Sop buntut
Non-vegetarian
A clear Indonesian oxtail soup scented with nutmeg, cloves and white pepper, with carrots, potatoes and tomato, finished with celery leaves, spring onion and fried shallots.
Sop buntut is an Indonesian soup, ready in about 3 hours 40 minutes and made with oxtail and nutmeg. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 3 h 20 min
- Total
- 3 h 40 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 461
Method
Step 1
Blanch the oxtail (opens in a new tab) in boiling water for 10 minutes, drain and rinse. Return to the cleaned pot with the water and ginger and simmer, partly covered, for 2½–3 hours until the meat is tender and pulls from the bone (or 50 minutes at high pressure).
Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw beef.
Step 2
Skim off as much fat as you can. Fry the pounded shallots (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in the oil until fragrant, then add them to the pot with the nutmeg (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), white pepper (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and salt.
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels Step 3
Add the carrots (opens in a new tab) and potatoes (opens in a new tab) and simmer until tender, about 18 minutes. Add the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) for the last 3 minutes.
- 18 min
- medium-low heat
How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels Step 4
Stir in the celery (opens in a new tab) leaves and spring onion (opens in a new tab) and simmer 1 minute until just wilted, then serve topped with fried shallots (opens in a new tab), with lime (opens in a new tab) to squeeze.
- 2 min
- medium-low heat
About this dish
- Origin
- Indonesia · Well documentedAlso popular in MalaysiaMore food from Indonesia
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
- Cooking method
- Boiled, Simmered, Pressure-cooked
- Taste
- savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced, rich, peppery
- Diet
- No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · Calorie-conscious - Good for
- One-pot · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
- Cook more with
- Nutmeg · Fresh ginger · Shallot · Garlic · Cloves · White pepper
- Techniques
- Boiling · Simmering · Blanching · Pressure cooking
Allergens
- Contains: Celeryfrom celery
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
461 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 672 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 14%
- Carbohydrate 17%
- Fat 69%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 461 kcal | 69 kcal |
| Protein | 15.8 g | 2.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 19.6 g | 2.9 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 16 g | 2.4 g |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 3.5 g | 0.5 g |
| Fat | 35.8 g | 5.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 14.7 g | 2.2 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 70 mg | 10 mg |
| Sodium | 859 mg | 128 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 2.1 g | 0.3 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 719 mg
- Calcium
- 92 mg
- Iron
- 2.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 49 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 188 µg
- Vitamin C
- 24 mg
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- 2.3 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 36 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: cinnamon, shallot.
- Oxtail: Raw beef short ribs (lean and fat) used as a stand-in; USDA SR Legacy has no oxtail entry. Both are fatty, collagen-rich bone-in cuts — recipes count only the edible portion.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Make it a day ahead, chill and lift off the solid fat for a clearer, lighter broth.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the blanching — the broth turns grey and murky.
Serve with
- Serve with steamed rice, sambal, kecap manis and emping crackers.
Food safety
- Cool quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours; lift off the set fat and reheat to a full boil.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days chilled; freezes well (without the potato).
Reheating
- Reheat until piping hot.
Variations
- Sop buntut goreng: The simmered oxtail is fried or grilled until crisp and served with the soup on the side.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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