Soto Ayam (Spiced Chicken Soup)

This is a long post and is a dish made from scratch. This is not a quickie weeknight fix. You will need some special ingredients but the end result of this labor of love is exquisite!

My husband is suffering with a bad cold, and the best antidote is warm chicken soup. Soto Ayam is spicy chicken soup from Java. Unfortunately I have not been to the great island yet but have heard that this soup is served from street hawker's pushcarts and is very common. Someday I wish to be able to slurp it down standing at a street corner in Java. While that is not happening in the recent future, I have decided to create this soup from a delicious memory from Singapore's food malls.

Soto Ayam (Spiced Chicken Soup)

4 pieces chicken thighs with bone and skin, with skin and bone
1 stalk of fresh lemongrass
5-6 fresh Kaffir lime leaves
Water
Salt
Black Peppercorns, 2 tsp
Coriander seeds, 11/2 Tbsp
Cumin seeds, 1 Tbsp
Almonds (blanched, without skin), 7-8 nuts unsalted
3/4 large Red onion or 5 shallots, chopped
Garlic, 4-5 cloves

Galangal, 2-inch

Ginger, 2-inch
Turmeric, 2 tsp
Vegetable oil
Glass Noodles (mung bean), two small packages
Freshly squeezed Lime juice. about two limes
Sliced limes
Coriander leaves

1.  Wash the chicken well. Trim as much visible fat as you can. Leave the skins on. I would have loved to use a whole free-range chicken for this, but sometimes you have to do with what you have got. I used a packet of Costco's chicken thigh meat.
2.  Pound the lemon grass stalk slightly and tie into a knot.
3.  Take a heavy bottomed pot and combine water, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Using a large spoon, skim off the foam as it rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer till chicken is cooked, about 40-45 minutes. Remove and foam that appears, this is done to yield a clear broth.

Preparing the broth for Soto Ayam

4. In a mortar, pound black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and almonds to a fine powder with a pestle. The finer the better. The aim is to make the dry spices as smooth as possible. Almonds are added as a thickening agent. You can use unsalted macadamia or candlenuts. Ideal would be candlenuts, but I was not able to get any.

5. Transfer the dry spices to your grinder, add onions/shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger, and turmeric. Grind till you get a smooth paste. If you need to add a bit of water, do so. The masala (spice paste) should look like creamy mashed potatoes at the end.

Spice mix for Soto Ayam

6.  Heat oil and when it almost starts sizzling, add the the masala and cook till the oil separates from the masala. This is a time consuming process at medium heat. You have to be careful not to burn the masala since it will ruin the flavor of the soup giving it a roasted taste. The beauty of this soup lies in the layers of the flavors, aggressive cooking will kill it. Be gentle. Remember, I said that this is a Labor Of Love!

7.  By this time, the chicken should be cooked. Take it out from the broth and set aside to cool. Fish out the lime leaves and lemongrass stalk. Their job is done, you can discard them. Save the broth, you will use it later.

8.  Once the chicken is cooled, discard the bones and tear the flesh and skin.  The flesh should be torn with the grain in long strips. Do not tear against the grain. I cut the skin in small strips. You can throw the skin away, but skin is traditionally used in Soto.

9.  Add the cooked masala and the chicken pieces to the broth and bring to gentle rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and let the flavors blend.

10. Place the glass noodles in a bowl, pour boiling water on it. Soak for few minutes, till they are soft. Cut the noodles to about 4-5 inches length. Any longer will be hard to eat with, any shorter will keep falling off the chopstick / fork. Drain the noodles onto a colander, ready for use. These mung starch noodles are virtually tasteless, but add a wonderful texture to the soup.

11. Check the simmering soup for salt. Remove from the heat, add lime juice. Remember, never add lime juice while cooking on the flame, it gets bitter. This generous amount of lime juice at the end unites the flavors and makes this dish taste even better.

12. Now it is time to plate. In a bowl, first add the glass noodles. Ladle in the soup gently. Garnish with cilantro and sliced fresh lime. You can also serve fresh lime wedges on the side for guests to squeeze in as required. Serve the Soto Ayam warm, not piping hot. This way guests can taste the flavor layers.

Soto Ayam (Spiced Chicken Soup)

I was very pleased with the end product. This was the first time I made Soto Ayam and when I started, I was not very sure how it will turn out. The recipe is a mixture of about five recipes. I adjusted the recipe based on what I thought it should taste like. Here are some notes for future reference.

• Next time I am going to use peanut oil instead of vegetable oil. I have a feeling that the soup will taste even better with peanut oil. I also wonder how it will taste with sesame oil?
• Fresh Galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, limes, and other fresh ingredients are absolutely necessary. These all lend the subtle layers of flavor which will get lost if you use frozen or packaged ingredients. Please do try to go seek out the fresh ingredients. I am lucky, I have a Kaffir Lime plant at home now.
• I prefer to use shallots to red onion. Unfortunately I did not have any shallots at home, so I had to use red onion. I bet the soup will taste even better with shallots.
• One of the recipes called out for bottled spring water instead of tap water. May be I will do that next time. Food cooked from fresh drawn well water in our village home always taste fabulous. Since we will already take the time and trouble to acquire the fresh ingredients, why not consider using spring water as more than half of this dish is based on water.
• As for serving, you can sprinkle crispy fried onions/ shallots on top. They always add flavor and crispiness to soups. You can also serve the soup with a wedge of boiled egg, potato fritters, or prawn chips as they do in Singapore.