This Indonesian soup adds one ingredient… and changes everything

Trivia Question❓

Why is tempeh often used in Indonesian cooking?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter

Warm Broth, Sweet Depth, Crisp Edges

A quiet Indonesian table with shrimp, corn and tempeh

Some meals don’t try to impress you.

They simply stay.

This kind of table doesn’t come from celebration or ceremony. It comes from habit. From repetition. From dishes that have been made so often they no longer need explanation.

A pot of broth, already simmering before you enter the kitchen. Not heavy, not overwhelming. Just enough to carry warmth.

Something frying nearby. The sound gives it away first. A soft crackle, steady, patient. Not rushed. Not loud. Just present.

And somewhere, something darker, slower. A pan where sweetness and salt meet, where time is allowed to do its work without interruption.

This is how balance appears.

Not planned, not designed, but understood.

A spoon of broth first. Then something crisp. Then something that lingers longer on the tongue.

Rice is there, as always, but it doesn’t lead. It supports. It connects.

Nothing on this table stands alone.

And that is exactly why it works.

Soto Ajam Oedang

This is not the usual chicken soup.

The addition of shrimp changes everything. The broth becomes deeper, slightly sweeter, more layered without becoming heavy. It still carries the brightness of turmeric and ginger, but now there is something underneath it.

Something closer to the sea.

It is a dish that feels familiar at first, but reveals more with every spoon.

Recipe – Soto Ajam Oedang

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 whole chicken (1.2 kg / 2.6 lb)

• 100 g (3.5 oz) shrimp

• 2 liters (8 cups) water

• 1 tsp turmeric

• ½ tsp ginger

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 onion, sliced

• 100 g bean sprouts

• 3 boiled eggs

• 1 potato, cooked and sliced

• 2 tbsp ketjap asin

• celery leaves, chopped

• fried onions

• salt & pepper

Preparation

Boil the chicken in water with salt until cooked. Remove and shred.

Sauté garlic and onion until fragrant, then add shrimp and ketjap.

Return chicken to broth with turmeric and ginger. Add potato and simmer.

Serve over bean sprouts and egg. Pour broth over and garnish with celery and fried onions.

Perkedel Djagung

There is something comforting about fried food that is not heavy.

Perkedel jagung is light, almost airy, with just enough crispness on the outside. The sweetness of corn comes through naturally, balanced by garlic and a touch of spice.

It is the kind of dish you reach for without thinking.

And then again.

Recipe – Perkedel Djagung

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 corn cobs (or 250 g / 9 oz corn kernels)

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 shallots

• 1 egg

• 2 tbsp flour

• 1 tbsp chopped celery

• oil for frying

• salt & pepper

Preparation

Crush corn lightly (not fully smooth).

Mix with minced garlic, shallots, egg, flour and celery.

Season well.

Fry small portions in hot oil until golden and crisp.

Drain on paper.

Smoor Tempeh

Tempeh does not try to compete with meat.

It does something else.

It absorbs.

In this dish, it takes in the sweetness of ketjap, the depth of slow cooking, and turns into something rich without being heavy. Each piece carries flavor all the way through.

It is quiet food.

But it stays with you.

Recipe – Smoor Tempeh

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 300 g (10 oz) tempeh, cubed

• 3 tbsp ketjap manis

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 shallots

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup (240 ml) water

• oil

• salt & pepper

Preparation

Fry tempeh until lightly golden.

Sauté garlic and shallots until fragrant.

Add ketjap, water and bay leaf.

Add tempeh and simmer until sauce thickens and coats the pieces.

This week's article recipes

Kue Lapis Legit: Indonesia's Thousand-Layer Cake

Kue lapis legit, also known as spekkoek, is Indonesia's famous thousand-layer cake made with egg yolks, butter, and aromatic spices. Each thin layer is baked individually, creating distinctive golden stripes.