Ingredients
Broth
- 1whole chicken, about 1.5 kg
- 3 litreswater
- 3 stalkslemongrass, bruised
- 5cm galangal, sliced
- 6kaffir lime leaves
- 3salam leaves, if available
- 2 teaspoonssalt
Spice paste, bumbu
- 8shallots
- 6garlic cloves
- 5candlenuts, or macadamias
- 5cm fresh turmeric, or 2 teaspoons ground
- 3cm ginger
- 2 teaspoonsground coriander
- 1 teaspoonwhite pepper
- 3 tablespoonsoil, for frying the paste
To assemble
- 200 grice vermicelli, soaked
- 200 gbean sprouts, tailed
- 150 gwhite cabbage, finely shredded
- 4hard-boiled eggs, halved
- 3 tablespoonsfried shallots
- a handful of Chinese celery leaves, chopped
- 2limes, cut into wedges
On the table
- sambal, made from boiled red chillies
- kecap manis, sweet soy sauce
- koya, ground prawn crackers with fried garlic, optional
- steamed rice or lontong
Directions
- Put the whole chicken into a large pot with the water. Bring it slowly up to a bare simmer over medium heat. Skim the grey foam off the surface as it rises. Skimming carefully is what keeps the broth clear. Add the lemongrass, galangal and both kinds of leaves. Add the salt and lower the heat right down.
- Simmer it gently for about forty minutes. Never let it boil hard or the broth turns cloudy. Lift the chicken out and set it aside to cool. Keep the broth simmering quietly on the stove. Peel the shallots, garlic, turmeric and ginger. Wear gloves if you are handling fresh turmeric. Put all the paste ingredients except the oil in a blender. Add a splash of the broth to help it turn over.
- Blend it to a smooth wet paste with no fibres left. A stone mortar gives a better texture if you have one. Heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the paste and stir it constantly as it cooks. Fry it for a full eight to ten minutes. The raw smell must give way to a deep fragrant one.
- Oil pooling at the edges is the sign that it is ready. Rinse the pan with a ladle of broth to get every trace. Simmer the broth with the paste for twenty minutes more. Taste it and add salt until the flavour comes forward. Preparing the chicken takes only a few minutes.
- Pull the cooled chicken meat off the bones in strips. Discard the skin or fry it crisp for the top. Return the bones to the broth for extra body. Shred the meat by hand rather than cutting it. Preparing the garnishes is done while the broth simmers.
- Soak the rice vermicelli in hot water until it is soft. Drain it well and cut it roughly with scissors. They should stay crunchy and lose their raw taste. Halve the boiled eggs and set them on a plate. Line every garnish up in bowls before you serve. Boil a handful of red chillies until they are soft. Pound them with a little salt into a rough paste. Loosen it with a spoonful of the hot broth.
- Crush prawn crackers to a fine powder in a bag. Fry a few garlic cloves until deep gold and crush them in. Mix the two into a sandy savoury powder. Put a nest of vermicelli in the bottom of each bowl. Add a handful of bean sprouts and shredded cabbage. Lay shredded chicken over the vegetables.
- Strain the hot broth and ladle it over everything. The broth should be genuinely hot when it goes in. Set half an egg on top of each bowl. Scatter fried shallots and celery leaves over the surface.
- Sprinkle a spoonful of koya over it if you made some. Serving it is done immediately while the broth is hot. Put sambal, kecap manis and lime wedges on the table. The broth keeps for three days and improves overnight.
Technique
- Salam leaf is often called Indonesian bay leaf but is a different plant from the Mediterranean bay.
- If it cannot be found, leave it out rather than substituting bay, which tastes quite different in this soup.
Substitutions
- Chicken thighs alone can replace the whole bird and give a richer broth, though the carcass adds body that is worth having.
- Ground turmeric works in place of fresh but gives a duller colour and a flatter flavour.
Variations
- Soto Betawi uses beef and coconut milk.
- Soto Kudus is made with buffalo or chicken and served in small bowls.
- Coto Makassar is a separate darker beef soup thickened with ground peanuts.
History
Turmeric chicken soup with dozens of regional forms, from Lamongan and Kudus to Betawi, each defined by its broth and garnishes.
Frequently asked questions
What is Soto Ayam?
Soto Ayam is a soup & stew from Indonesia: turmeric chicken soup with vermicelli, egg and sambal. Turmeric chicken soup with dozens of regional forms, from Lamongan and Kudus to Betawi, each defined by its broth and garnishes.
How long does Soto Ayam take to make?
Soto Ayam takes 40 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Soto Ayam?
Yes, within limits. Chicken thighs alone can replace the whole bird and give a richer broth, though the carcass adds body that is worth having. Ground turmeric works in place of fresh but gives a duller colour and a flatter flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Soto Ayam?
Put the whole chicken into a large pot with the water. Bring it slowly up to a bare simmer over medium heat. Skim the grey foam off the surface as it rises. Skimming carefully is what keeps the broth clear. Add the lemongrass, galangal and both kinds of leaves. Add the salt and lower the heat right down.
