Sup Iga Sapi (Indonesian Beef Short Rib Soup)
Sup Iga Sapi is a hearty and delicious Indonesian beef short rib soup with melt-in-your-mouth slow-cooked short ribs and vegetables simmered in a warm savory broth. It will hit the spot when you are craving a comforting soup.
What Is Sup Iga Sapi?
Sup Iga Sapi is a hearty soup packed with tender short ribs, veggies, herbs, and spices in a rich clear beef broth. The soup is cooked long and slow to tender the beef and draw out nutrients and flavor from the bones. It is packed with flavor and so comforting.
What Are Short Ribs?
Beef short ribs are a type of rib that comes from the chuck, plate, rib, or brisket section of a cow. They earned their name because they contain “short” pieces of rib bones encased in meat. While they offer less meat than steak, they have more meat than other beef rib varieties. They cook best using pressure cooking, braising, and low-simmering methods, which is why they work in soup.
Ingredients You Need
- Beef short ribs – Beef short ribs are the absolute best cut of beef for slow cooking! You can also use other types of beef if preferred.
- Vegetable Oil. For frying the garlic and shallots.
- Garlic – For aromatic flavor and aroma.
- Shallots – Shallots used in Southeast Asian cuisine tend to be small with a red exterior and white interior. Unlike western shallots which tend to be larger, Indonesian shallots are small and sweeter in flavor. The individual cloves resemble garlic cloves with pointed tapered ends. Before being added to the soup, the shallots are first fried in oil with garlic. They will add an oniony aroma and flavor to the broth.
- Nutmeg – Add warm flavor to the soup.
- Carrots – Carrots are sweet and absolutely belong in delicious soup.
- Potatoes – They make the soup nice and hearty. Cut into small bite-sized chunks.
- Green onion – Use the white part of the green onion to add flavor to the broth. Thinly slice the green part to give the dish a finishing touch.
- Leaf celery – Leaf celery or Chinese celery is a variety of celery cultivated in East Asian countries. The stems are thinner than those of Western celery. Also, unlike Western celery, the leaves are used as well as the stalks. If you don’t have leaf celery or don’t like its flavor, you can completely omit it or substitute it with Western celery.
- Tomatoes – Add freshness.
- Lime – Squeeze a little bit of lime juice over the soup if you prefer it a little tangy.
- Seasonings – Salt and ground white pepper for taste. Add beef stock powder for richer broth.
How to Make Sup Iga Sapi
- In a large pot, add short ribs and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Discard the water and rinse the short ribs with clean water.
- In a pressure cooker, add the cleaned short ribs, water, nutmeg, and the white part of green onion. Season with salt, ground white pepper, and beef stock powder. Bring to a boil.
- Seal the pressure cooker and cook the beef for 30 minutes. Slowly depressure the cooker and open the seal. Check the ribs. If the meat is not tender yet, cook the ribs again in the pressure cooker.
- In a small frying pan, heat oil on low heat. Add sliced garlic and shallots. Stir fry until they turn golden brown.
- Add the fried garlic and shallots into the soup. Add carrots and potatoes. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Add the green part of the green onion and leaf celery. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings.
- Add tomatoes to the serving bowls. Ladle in the hot soup. Squeeze lime juice over the soup if you want to add tanginess.
Why Do You Boil the Short Ribs Twice?
You should boil the short ribs first for 5 minutes to get rid of the blood and excess fat. The initial boil is important because it helps the proteins clump together, making it easy to skim off the scum that can cloud the water and give the stock a muddy flavor. This is the main key for the clean broth. After the first boil, discard the water and rinse the short ribs with clean water. Then, you can continue with the next step.
Can You Make This Recipe Without a Pressure Cooker?
The pressure cooker helps tenderize the meat and make stock much faster than the regular cooking method. You can also use an instant pot if you have it. If you don’t have a pressure cooker or instant pot, you may need to cook for 1-2 hours in a normal cooking pot over a stovetop to tenderize the meat.
Sop Iga Sapi (Indonesian Beef Short Rib Soup)
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs (500 gr) beef short ribs
- 10 cups (2.5 liter) water, divided
Aromatics
- 1/2 nutmeg, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 5 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Seasonings
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, or more
- 1 tsp beef stock powder, or more
- 1 tsp ground white pepper, or more
Vegetables
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
- 1 stalk green onion, cut into 2-inch/5 cm pieces
- 2 stalks leaf celery, roughly chopped
Accompaniments
- 2 tomatoes, cut into small chunks
- 1-2 small limes, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Clean ribs – Boil ribs in 4 cups (1 liter) water for 5 minutes until foamy and the scum has surfaced. Transfer the ribs into a separate bowl and discard the water. Rinse the ribs with clean water.
- Boil ribs – Add the cleaned ribs, 6 cups (1.5 liter) water, nutmeg, and the white part of green onion into a pressure cooker. Season with salt, beef stock powder, and ground white pepper. Heat on medium-high heat until shimmering. Seal the pressure cooker, bring to high pressure, and cook for 20-30 minutes. Depressurize the pressure cooker and remove the lid. Check if the ribs are tender. If the ribs are still tough, you need to cook them longer. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can simmer the ingredients in a large pot for 1 hour or more until the ribs are tender)
- Fry aromatics – In a small frying pan, heat oil on low-medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and shallots. Stir fry until they turn brown. Transfer them to the soup.
- Add carrots and potatoes to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
- Add the green part of green onion and leaf celery. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings. Remove from the heat.
- How to serve – Place some tomato chunks in serving bowls. Add the beef rib soup. Squeeze a little bit of lime juice over the soup if you want to add tanginess. Serve the soup with steamed rice.
A delicious comforting soup