Alright so Soto Ayam. You probably haven’t heard of it unless you’ve eaten Indonesian food or something. It’s this yellow chicken soup that smells absolutely crazy good. Like your whole kitchen gets filled with this insane aromatic smell that’s like turmeric and ginger and all these herbs mixed together. It’s wild.
The thing about Soto Ayam is that it looks complicated but it’s really not. Yeah it’s got a bunch of ingredients but like, you probably already have most of them. And even if you don’t, they’re not expensive or hard to find. You just need spices basically and then you throw chicken in water and boom – you’ve got this incredible soup.
I think people get intimidated by it because the name sounds fancy or whatever. But nah it’s just like normal food. It’s street food in Indonesia. People eat it for lunch, for dinner, whenever. It’s not some special occasion thing. It’s just good comfort food that happens to be Indonesian.
Honestly once you make this you’re gonna be making it all the time. Like it’s so good and so easy and you end up with like a weeks worth of soup for cheap. Plus it tastes way better than anything you’d get from a restaurant.
What You Gotta Get – The Ingredients
Okay so here’s the thing. Soto Ayam’s got a bunch of ingredients but don’t stress. They’re all just spices and herbs. Nothing crazy or hard to find.
For the Soup:
- 2 pounds of chicken – thighs or breasts, doesn’t really matter
- 8 cups of chicken broth or water
- 1 big onion, just chop it rough
- 4 cloves of garlic, smash them up
- A chunk of ginger like 2 inches, slice it
- 2 pieces of fresh lemongrass – just chop it up
- 1 tablespoons of turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoons of galangal powder
- 1 tablespoon of coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper, however much you need
- 2 tablespoons of oil
For Putting On Top:
- 2 hard boiled eggs, cut in half
- Fresh cilantro that you chop up
- Fried shallots – you can buy these already made
- Lime wedges
- Crispy fried potatoes – just cut up a potato and fry it
- Bean sprouts – the fresh ones
- Rice or noodles
- Sambal or hot sauce if you want it spicy
- Squeeze of lime juice
Extra Stuff If You Want:
- Fresh galangal if you can actually find it
- Fresh turmeric root
- Red chilies for more heat
- Extra lemongrass
Actually Making This – Step By Step
Step 1: Make Your Spice Paste Thing
So first thing you gotta do is like make a paste with all your spices and stuff. Take your onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, coriander, and cumin. If you’ve got a blender throw it all in there with a little bit of water and blend it until it’s like a thick paste. If you don’t have a blender just chop everything super fine and mash it together. Either way works.
This paste is literally where all the flavor comes from. It’s the whole thing basically. So don’t be lazy about it.
Step 2: Cook the Paste
Get a big pot and heat up your oil. Once it’s hot throw in your spice paste and just like keep cooking it and stirring it for like 5-7 minutes. Don’t let it burn but let it cook. You’re gonna notice your kitchen starting to smell insane. Like that’s the sign that it’s working.
When it gets a little darker and the oil starts to separate from it, that’s when you know it’s done.
Step 3: Throw Your Chicken In
Just put your chicken pieces right in the pot with all that spice paste. Stir it around so the chicken gets all coated with the paste. Let it cook for like 2-3 minutes. Then pour your chicken broth or water in. Add your bay leaves too.
Bring everything to a boil, then turn it down to like medium-low and just let it simmer. Don’t crank the heat, just let it bubble gently for like 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. You can tell it’s done when you can like shred it with a fork easily.
Step 4: Get Your Chicken Out and Shred It
Take the chicken out with some tongs or a spoon and put it on a cutting board. Let it cool for a bit. Then just shred it up with two forks. Doesn’t have to be perfect or anything, just break it up into pieces.
Put the shredded chicken back in the pot with the broth. Now taste it. Does it taste good? Does it need salt? Does it need more turmeric? This is where you fix it and make it taste how you want it to taste.
Step 5: Get Your Toppings Ready
While your soup is doing its thing, get all your topping stuff ready. Boil some eggs and cut them in half. Chop up your cilantro. Cut up a potato and fry it until it’s golden and crispy. Blanch your bean sprouts. Cook your rice if you’re using rice. Get your limes cut into wedges.
The whole point is to have everything done before you serve so you’re not scrambling around trying to fry potatoes while your soup is getting cold.
Step 6: Put It All Together In Bowls
Get your bowls out. Put some rice or noodles in the bottom of each one. Pour your hot soup and chicken over it. Then start piling on your toppings. Eggs, bean sprouts, crispy potato, fried shallots, cilantro – all of it goes on top.
Serve it with lime wedges on the side and sambal if people want it spicy. Let them squeeze lime on it and add whatever they want.
Step 7: Eat It And Be Happy
That’s it. You made Soto Ayam. Taste it. Add lime if it needs brightness. Add sambal if you want heat. It’s done basically.
