Soto ayam (Indonesian turmeric chicken soup)
65 min · 45 g protein · 446 cals / serving
A golden, fragrant broth of turmeric, ginger, lemongrass and coriander poured over shredded chicken, slippery glass noodles, crunchy bean sprouts, cabbage and a halved boiled egg. Everyone finishes their own bowl with a squeeze of lime, a spoonful of sambal and a scattering of crisp fried shallots. Bright, aromatic and deeply comforting.
Ingredients
Spice paste
- 3 large shallots, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 thumb ginger, peeled
- 2 tsp turmeric, ground, or a thumb of fresh
- 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp canola oil
Broth
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and tied in a knot
- 1 1/3 lb chicken breast
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 5 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
Bowls
- 4 large eggs
- 2 oz glass noodles, dried glass (mung bean) noodles
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 stalk with leaves celery, thinly sliced
- 3 green onions, sliced
Fried shallots
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp canola oil
To serve
- 2 tbsp lime juice, lime wedges
- 4 tsp sambal oelek
- 2 1/2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce, or sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
Steps
- Blitz the shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander and white pepper with a splash of water to a smooth paste.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and fry the paste 4–5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and starting to colour. Add the lemongrass, chicken, broth, water and salt, bring to a boil and simmer gently 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (165°F). Lift out the chicken, shred it and discard the lemongrass.
- Meanwhile, boil the eggs 9 minutes, cool in cold water, peel and halve. Fry the sliced shallots in the oil in a small pan over medium heat, stirring, 5–6 minutes until crisp and golden; drain on paper towel.
- Soak the glass noodles in hot water 5 minutes and drain. Blanch the bean sprouts and cabbage in the simmering broth for 1 minute and lift out.
- Divide the noodles, cabbage, bean sprouts, chicken and eggs between deep bowls and ladle the hot broth over. Top with celery, green onion and fried shallots and serve with lime, sambal and soy sauce on the table.
Good to know
Rice or noodles?
Both are traditional. In Java soto is often eaten with a scoop of rice or compressed rice cakes (lontong) beside the bowl; add a small portion if you like.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, bone-in thighs give a richer broth, at about 79 instead of 83. Simmer 30 minutes, then shred the meat off the bones.
Make ahead?
The broth and chicken keep 3 days in the fridge and freeze well. Prepare the vegetables, eggs and noodles fresh.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 55
- Protein
- (41%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (32%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (26%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 182 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1782 kcal goes into the pot and 3297 g of ingredients comes out as about 3250 g of food: 55 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.