Soto ajam (Indonesian chicken soup)
With soto ajam (Indonesian chicken soup), you can put the garnishes on the table separately. Everyone can choose how much rice, egg and other toppings to add to their bowl. Lime juice adds freshness, while sambal lets you make the soup as spicy as you like. This version with chicken thighs works as part of an Indonesian meal with several dishes, but you can also eat it on its own. Prepare the garnishes while the broth simmers so everything is ready to serve together.
Servings servings
Ingredients
Broth
- 500 g chicken thighs
- 2 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red chilli
- 3 cm ginger root
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 0.5 tsp prawn paste (Prawn paste)
- 1 tsp galangal
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1.5 litre water
- 0.5 cube chicken broth
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- pepper
- salt
- oil
Garnish
- 75 g white rice
- 50 g rice noodles
- 50 g bean sprouts
- 2 spring onions
- parsley (fresh)
- 4 eggs
- fried onion
- 1 lime (the juice)
- sambal
Instructions
Preparation
- First cut: peel 2 shallots, clean 3 cloves garlic and remove the seeds from 1 red chilli. Peel 3 cm ginger root.
- Grind this with 1 tsp cumin powder, 0.5 tsp prawn paste, 1 tsp galangal, 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp coriander powder into a smooth paste. Use a hand blender or mortar and pestle; whichever you prefer.
- For the garnish, roughly chop some parsley and cut 2 spring onions into diagonal rings. Squeeze 1 lime and set the juice aside. Wash 50 g bean sprouts under running water, pour boiling water over them, then rinse with cold water and drain well.
Cooking
- Heat some oil in a large soup pot. Fry the spice paste for 2-3 minutes until your kitchen smells wonderful; stir constantly so nothing sticks.
- Add the 500 g chicken thighs, stir briefly and pour in 1.5 litre water. Add 0.5 cube chicken broth and stir.
- Crush 1 stalk lemongrass with the side of your knife and place in the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Use this time wisely: cook 75 g white rice, boil 4 eggs hard for 8 minutes (drain and peel) and soak 50 g rice noodles for 3-4 minutes in boiling water.
- Fish out the chicken and lemongrass. Shred the chicken with two forks into strips. Strain the broth, return the chicken and taste: season with pepper and salt.
To serve
- Divide the cooked rice between the soup bowls and ladle over the hot broth with chicken. Put the rice noodles, prepared bean sprouts, spring onions, parsley, fried onion and halved eggs on the table separately. The quantities of rice and garnishes are for all the bowls together.
- Now everyone can make their own soup with the toppings from the small bowls. Finish with the lime juice and put sambal on the table for extra spice.
Notes
Soto ajam is a classic Indonesian chicken soup that tastes even better if you make the broth a day in advance. The flavours then have time to infuse well. Serve with extra sambal for those who like it spicier!
For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with tofu, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and leave out the prawn paste.
Do you like a creamy soup? Then add a splash of coconut milk to the broth before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 485kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 29gFat: 25gSaturated fat: 7gCholesterol: 288mgSugars: 3g
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Soto Ajam (Indonesian chicken soup)
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