Sop Buntut – an Indonesian Dish Made From Beef Tail

Origin
Sop buntut has a long history and comes from European cuisine, especially Dutch cuisine. During the Dutch colonial era in Indonesia, this dish was commonly served by the Dutch rulers in Indonesia. Later, this dish became popular among Indonesian people and continued to develop into one of the most famous Indonesian dishes.

Ingredients
The main ingredient of sop buntut is beef tail. Beef tail has very tender and delicious meat, making it suitable for making soup. Besides beef tail, other ingredients needed are garlic, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, bay leaves, candlenut, red chili, tomato, sweet soy sauce, salt, pepper, and water.

Cooking Method
To make sop buntut, first, the beef tail is cleaned and cut into small pieces. Then, the beef tail pieces are boiled with boiling water for several hours until tender. After that, spices such as garlic, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, bay leaves, candlenut, and red chili are sautéed and added to the beef tail broth. Then, tomato and sweet soy sauce are added to give a richer flavor. After the spices are cooked, sop buntut is ready to be served.

Serving Method
Sop buntut is usually served with white rice, vegetables such as cabbage and carrots, and cucumber pickle. To give a more delicious taste, sop buntut can also be added with fried onions or finely chopped scallions.

Variations
Sop buntut has many variations in Indonesia depending on the region. In Jakarta, for example, sop buntut is often served with french fries and fresh tomato slices on top. In other regions, sop buntut can be cooked with various ingredients such as red beans, sweet corn, or tofu.

Benefits
Beef tail, which is the main ingredient of sop buntut, has many benefits for health, such as helping to boost the immune system and prevent osteoporosis. Besides, vegetables such as cabbage and carrots that are often served with sop buntut are also rich in nutrients that are good for health.