Soto ayam is Indonesia's answer to chicken noodle soup, and what an answer it is — a golden, turmeric-stained broth loaded with shredded chicken, vermicelli, boiled egg and crunchy bean sprouts, all lifted with lime and fried shallots.
The colour and fragrance come from a simple blended spice paste of shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger and candlenuts, sizzled in oil before it goes into the pot. It smells incredible and tastes even better.
It's honest one-pot cooking. The chicken poaches gently in the broth, doing double duty as the protein and the stock, so there's nothing tricky about it — just a deeply comforting bowl that's perfect for a cool evening.
