Cookbook:Soto Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Noodle Soup)

Soto Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Noodle Soup)
Category	Chicken recipes
Servings	6-8
Time	45 minutes
Difficulty

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There are many variations of soto ayam depending on the ingredients, the way it served, and the amount of spices used.

Ingredients

Spice paste

• 5 g turmeric
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 candlenuts
• 15 g ginger
• 3 shallot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp salt

Soup

• 1 whole chicken with bones or 1 kg chicken parts with bones
• 200 g cabbage, thinly sliced
• 200 g bean sprouts, blanched
• 4 potatoes, steamed, peeled, deep fried until golden brown
• 2 fresh tomatoes
• 25 g sohun vermicelli, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
• 25 g fried shallots
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 1.8 liters chicken stock

• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• ½ stalk lemongrass
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 stalk green onion
• 25 g galangal
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Procedure

1. Grind the ingredients for the spice paste together in a food processor. Stir fry the spice paste over slow fire until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
2. Make soup by cooking the whole chicken with spice paste, galangal, lime leaves, lemon grass, and bay leaves in a pot for at least 30 minutes until the meat is tender. Use a pressure cooker for faster cooking time and better broth. For a traditional method, bring soup to boil, cover, and turn off heat, then let steep for 30–40 minutes—this makes the meat more tender.
3. Add a little bit of salt or pepper to taste.
4. Leave the chicken in a pot until the soup is cool.
5. Remove the meat from the bones, and slice the meat into tiny bit size using fork and knife, then set aside.
6. Put back the bones into the soup, add sliced green onion, and bring the soup to the boil right before serving.

Serving

1. In a bowl, arrange in the following layers: sliced potatoes, sliced tomatoes, vermicelli, cabbage, bean sprouts, sliced egg, and the meat on top.
2. Pour the boiling soup over the ingredients, but don't let any bones or chicken skin go into the bowl.
3. Put fried shallots on top, and squeeze a slice of lemon over top.
4. Serve with hot steamed rice or slices of lontong (steamed rice roll).

Notes, tips, and variations

• Many versions of soto ayam don't have tomato.
• Some prefer not to mix cabbage with bean sprouts.
• As fried potato substitute, some like to put potato chips into the soup.