Sumatra and Malaysia.

The flavour is difficult to describe: earthy, nutty, slightly bitter and deeply savoury. It is not a heat, and it is not a sweetness. It is the taste of the forest floor, and it is what makes rawon recognisable. If you taste a dark soup in Indonesia and cannot place the flavour, keluak is the likely answer.

Rawon has cousins across Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, the closest relative is the dark beef soup of Kelantan. In Sumatra, there are black soups made with keluak or similar nuts. The principle is the same: a dark, earthy ingredient that gives depth to a long-simmered broth. Once you recognise the flavour, you will find it in dishes you did not expect.

Rawon is also a good dish to order if you are travelling with someone who is unsure about Indonesian food. It is rich and familiar, not too spicy, and the rice and garnishes let you adjust the bowl to your taste. Ask for the sambal on the side, and try the broth before adding anything.

Questions people actually ask

What makes rawon black?

The keluak nut, also called the Indonesian black nut. It is processed to remove toxins, then ground into the broth, giving it a deep black colour and an earthy flavour.

What does rawon taste like?

Rich beef broth with a slightly bitter, earthy note from the keluak, balanced by shallot, garlic and chilli. It is savoury and complex, not just spicy.

Is rawon safe to eat?

Yes. The keluak is processed before use, which removes the toxins. It is a standard dish in East Java and widely eaten.

Where is the best rawon?

Surabaya, where it is a local speciality. Rawon Setan and Rawon Kalkulator are well known, and many smaller warungs serve excellent versions.