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Nutritional Info
So this soup is actually pretty good for you. Per bowl you’re getting like:
- Around 300-350 calories give or take
- Like 25-30 grams of protein from the chicken
- Carbs from the rice
- Healthy spice stuff from turmeric and all that
- Tons of good herbs
It’s actually a solid meal. Better than you’d think for something that tastes this good honestly.
How To Serve It
Make it look nice basically. Serve it in a big bowl so it looks generous. Put all your toppings on top so it’s colorful. Put lime wedges on the side. Have bowls of sambal and extra stuff so people can customize it.
You can also just put everything out and let people build their own bowls if you’re serving a bunch of people. People like doing that.
Serve it hot. Warm bowls are nice if you have them.
Soto Ayam – Indonesian Chicken Soup with Herbs
Equipment
- Large pot (4-5 quarts)
- Blender or food processor
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Tongs
- Bowls for serving
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 lbs chicken thighs or breasts
- 8 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 inches fresh ginger sliced
- 2 stalks fresh lemongrass chopped
- 3 tbsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp galangal powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
Toppings:
- 2 hard boiled eggs halved
- Fresh cilantro chopped
- Fried shallots
- Lime wedges
- Crispy fried potatoes
- Bean sprouts
- Rice or noodles
- Sambal or hot sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- 1. Blend onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, coriander, cumin into paste
- 2. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat
- 3. Cook paste for 5-7 minutes, stirring
- 4. Add chicken, coat with paste, cook 2-3 minutes
- 5. Pour in broth, add bay leaves
- 6. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20-25 minutes
- 7. Remove chicken and shred it
- 8. Return chicken to broth
- 9. Taste and adjust seasonings
- 10. Prep all toppings
- 11. Put rice or noodles in bowls
- 12. Pour soup over rice
- 13. Top with eggs, sprouts, potato, shallots, cilantro
- 14. Serve with lime and sambal
STORAGE:
- Keep broth in fridge for 4 days or freeze for 3 months. Add fresh toppings when serving.
Keeping Leftovers
This soup is actually better the next day honestly. Like the flavors keep getting better.
Just put the broth in like a container in the fridge. It keeps for like 4 days easy. The toppings though – don’t mix those in. Keep them separate and add fresh ones when you reheat it.
You can also freeze it for like 3 months or whatever. Thaw it overnight and reheat it and it tastes great.
Tips That Actually Help
Make the Paste Right – This is the foundation. Don’t skip it. Make sure it’s like actually a paste, not just chopped up stuff.
Don’t Rush Cooking the Paste – Let it cook for like 5-7 minutes. Let it get fragrant and darker. That’s when the magic happens.
Fresh Herbs Are Better – If you can get fresh lemongrass and cilantro, use them. Dried stuff just doesn’t hit the same.
Squeeze Lime On Everything – Seriously lime makes this whole thing come alive. Don’t skip it.
Fry Your Own Toppings – Fried potatoes and shallots from scratch are way better than buying them. Not hard either.
Don’t Overcook the Chicken – Like 20-25 minutes is plenty. Overcook it and it gets dry and sad.
Make a Ton – Make like double or triple. This soup is even better as leftovers. Plus then you don’t have to cook tomorrow.
Adjust the Seasoning – Taste it and make it how you like it. More turmeric? Add it. More salt? Go for it. Make it perfect for you.
FAQs
Q: What if I can’t find galangal? A: Just use more ginger honestly. Or skip it. The soup will still be good.
Q: Can I use chicken breasts? A: Yeah but thighs are better. Thighs don’t get dry. But breasts work fine.
Q: What’s lemongrass? A: It’s like this grass that smells citrusy. You can find it at most grocery stores now. If you can’t find it use some lemon zest or lemon juice.
Q: Do I have to have all the spices? A: Nah but you won’t get the authentic taste. Try to at least get turmeric and galangal. Those are the main ones.
Q: Can I make this in a slow cooker? A: Yeah throw everything in and cook on low for like 6-8 hours. Just make the paste first in a pot.
Q: How many people does this feed? A: Like 6-8 people depending on bowl size. Great for like a family or meal prep for the week.
Q: What’s the difference between Soto Ayam and Soto Kuning? A: It’s basically the same thing. Soto Kuning just means yellow soup.
Q: Can I use curry paste instead? A: Nah don’t do that. This is specific. Make your own paste.
Q: Is this gluten-free? A: Yeah the soup is. Just check your sambal and condiments to make sure they’re gluten-free.
Bottom Line
Soto Ayam is honestly one of those things that seems fancier than it actually is. You make a spice paste, throw it in a pot with chicken and broth, and that’s it. You end up with this incredible soup that tastes like you spent hours cooking but you didn’t.
Stop paying restaurant prices for this stuff and just make it at home. It’s cheaper, it tastes better, and your whole house smells amazing while you’re cooking. Plus you feel like you actually did something cool.
Get your spice paste going, let everything simmer, taste as you go, and you’re golden. It’s that easy. Try it.
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