Recipes › Rawon

Rawon

By Rani Nurani · Published 2 November 2026

Rawon gets its dark colour and nutty depth from keluak (black nut), not from hours of burnt spice. The broth should taste earthy and savoury, with beef soft enough to cut with a spoon.

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef shank or brisket, cubed
• 2 litres water
• 6 shallots, 5 garlic cloves
• 4 keluak nuts, soaked and flesh scooped (or 2 tbsp keluak paste)
• 2 cm ginger, 2 cm galangal, 2 cm turmeric
• 3 candlenuts
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 lemongrass stalks, 3 daun salam, 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• To serve: bean sprouts, salted egg, sambal, fried shallots, lime, rice

Method

1. Simmer beef in water 60–75 minutes until starting to tenderise. Skim. Keep the broth.
2. Blend shallots, garlic, keluak, ginger, galangal, turmeric, candlenuts and coriander into a paste.
3. Fry paste in oil 8–10 minutes until fragrant and darker. Add to the pot with lemongrass and leaves.
4. Simmer 45–60 minutes more until beef is tender and broth is deep brown-black. Season with salt and palm sugar.
5. Serve over rice with sprouts, salted egg, sambal, lime and fried shallots.

Notes and tips

• Keluak paste from a jar is fine if whole nuts are unavailable — smell it first; it should be earthy, not rancid.
• A pressure cooker cuts beef time roughly in half; still fry the paste separately.
• Rawon tastes better the next day.

Cooked it? Tell us how it went on the contact page — corrections and regional variations are always welcome.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the paste fry Raw keluak paste can taste muddy. Fry until aromatic.
• Lean stewing cut only Shank/brisket collagen gives body; lean dice dries out.
• Serving without contrast Bean sprouts, lime and sambal cut the richness — do not skip all three.

Frequently asked questions