Soto Jepara — Central Java, Indonesia

Soto Jepara is a clear, turmeric-tinted soup made with chicken or buffalo meat, closely related to the sotos of neighboring towns along the north coast of Central Java. The broth is light, without coconut milk, and is poured hot over rice and a handful of vegetables just before serving. It is reported from Jepara, a coastal town near Kudus, and shares much of its character with the soto of that neighboring town, including the use of buffalo meat in place of beef, a custom rooted in the region's long-standing respect for its Hindu minority. Chicken or buffalo meat is simmered with lemongrass and bay leaf, while a fried paste of shallot, garlic, turmeric, and candlenut is stirred into the broth until it turns golden. The meat is shredded and set in a bowl with rice vermicelli, beansprouts, and cooked rice, then covered with the hot broth and topped with fried shallot and celery leaf. What distinguishes this soto from those of other coastal towns nearby is mostly subtle, a matter of the exact balance of spice and the particular vegetables set alongside it, since the towns of this stretch of coast share a broadly similar clear, turmeric-based approach to the dish.