Soto Ayam

What Goes With It

• Sambal and lime
• Prawn crackers
• Iced tea

How to Make Soto Ayam

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1. Simmer the chicken in the water with the lemongrass, lime leaves, salam leaves, galangal and salt for 40 minutes, skimming at the start.

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2. Lift the chicken out, cool slightly, and shred the meat. Return the bones to the pot and keep simmering while you make the paste.

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3. Blend the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, turmeric, ginger, coriander seeds and white pepper to a smooth paste with a splash of water.

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4. Fry the paste in the oil over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until it darkens, smells sweet rather than raw, and the oil separates and pools at the edges.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

5. Strain the broth and return it to the pot, then stir in the fried bumbu with all its oil.

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6. Simmer 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt — it should be gently spiced and clear, not thick.

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7. Fry the shallots for the topping, if making them fresh, until deep golden.

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8. Build each bowl: a little rice or glass noodles, beansprouts, shredded chicken, half an egg.

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9. Ladle the hot broth over, then top with fried shallots, celery leaves and spring onion.

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10. Serve with sambal and lime on the side.

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Related guide: Choosing rice.

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A Few Notes

Fry the bumbu until the oil separates. Eight minutes minimum.

Keep the broth clear. It is not meant to be a thick soup.

Fried shallots and lime at the table are half the dish.

Swaps and Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.

Keeping What's Left

Broth keeps 3 days refrigerated and freezes 3 months. Assemble bowls to order.

Soto Ayam Nutrition Facts

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.