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Home / Gluten Free / Soto Ayam

Soto Ayam

By: 👩‍🦳 Linda · Published: 🖨 February 18, 2011 · Updated: 💻October 3, 2017 · 🗨 38 Comments

Recipe ▼

Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles with a variety of toppings.

Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles with a variety of toppings. | RotiNRice.com

Soto is a popular dish in the Nusantara or Malay Archipelago. It consists mainly of broth, meat, and vegetables found in warongs, a casual, family owned outdoor eatery. There is no fixed recipe and the taste varies from family to family and region to region. In Indonesia, it is often classified by region with different meats and ingredients used. One notable distinction is the presence or absence of coconut milk in the broth. Bandung (West Java) soto is clear while Medan (North Sumatera) soto is with coconut milk.

In Malaysia, Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles. Again, there are variations found in the different warongs around the country. Some years back during one of my visits, I came across this soto ayam spice mix at the Central Market in Kuala Lumpur where one can find an array of Malay crafts and foods. I bought several packets home and was able to introduce my boys to this delicious dish. Of course those spice mixes are long gone and I have not been able to replenish my stock. I had a craving recently for this fragrant noodle soup and the craving had to be satisfied. I checked several recipes, all very different, and decided in the end that I should put it together the way I remembered it.

Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles with a variety of toppings. | RotiNRice.com

Here is my adaptation with the ingredients I had on hand. I had purchased some candle nuts and a packet of rice cube (ketupat) mix during my most recent visit to Malaysia. Candle nuts can be substituted with macadamias. The rice cubes can be easily prepared with mashed cooked white rice spread onto a rectangular dish and compressed or weighed down with something heavy. It should then be left to cool before cutting into cubes. I found Chinese celery at my regular Asian grocery store. Chinese celery has a more intense flavor and is used mainly in stir fries and soups. It may be substituted with cilantro. It is known as daun sop or daun saderi to the Malays.

Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles with a variety of toppings. | RotiNRice.com

Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles with a variety of toppings. | RotiNRice.com
5 from 2 votes

Soto Ayam

Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles with a variety of toppings.
Author : Linda Ooi
Course : Main Dish
Cuisine : indonesian, Malaysian
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
Total Time 2 hrs
Servings : 4 servings
Calories : 390kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups water (1.4 liters)
  • 1 piece bone-in chicken breasts (skin removed)
  • 2 stalks lemongrass (bruised)
  • 1 inch ginger (bruised) (30g)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 8 oz thin rice noodles (240g) or 4 portions of rice cubes
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil (60ml)
  • 6 shallots or 1 big onion, sliced

Spice Paste

  • 6 shallots or 1 big onion, cut into small pieces
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 6 candle nuts or macadamias
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • ¼ tsp ground turmeric
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper

Toppings

  • 2 hard boiled eggs (sliced)
  • 2 pieces pan fried tofu (sliced)
  • 8 oz bean sprouts (blanched) (225g)

Garnish

  • 1 stick Chinese celery
  • 2 red chilies (sliced)
  • 1 lime (cut into wedges)

Instructions
 

  • Grind spice paste ingredients in a blender adding a little water if necessary.
  • Bring 6 cups (1.4 liters) of water to boil. Add chicken breast, lemongrass, ginger, and cinnamon stick. Reduce heat allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Remove chicken breast and shred the meat. Set aside.
  • In the meantime, cook (boil) eggs, pan fry tofu, blanch bean sprouts , and boil rice noodles. Set aside.
  • In a fry pan, heat oil. Fry shallots or onions until brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
    Soto Ayam-7
  • Fry spice paste with oil remaining in the pan until fragrant, about 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Transfer fried spice paste to boiling soup.
  • Give it a good stir to get spices well mixed into the soup. Allow soup to simmer for another 15 minutes. Turn off heat.
    Soto Ayam-8
  • Divide rice noodles or rice cubes into 4 bowls. Pour soup over noodles or rice cubes. Garnish with toppings and fried shallots or onions. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 390kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @RotiNRice or tag #RotiNRice

Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles with a variety of toppings. | RotiNRice.com

A big THANK YOU to all who participated in my CSN Giveaway. A number was assigned to each person who left a comment and random.org generated the winning number. The winner is Victoria of Mission: Food. Congratulations Victoria! I hope you enjoy shopping at the CSN Stores.

A very special THANK YOU to CSN for their generosity.

Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles with a variety of toppings. | RotiNRice.com

Soto Ayam is a yellowish spicy chicken soup, usually clear, served with nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes) or rice noodles with a variety of toppings. | RotiNRice.com

Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎

Biren

Categories: 🗂 Gluten Free, Main Dish, Noodles, Rice & Grain, Soup, Southeast Asian Tags: 📋 Malaysian

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Comments

  1. Anncoo says

    February 18, 2011 at 10:28 am

    WOW Biren! You made soto ayam? This is my favorite but I don’t know how to cook this before. Thanks for sharing this delicious soto ayam 🙂 Bookmarked!!

    Reply
  2. Belinda @zomppa says

    February 18, 2011 at 11:03 am

    Delicious!! I am definitely keeping this recipe!

    Reply
  3. Sharon @ Fun and Life says

    February 18, 2011 at 11:25 am

    This looks delicious! I would love a bowl right about now :D. The funny thing, I’m Malaysian and I’ve never heard of Soto! How terrible is that lol. I can’t wait to try it now when I go back.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 18, 2011 at 11:30 am

      That’s ok Sharon. There are so many kinds of fod in Malaysia and it is hard to know them all especially when you are away from there. Glad I was able to introduce you to a new dish. 🙂

      Reply
  4. lequan says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:17 pm

    5 stars
    Wow! What a fabulous dish of noodles. I have not heard of soto ayam before. I would sure love a bowl right now. The weather is getting cooler again here and this is the perfect bowl of comfort food. I love noodles with boiled eggs in them. This sounds delicious with all the wonderful ingredients.
    Congratulations to Victoria! Have a great weekend, Biren!

    Reply
  5. The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    Congrats Victoria!

    I wish I could have been in the kitchen while this was cooking so I could smell all the wonderful aromas it created. I’m so glad that you share these dishes with us. Thank you Biren.

    Reply
  6. Victoria says

    February 18, 2011 at 3:39 pm

    Thank you so much, Biren!! I can’t wait to start shopping! This Soto looks fantastic as well. I’m always learning about new and interesting dishes from you 🙂

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 18, 2011 at 9:46 pm

      You are most welcomed! I hope you enjoy your shopping. It is fun to rediscover some of my childhood favorites. 🙂

      Reply
  7. tigerfish says

    February 18, 2011 at 4:05 pm

    I just had chicken noodle soup (adding turmeric in there) for lunch but it’s not soto ayam cos I did not use the rest of the spices….:O

    Reply
  8. Reeni says

    February 18, 2011 at 7:05 pm

    A new dish for me Biren! Looks wonderful! How great that you could introduce your kids to this. Your presentation is beautiful.

    Reply
  9. torviewtoronto says

    February 18, 2011 at 7:12 pm

    beautiful and delicious meal

    Reply
  10. Yuki Endo says

    February 18, 2011 at 9:17 pm

    Am definitely printing this recipe out. Will try to look for the ingredients; am pretty sure I can hunt them down if desperation for some soto gets the better of me!

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 18, 2011 at 9:25 pm

      Hi Yuki Endo! Thanks for visiting and commenting. I hope you find the ingredients. You will not be disappointed.

      Reply
  11. kristy says

    February 18, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    Guess what! I am surrounded by all these food but I’ve never really tried this before. I think you’re going to bang me for sure. haha… But I still remember the aroma of this fragrant soup coming from my friend’s order. It is really irresistible! The only thing is I don’t like taking the rice cube. I am never a rice person. So, maybe I should try making it at home with some yellow noodles instead huh. I bet my kids will love it too. Bookmarked this. Thanks. Hope you’re enjoying your snowy weekend.
    Cheers, Kristy

    Reply
  12. Joanne says

    February 19, 2011 at 8:12 am

    What a simple and yet delicious dish! I love the addition of coconut milk…such great flavor.

    Reply
  13. Devaki @ weavethousandflavors says

    February 19, 2011 at 10:04 am

    5 stars
    I LOVE SOTO AYAM…It has been a decade sicne I have had any and everytime I visit you I weep a little because you ALWAYS cook the things I love to eat but belong in my past….I must resurrect these delights. Thanks Biren for always making such drool-worthy eats 🙂

    chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 19, 2011 at 10:22 am

      Devaki, like you I have not had these goodies in a while. I figured that I should try to recreate them before they totally fade out of memory. Sadly, some have but hopefully I can resurrect those that are still in my memory bank.

