August 2, 2009
Soto Ayam
I must say I surprised myself making this Indonesian Soto Ayam for the weekend. I’m so exhilarated that it turned out really, really well, leaving Silver Bullet wanting more! I did make everything (even the sambal) from scratch and am very proud of the end result. I guess it helps that I actually broil the soup over slow fire since Friday night to get the maximum flavour of the chicken (although, not continuously but rather on and off for several hours at a time) before serving it for our weekend dinner at home.
This soup is rather versatile, too. On Saturday, I served with Macaroni (al dente), making it a version of Macaroni Soup. With the same soup base served with yellow noodles, it becomes a Mee Soto for Sunday dinner. Definitely my idea of variety!
Here’s my version of the recipe:
- 4-6 chicken breast meat with skin and bones
- 2 stalk of lemon grass
- 60 ml coconut milk
- 1 and 1/2 non-MSG chicken cube stock
- 1/2 non-MSG beef cube stock (optional)
- 3-4 glasses water
- 1 and half teaspoon of coriander seeds
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds (soaked in water for 5 minutes first)
- 4 shallots (chopped)
- 3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
- 2 pieces of fresh turmeric (peeled and chopped)
- 2-inch piece of galangal (peeled and sliced)
- 2-inch piece of ginger (peeled and sliced)
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
- 2 hard-boiled eggs (cut into wedges)
- Bean sprouts
- Bergedils
- 1 stalk of spring onion & coriander (chopped) and fried shallots
- Blend the spice paste in a blender. Add some water if needed.
- Pour some oil in a pot and add in the spice paste.
- Stir the spice paste and wait for it to turn light brown.
- Add in the chicken pieces and boil for at least half hour before adding in the chicken cubes, coconut milk, lemon grass strips, and water.
- Cover the pot and lower the heat and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes or boil it slowly for longer if you have the time. Add salt to taste.
- Mid-way of simmering the soup, take the cooked chicken and shred the meat to set aside for serving.
- Dumped the skins and bones back into the soup for further boiling. [This is essentially tips from cooks to make the soup tastier!]
- Blanch beansprouts
- Pre-soaked vermicelli /yellow noodles, macaroni in boiling water.
- Transfer them into a bowl once they are cooked.
- Add in toppings of hard-boiled eggs, chopped spring onions and pour the hot chicken broth into the bowl.
- Serve hot with lime wedges.
Come up with something Veg, Woman..! 😀 😀
haa haa..how about joining the dark side? :p