Indonesian chicken noodle soup (Soto ayam)

Soto translates to "soup" and ayam to "chicken". This Indonesian national dish is a classic. Soto ayam has been traced back to the 9th century to the Mataram Kingdom in central Java. Soto ayam was originally a dish served to the army. It was both nutritious and filling. In the days of the war, the soldiers were recruited and paid for food. The dish's popularity increased, and today, it is the national dish of Indonesia.

This is a lovely soup—flavourful, light, and packed with healthy ingredients. The spice paste is important; you do not want to add too much. The broth should remain light and pack a light punch of spice. The soup is filling; the chicken, noodles, and accompanyments make it fun. I made this soup in two variations: a vegetarian and a chicken version. For the vegetarian version, do not add the chicken; instead, substitute extra firm tofu and reduce the cooking time till the broth is flavourful about 10-12 minutes. If you also need a chicken version, poach and shred the chicken separately in a broth with salt, bay leaf, cinnamon, star anise and lemongrass.

Lara Lee brings recipes that have been handed down through generations orally, as well as newer recipes in a very easy-to-read format. This is a great book for those who want to learn about this cuisine and culture.

For more delicious recipes from this cookbook, click here

Ingredients:

For the spice paste:

1 tablespoon ginger paste

4-5 garlic cloves

3-4 shallots

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds

1-inch fresh turmeric or 3/4 teaspoon turmeric

3-4 tablespoons water

For the soup:

2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil

2 petals star anise

2 1-inch pieces of cinnamon sticks

2 1-inch pieces of lemongrass, lightly bruised with a pestle

3 kaffir lime leaves

2 bay leaves

4 chicken breasts, halved

8 cups water

Salt, to taste

1 pak choi, sliced

Juice of 1 lime

1 bundle of rice vermicelli noodles

4 cups water

To serve:

Scallions, thinly sliced

Bean sprouts

Red chillies or Tai chillies, minced

Limes, cut into wedges

Fried shallots

Soft or hard-boiled eggs, diced

Pak choi, sliced

Cilantro, roughly torn

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Krupuk, fried

First, make the spice paste. Add all the ingredients to a small blender and grind to a thick, smooth paste. Do not make the paste too runny; add just enough water to allow the paste to slide down the sides of the blender and get ground.

In a large pot, add and heat the oil on medium-low. Add the star anise, cinnamon sticks, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and bay leaves. Fry for 30 seconds till the cinnamon sticks turn a shade darker.

Add the spice paste and fry on low heat for about 10 minutes until it dries out and the oils pool on the surface. At this point, the spice paste should be very aromatic.

Add the chicken and cook in the spice paste till the surface of the chicken is white and sealed. Be careful not to let the spice paste colour and burn.

Add the stock and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. The chicken breasts should be very tender at this point. Remove from the stock and cool. Shred and set aside with a tablespoon of the stock so the meat does not dry out.

Taste the soup, it should be beautifully flavoured an on the peppery side.

Cook the noodles by bringing the water to a boil. Add the noodles, cover, and allow to sit for 4-5 minutes until soft. Drain and rinse in cool water to stop the cooking. Alternatively, follow the instructions on the package. Set aside.

To serve, add all the chicken and noodles to individual bowls. Heat the soup and add it to a deep bowl. Serve the soup surrounded by the accompaniments, allowing your guests to make separate bowls.

NOTE:

For a vegetarian version, do not add the chicken to the main bowl. Instead, add the tofu and simmer for 10 minutes, leaving the tofu intact.

To serve a mixed crowd of vegetarians and non-vegetarians, poach the chicken and tofu individually in water with the aromatics, star anise, cinnamon sticks, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and bay leaves and simmer for 30 minutes for the chicken and 10 minutes for the tofu. Drain the chicken and shred it. Drain the tofu and set aside. Serve in individual bowls.