Rawon is one of East Java's most striking dishes, a beef soup coloured a deep, glossy black thanks to keluak, the fermented Indonesian black nut that's also famous in Peranakan cooking. Don't let the colour throw you, the flavour is deep, nutty and slightly smoky, closer to a rich, savoury broth than anything bitter or strange.
The beef is simmered low and slow until properly tender, while the spice paste, keluak, shallots, garlic, galangal and candlenuts, gets fried off separately until dark and fragrant before it all comes together in one pot. It's a dish with real depth, the sort of soup that tastes even better the day after it's made, once the flavours have had time to settle in.
Serve it the East Java way, ladled over rice with bean sprouts, a scatter of fried shallots and a few salted eggs on the side if you can find them. It's humble looking but seriously good eating.
