Soto Ayam (My Favorite Chicken Soup!)
Soto Ayam secret ingredient: a dash of family history. With every layer of taste she created, I was more intrigued and fell deeper in love with the dish!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lemongrass, bruised
- 1 whole chicken
- 1.5 liters water
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 boiled eggs
- Fried onion for garnish
- Lime wedges for garnish
- 12 oz. rice vermicelli
- 1 tomato, cut into cubes for garnish
- Thinly sliced cabbage
- Short bean sprouts or mung bean sprouts
- Chili paste or sambal for serving
Ground Spices
- 100 gr shallots
- 10 cloves garlic
- 4 candlenuts
- 2 inch turmeric
- 2 inch ginger
Instructions
- Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a big saucepan over medium heat. Add the ground spices, i.e., shallots, garlic, candlenuts, turmeric, and ginger, and sauté until fragrant.
- Now add the bruised lemongrass to the saucepan and sauté it for a few more minutes. Toss the chicken into the saucepan as well and cook it until the color changes.
- Add the water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and stir in the bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, and sliced scallions. Simmer for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked to perfection. Now take the chicken out of the pot, shred it, and set it aside.
- Boil the eggs and cut them in half. Follow the instructions on the package and cook the rice vermicelli, drain, and set it aside as well.
- Chop the tomato into small cubes. Thinly slice the cabbage, and fry the onions for garnishing.
- Arrange some rice vermicelli, eggs, shredded chicken, tomato cubes, and sliced cabbage in serving bowls. Add as much or as little as you'd like, and pour the hot chicken broth.
- Add lime wedges and fried onions to each bowl as garnish. Also, sprinkle mung or short bean sprouts on top. Serve hot with sambal or chili paste on the side.