ARTHARINI: Today, we will make a soup.

In East Java, we call it rawon, but here we call it black soup because there's the color black in the soup.

SETH: Yes.

There are some very dark ingredients in front of me here.

And what is it that makes this soup a black soup?

SETH: Cyanide?

ARTHARINI: Yes, so... SETH: This would kill me.

But not today, not today, not today.

I need to be able to taste the soup.

ARTHARINI: It's edible, it's edible.

SETH: So this one's not going to kill me.

ARTHARINI: No.

SETH: Okay.

ARTHARINI: No, no.

SETH: Oh, and a really nice aroma too.

Almost like a chocolate in a way.

ARTHARINI: Totally.

SETH: To my nose.

How does the Keluak nut get into the soup itself?

ARTHARINI: So I will soak in the water until soft, and then we will blend it with the bumbu.

So we have bumbu that everything we cook.

SETH: So this is kind of like your sofrito or your mirepoix.

This is the base of everything else.

ARTHARINI: Yeah, this the base.

The white bumbu we blend with the Keluak, the black nut, until this paste.

SETH: Oh, that color of that paste, dark as night.

That is a thing of beauty.

ARTHARINI: Now we start cooking the soup.

...in the oil.

First, I put lemongrass here.

And then that's a bay leaf.

Bay leaf Indonesia and bay leaf here, that's different.

I love using the kaffir lime.

There's like a citrus smell and then the lemongrass too, the smell good.

SETH: Oh, absolutely.

I can just hover over this pot all day long.

Time for the bumbu?

ARTHARINI: Yes.

SETH: You got a lot of flavor to get into the soup here.

ARTHARINI: We mix.

SETH: It's an aromatic explosion in this kitchen right now, Chef.

ARTHARINI: And then we will add the coriander.

SETH: Beautiful.

SETH: All right, Chef, Wirawan.

I cannot wait to try this unique Javanese soup.

I'm going to go in for a little bit of this broth first.

It's like no flavor- ARTHARINI: Do you like it?

SETH: Oh, do I like it?

That is wonderful.

There's a nuttiness, creaminess, a little bit of bitterness, I guess, from the Keluak nut.

Just a real nice savory depth of flavor.

That is like nothing I've ever had.

And there's some beef hiding out down here in the bottom, right?

ARTHARINI: Yes.

SETH: All right.

SETH: Just the beef.

Okay.

And this is all part of the dish too, right?

ARTHARINI: Yes.

SETH: All these sides.

ARTHARINI: There's rice, we have tapioca crackers, and then salted egg, and that's a potato fritter.

SETH: You recommend trying to take a little bite of rice with the soup?

ARTHARINI: Yes.

So we mix it and then we eat it.

SETH: Mmm, and tell me about this unusual-looking egg here.

WIRAWAN: Yeah, this is the salted egg.

SETH: Just break the shell or go right in the scoop it up?

WIRAWAN: Just scoop it up.

SETH: All right.

Here we go.

ARTHARINI: You have to scoop all.

SETH: I'll try my best.

That is indeed a salty egg.

ARTHARINI: So you scoop the egg and then put in the soup and then eat a little bit.

SETH: Ah, all right.

ARTHARINI: I'm so sorry.

SETH: No.

All right.

ARTHARINI: I'm so sorry.

SETH: It's okay.

This is my first Indonesian dining experience, so I'm sure I'm going to do just about everything wrong.

And speaking of doing things wrong, I'm sure I'll probably end up putting a little too much spiciness on my food.

But these are different kinds of I'm going to guess hot sauces?

ARTHARINI: Yeah.

So this is sambal soto.

That's only chili and garlic.

And then this is the sambal terasi.

That's come with chili paste.

And then this is sambal ijo.

That's from the jalapeño and garlic.

SETH: Which one's your favorite?

WIRAWAN: For the rawon, you must try the sambal terasi.

SETH: Okay, obviously, I'm not going to try to eat this.

This goes into the soup, right?

WIRAWAN: Yeah.

ARTHARINI: But not... SETH: Not too much?

WIRAWAN: Indonesia, there's a lot of the sambal.