      Reply
  14. Angie's Recipes says

    February 19, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    Soto Ayam is new to me…love how it looks…light, fresh and delicious!

    Reply
  15. rebecca says

    February 19, 2011 at 2:55 pm

    great dish tweet to me on twitter I will reply to you 🙂
    love learning about Malaysian food from you
    Love Rebecca

    Reply
  16. Monet says

    February 19, 2011 at 11:33 pm

    I agree…this does look and sound just delicious. Everyone’s comments are evident of how tempting this recipe is! Thank you for sharing with me tonight! I hope you have a great weekend, my dear.

    Reply
  17. Magic of Spice says

    February 20, 2011 at 12:02 am

    This looks fantastic, I have never seen candlenuts before…I bet the aroma is just amazing 🙂
    Congratulations Victoria 🙂

    Reply
  18. Lot-O-Choc says

    February 20, 2011 at 7:05 am

    Oh wow this looks delicious, I would love to try this, mmm making me hungry!!

    Reply
  19. kitchen flavours says

    February 20, 2011 at 9:03 am

    Your soto ayam looks delicious! It has been awhile since I had this!

    Reply
  20. Hannah says

    February 20, 2011 at 10:46 am

    That rich coconut broth sounds luscious! I’d love to pour it over some simple noodles and tofu… I think it would make just about anything taste good. 🙂

    Reply
  21. Mary says

    February 20, 2011 at 11:42 am

    This look temptingly delicious. I really love rice noodles and I see you have used them here. I know I’d enjoy a bowl of this. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary

    Reply
  22. elisabeth@foodandthriftfinds says

    February 20, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    Biren-Such a beautiful and healthy dish. I love the step-by-step photo directions, and your thorough instructions. It’s as if I was reading it right out of a food magazine. Photos of it are stunning, and it look so delicious!

    Reply
  23. Three-Cookies says

    February 20, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    Looks really tasty, now I miss this dish. Its been a while since I visited Malaysia/Singapore. I should attempt to make this

    Reply
  24. Lucy @ Lucyeats says

    February 20, 2011 at 8:14 pm

    Wow that looks so fantastic and the herbs and spices go so well together. So healthy too! I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
  25. Sommer @ ASP says

    February 20, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    Biren, this looks amazing and so healthy! Congratulations to Victoria!

    Reply
  26. penny aka jeroxie says

    February 20, 2011 at 11:28 pm

    I need one this today to brighten up my day.

    Reply
  27. Nithu says

    February 20, 2011 at 11:55 pm

    Lovely dish.

    Reply
  28. MaryMoh says

    February 21, 2011 at 5:51 am

    Mmm…love this dish but it’s a lot of work. Beautiful pictures.

    Reply
  29. Jay says

    February 21, 2011 at 6:37 am

    wow..Biren…this is really delicious..
    Tasty appetite

    Reply
  30. denise @ bread expectations says

    February 21, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    Wow! Your soto recipe is fantastic! Your memory is flawless! I know this was really delicious. Soto Ayam is probably my favourite Malay/Indonesian dish, after Ikan Asam Pedas. Love your rendition and thinking of making it this weekend. You are very inspiring!

    Reply
  31. Nasifriet says

    February 22, 2011 at 5:11 am

    This is a really interesting recipe. I’ve eaten this only once in my lifetime, as this “mi sup” is more popular in Semenanjung M’sia. This will definitely be one of my next attempts in my kitchen. I’m sure it will be a hit with the guys. Thanks for sharing, Biren.

    Reply
  32. A Little Yumminess says

    February 22, 2011 at 11:21 pm

    Love Soto Ayam…never thought to make it at home

    Reply
  33. DongXing says

    February 23, 2011 at 7:32 am

    Biren, I love soto ayam but never quite know how to make it. I will definitely attempt this one weekend and see what my other half makes of it. I am drooling already….

    Reply
    • Biren says

      February 23, 2011 at 11:23 pm

      It was really good, if I can say so myself. Will certainly be making it again. It is also very mild and suitable for kids. 🙂

      Reply

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My grace is sufficient for thee…
2 Corinthians 12:9

Hi, I’m Linda! I make quick, easy meals, and spin on classics and old favorites with focus on Malaysian, Chinese, and American cuisines. Read more →

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