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What to eat in Java? Top 14 Javanese Soups

Last update: Thu Mar 20 2025
Top 14 Javanese Soups
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01

Meat Soup

JAKARTA, Indonesia
4.7
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

Soup

CIREBON, Indonesia
4.5
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Empal gentong is a traditional soup originating from Cirebon. Cooked in a clay pot, the soup is usually made with a combination of beef, shallots, garlic, candlenut, turmeric, nutmeg, coconut milk, kecap manis soy sauce, cloves, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves.


There are many variations on the soup, so the ingredients may vary. The soup is slowly simmered in a clay pot until the meat becomes tender and starts to fall apart. Before serving, the soup is traditionally garnished with chives (kuchai), which give a mild garlicky and grassy flavor to empal gentong.

03

Meat Soup

SURABAYA, Indonesia
4.4
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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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04

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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05
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Sayur lodeh is a traditional dish made with vegetables stewed in coconut milk. Eggplant, jackfruit, melinjo, long beans, and carrots are the most common vegetables used in the dish. However, sayur lodeh is so versatile that any vegetable can be utilized.


The spices can also be adjusted, but sayur lodeh should always be generously seasoned and spiced. The origin of sayur lodeh is the Indonesian island of Java, and it is traditionally served on slametan - Javanese feasts celebrating certain special occasions. 

MOST ICONIC Sayur lodeh

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06

Meat Soup

MALANG, Indonesia
4.0
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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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07

Noodle Dish

BANDUNG, Indonesia
3.9
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Hailing from Bandung, mie kocok is an aromatic soup that combines sliced beef, beef offal, or meatballs with flat yellow noodles and other accompaniments such as crackers, bean sprouts, sliced scallions, and fried shallots. All ingredients are served in a clear beef broth, while spicy sambal paste and soy sauce may be served as condiments.


The name mie kocok roughly translates as shaken noodles, presumably because the noodles are shaken in a strainer before they are added to the soup.

MOST ICONIC Mie kocok

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08

Vegetable Soup

WEST JAVA, Indonesia
3.8
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Sayur asem is a sweet and sour vegetable soup. Often referred to as tamarind soup, it is one of the favorite vegetable dishes in Indonesia. The entire dish is based on tamarind, an unusual plant commonly grown in Southeast Asia, which gives the dish a distinctive sour taste.


Other traditional Indonesian ingredients in sayur asem include jackfruit, melinjo, long beans, bilimbi, pumpkin, corn, and chayote. Sayur asem originated among the Sundanese people residing in West Java. However, their original recipe for this traditional soup has been adapted across Indonesia. 

MOST ICONIC Sayur asem

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09

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.

10

Meat Soup

JAVA, Indonesia
3.6
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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. 
11
Meat Soup
BANDUNG, Indonesia
3.6
12
Soup
EAST JAVA, Indonesia
3.3
13
Offal Soup
JAKARTA, Indonesia
n/a
14
Noodle Soup
JAKARTA, Indonesia
n/a

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Javanese Soups