Soto ayam is a very popular Indonesian soup-like dish. The word soto refers to a soup influenced by Chinese cuisine and it offers a multitude of variants. Each variant has a name determined by its place of origin or creation. Soto ayam (chicken soup in Indonesian language) is the chicken version.
The most commonly used name for this chicken noodle soup is soto but it has other names depending on the region. In Pekalongan, it is called tauto, and in Makassar, it is known as coto. It is also quite famous in Singapore and Malaysia where it is called soto. It was also introduced in Suriname by Javanese immigrants where it is called saoto.
This soup includes many fragrant ingredients. First of all, two delicious spices, fresh ginger and fresh turmeric, are combined with coconut milk, lemongrass, cumin seeds, kaffir lime, lemon leaves, and finally galangal, an essential element of this dish. Galangal is a plant native to Asia from the same family as ginger and very commonly used in many Asian recipes.
WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF SOTO?
Along the whole Indonesian archipelago, soto is known by different names.
In the local dialect, it is called soto, except in Makassar where it is called coto. It is believed that the rich soup originated here, and then made its way through the country over the years.
Some historians suggest that it was probably influenced by foreign culinary tradition, especially Chinese. It is often believed that the origin of soto was a Chinese soup, caudo (Chinese: 草肚; pinyin: tsháu-tōo; literally “Tripe”), popular in Semarang among Chinese immigrants during colonial VOC era.
Other versions suggest that it was actually born from a mixture of culinary traditions from this region, like Indonesian, Chinese and Indian, or that some versions of soto ayam are actually a reflection of the people’s past conditions.
For example, soto tangkar (which today is made out of meat), was originally prepared with the rest of the goat’s ribcage bones because meat was really expensive (or because the population of Batavia was too poor to afford it).
During the year 2018, this soup was recognised by the government of Indonesia as one of the country’s national dishes, along with nasi goreng, rendang, gado-gado and sate.
WHAT ARE THE VARIANTS OF SOTO AYAM?
All along the different regions of Indonesia, there are different versions of Soto Ayam:
- Soto Ambengan, which originated from Ambengan, Surabaya. This version is famous for its delicious koya topping.
- Soto Banjar, from the Indonesian region of South Kalimantan.
- Soto Kudus, from Central Java.
- Soto Medan. This version combines chicken or beef broth with coconut milk, achieving a much creamer and rich broth.
- Soto Lamongan, a typical recipe from Eastern Java. This version contains finely crumbled shrimp crackers.
- Soto Lenthok. This version is served with circle-shaped cakes made of cassava.
Soto Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets (or 4 boneless chicken legs)
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 2 stalks lemongrass , finely chopped
- 4 lime leaves
- 8 cloves garlic
- 3 shallots
- 1 large tomato , peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 stalk celery , chopped
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger , peeled
- 1 (4-inch) piece galangal , peeled
- 1 (4-inch) piece fresh turmeric , peeled
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 4 oz. rice vermicelli
- 3 scallions , thinly sliced
- 2 red chili peppers , sliced
- 3 hard boiled eggs , peeled and quartered
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- Juice of 2 kaffir limes
- ¼ bunch cilantro , chopped
- 1 cup cooked rice
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, sauté the chicken in half the oil for 5 minutes.
- Add water, coconut milk, half the lemongrass, the lime leaves, spring onions, half the garlic, tomato, celery, and salt.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
- Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside.
- Remove skin and bones from chicken and cut into strips. Set aside.
- Prepare a spice paste: With a pestle and mortar or a food processor, grind the shallots, ginger, galangal, turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, the remaining lemongrass, garlic until obtaining a smooth paste.
- Heat the remaining oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Sauté the spice paste and hot pepper slices for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Add broth and reserved kaffir lime juice.
- Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Cook the rice vermicelli according to the package directions. Drain.
- Blanch bean sprouts in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain.
- Place all the ingredients in large bowls.
- Pour the broth into each bowl. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
- Serve with rice.
Vera is the “expert” of the 196 flavors’ duo. With over 30 years of experience in the kitchen, she is now sharing her skills as a private chef and cooking instructor.
Tara says
Wow, you really went all out for this recipe, totally amazing!!
peter @feedyoursoultoo says
This looks so good. Really cool recipe.
Suzy @ The Mediterranean Dish says
I am a soup-y as well! If it were up to me, my family would eat soup every day. I love Asian cuisine, and this soup hits so many notes and flavors that I appreciate! Also, appreciate you taking a moment to talk about the tsunami tragedy of 2004.
Jacquie Van Wagner says
This was my favorite breakfast when I was traveling extensively in Indonesia . Great for late night food as well, since it lends itself to making plenty and warming and eating it as you like. It’s both a light meal as well as extremely satisfying. My advice : make extra paste and freeze it for a quicker dish next time or to add to anything else that you want to taste fabulous. Thanks for such a clear recipe!
Jamie says
My first try at Indonesian cuisine! I regularly cook Thai and Indian food, but I wanted to branch out a bit. The only modification I made was substituting a tablespoon of ground turmeric instead of fresh, and only because the asian market was out of it! This soup is DELICIOUS!! Instead of serving it with regular rice, I made some nasi kuning and my guests are every bit! The recipe took me a bit longer than expected, but I’m a slow cook in general so it might have just been a personal issue. Worth the time though, you absolutely must try this!!
Mike Benayoun says
Thanks a lot, Jamie. Glad your guests loved it 😉
Mila says
Wow.. I’m Indonesian, thank you for writing the Soto Ayam recipe on your website … You need to know, there are more delicious foods in Indonesia… 🙂
Mike Benayoun says
We do know, Mila. We actually have a few other recipes and will plan to add more in the future. Any other interesting and representative recipes you would recommend?
Felix says
A very lovely chicken noodle soup.Thanks for the recipe.