Indonesian Recipes (Bali, Java) - Chicken Soup with Traditional Spices (Soto Ayam) Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 boiling fowl, about 1 kg/2 1/4 lb

• 5 liters/8 1/2 pints (1 1/3 gallons) water

• salt, pepper, lemon juice

• 4 medium potatoes

• 250 g/9 oz mung bean noodles

• 250 g/9 oz soy bean (soybean) sprouts

• 250 g/9 oz white cabbage

• 1 bunch chives

• 1 handful celery leaves

• 2 hard-boiled (hard-cooked) eggs

• 1 handful roasted onions 

For the spicy soup seasoning:

• 2 sprigs lemon grass

• 1 piece each ginger root and galangal root, about 3 cm/1 1/4in long

• 1 large onion or 5 shallots

• 3 cloves garlic

• 9 kemiril nuts (or macadamia nuts)

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• pinch of cumin

• 5 kaffir lime leaves

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 3 tablespoons groundnut oil

Serves 4

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Method:

1. Bring the water to the boil, add the chicken and reduce the heat because the water should only simmer. Cook the chicken for about 1 1/2 hours. Take the chicken out of the water, remove the skin, take the meat off the bones and tear into thin strips.

2. Peel the potatoes and boil or fry. Prepare the ingredients for the seasoning. First crush the lemon grass, ginger and galangal root and chop the onions and garlic finely. Then puree all the ingredients in a blender.

3. Heat the groundnut oil in a pan and add the spice mixture. Stir continuously until all the ingredients have amalgamated. Now add this "fried" mixture to the chicken broth and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

4. Soak the mung bean noodles in hot water. Wash the soy bean sprouts, cut the white cabbage into thin strips and wash also.

5. Wash the celery leaves and chives and chop finely. Cut the cooked potatoes into thin slices and put on the plates. Place the mung bean noodles, soy bean sprouts, strips of raw white cabbage, strips of chicken, 2 or 3 slices of hard-boiled egg, chopped celery leaves and chives and fried onions on top.

6. Finally pour the hot broth on top and serve immediately. Soto ayam is often served with Sambal kemiri (refer recipe).

7. The soup may also be a complete meal if served with Longton (rice in banana leaves: refer recipe).