Name: Turmeric-Spiced Chicken Soup (Soto Ayam)
Yield: Makes 4 servings as a main or 6–8 servings as part of a multicourse meal
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon ground white or black pepper; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds or ground coriander; ¼ cup (15 g) chopped Chinese celery leaves or parsley; 6 Asian shallots or 3 European shallots, coarsely chopped; 2 teaspoons ground turmeric; 2 lb (1 kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, legs, or breasts; 8 cups (1.9 L) water; ¼ cup (15 g) fried shallots; 5 makrut lime leaves; 3 candlenuts or unsalted macadamia nuts; 2 Persian limes, cut into wedges; Kecap manis for serving; 1 teaspoon sugar; 3 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided; 1½ cups (150 g) crushed plain or sea salt potato chips; 3 cloves garlic, smashed; 2 green onions, chopped; ½ lb (225 g) cellophane noodles, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes until soft; 4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered; 2 cups (180 g) bean sprouts; Thumb-size piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped; 2 yellow gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch (2-cm) cubes; 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and bruised

Preparation info

Makes
4
servings as a main

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mortar and Pestle

By Patricia Tanumihardja

Published 2024

About

Soto ayam is probably one of the most popular of all the sotos—hearty, heavily spiced soups that are Indonesian originals. There are many variations of this dish across the archipelago, some served with koya (a powder made with shrimp chips and fried garlic) or potato cutlets, but the majority seem to be a riff off Julia’s recipe. I’m not sure whether it’s soto Lamongan or soto Madura, so let’s just say it’s Julia’s chicken soto. And it’s quite delicious. S