Soto ayam
An Indonesian chicken soup in which broth and garnishes live apart until the last moment. Noodles, sprouts, egg and meat are arranged in the bowl and the hot yellow broth is poured over them only at the table. That way the sprouts stay crisp, the noodles do not overcook, and everyone builds their own bowl. The flavour is built on a paste of turmeric and nuts (candlenuts in Java) fried until the oil separates.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Spice paste 15 min
- Broth 45 min
- Frying the paste 10 min
- Garnishes 20 min
- Assembly 10 min
Step by step
0 / 7 donePound the spice paste
Blend the shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander and macadamias into a smooth yellow paste, adding a spoonful of water. Macadamias stand in for Javanese kemiri (candlenuts) — they make the paste creamy and round out the broth.
Ingredients: 6 pcs shallots · 5 cloves garlic · 2 tsp turmeric · 30 g ginger · 2 tsp coriander seeds · 4 pcs macadamia nuts · 3 tbsp oil
A smooth paste, no fragments — otherwise the broth turns gritty.Simmer the chicken with aromatics
Cover the chicken with water, add the lemongrass, lime leaves, bay and salt and simmer 45 minutes over low heat. Lift out the meat, take it off the bones and tear it into threads by hand — knife-cut meat does not hold the broth the way torn meat does.
Ingredients: 1200 g chicken · 2000 ml water · 2 pcs lemongrass · 4 pcs kaffir lime leaves · 2 pcs bay leaves · 2 tsp salt · 1 tsp sugar
Fry the paste until the oil separates
Heat the oil and fry the paste for 8 minutes, until the smell turns sweet and the oil separates visibly at the edges of the pan. This is the recipe's crucial moment: an underfried paste leaves a raw, earthy turmeric note in the soup.
Ingredients: 6 pcs shallots · 5 cloves garlic · 2 tsp turmeric · 30 g ginger · 2 tsp coriander seeds · 4 pcs macadamia nuts · 3 tbsp oil
Oil separating at the edges — only then is the paste done.Combine the paste with the broth
Stir the fried paste and its oil into the broth and simmer 15 minutes. The broth turns a deep yellow. Add the sugar and more salt if needed — in Javanese cooking a slight sweetness balances the spices.
Ingredients: 1200 g chicken · 2000 ml water · 2 pcs lemongrass · 4 pcs kaffir lime leaves · 2 pcs bay leaves · 2 tsp salt · 1 tsp sugar
Prepare the garnishes separately
Hard boil the eggs (10 minutes), cool them in cold water and halve them. Soak the glass noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain; blanch the sprouts for 20 seconds. Altogether this takes about 20 minutes. Keep everything in separate bowls — not for looks, but because this is how the soup is eaten.
Ingredients: 150 g glass noodles · 200 g mung bean sprouts · 3 pcs eggs · 2 pcs celery · 4 tbsp fried shallots · 2 pcs limes · 3 tbsp sambal
Each garnish apart — the bowl is built at the table.Build the bowls and pour over the broth
Put noodles, sprouts, torn meat and half an egg in each bowl, then pour over the boiling broth. The hot liquid warms the garnishes without cooking them — the sprouts stay crisp and the noodles do not turn soft.
Ingredients: 150 g glass noodles · 200 g mung bean sprouts · 3 pcs eggs · 2 pcs celery · 4 tbsp fried shallots · 2 pcs limes · 3 tbsp sambal
Finish with shallots, celery and lime
Scatter over fried shallots and celery leaves, and serve with a lime wedge and sambal. The lime is squeezed in at the table — acid is the last layer of flavour here, and added earlier to the hot broth it quickly loses its freshness.
Ingredients: 150 g glass noodles · 200 g mung bean sprouts · 3 pcs eggs · 2 pcs celery · 4 tbsp fried shallots · 2 pcs limes · 3 tbsp sambal
Before you start
Colour without ground turmeric
Fresh turmeric (30 g, peeled) gives a cleaner, less earthy flavour and a deeper colour. Mind your hands and board — it stains everything for days. In Indonesia fresh is the usual choice.
Fried shallots are not optional
They are not a garnish but a layer of flavour: crunch and caramelised sweetness in a liquid dish. Buy them ready-made at an Asian grocer or fry a batch — in a sealed jar they keep a month.
Broth a day ahead
The broth with its paste is better the next day and is the only element that gains from standing. Prepare the garnishes fresh before serving — noodles and sprouts lose all their texture after a night in the fridge.
