Soto ayam

Name: Soto ayam
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 1.4 kg Chicken, whole, or bone-in legs and breast; 2.5 l Water; 30 g Turmeric, fresh root, peeled; or 2 tsp ground; 6 piece Shallot, 4 for the paste, 2 sliced and fried to serve; 4 clove Garlic; 20 g Ginger, sliced; 20 g Galangal, sliced and bruised; 4 piece Cashews, stand-in for candlenuts; 1 tsp White pepper; 2 stalk Lemongrass, bruised and knotted; 4 piece Lime leaves; 2 piece Bay leaf, Indonesian salam leaf if you can get it; 3 tbsp Neutral oil; 2 tsp Salt; 150 g Vermicelli rice noodles, soaked in hot water 5 minutes, drained; 3 piece Egg, boiled 8 minutes, halved; 150 g Bean sprouts; 150 g Cabbage, finely shredded; 2 stick Celery, leaves and thin stems, chopped; 2 piece Lime, wedges; 4 piece Fresh chilli, boiled 2 minutes and pounded with salt for a quick sambal

Indonesian turmeric chicken soup with lemongrass and lime leaf, served over rice vermicelli with egg, sprouts and fried shallots.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 1 hr
Rest: None
Total: 1 hr 30 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Soto ayam is a yellow chicken soup. The colour comes from fresh turmeric pounded with shallot, garlic, ginger, candlenut and white pepper into a paste, fried in oil until fragrant and then simmered with a whole chicken, lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves. The chicken is pulled off the bone and shredded. To serve, put rice vermicelli, shredded chicken, boiled egg, bean sprouts and shredded cabbage in a bowl and ladle the hot broth over. Fried shallots, celery leaf, a squeeze of lime and a spoon of sambal finish it. Rice on the side, or straight into the bowl.

What you'll need

21 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 21 ready

6 servings

Ingredients
To serve

Ingredients

Servings

Ingredients

Chicken, whole, or bone-in legs and breast1.4 kg
Water2½ l
Turmeric, fresh root, peeled; or 2 tsp ground30 g
Shallot, 4 for the paste, 2 sliced and fried to serve6
Garlic4 clove
Ginger, sliced20 g
Galangal, sliced and bruised20 g
Cashews, stand-in for candlenuts4
White pepper4.9 ml
Lemongrass, bruised and knotted2 stalk
Lime leaves4
Bay leaf, Indonesian salam leaf if you can get it2
Neutral oil44 ml
Salt9.9 ml

To serve

Vermicelli rice noodles, soaked in hot water 5 minutes, drained150 g
Egg, boiled 8 minutes, halved3
Bean sprouts150 g
Cabbage, finely shredded150 g
Celery, leaves and thin stems, chopped2 stick
Lime, wedges2
Fresh chilli, boiled 2 minutes and pounded with salt for a quick sambal4

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Pound turmeric, 4 shallots, garlic, ginger, cashews and white pepper to a smooth paste.
8 min
Watch: Fresh turmeric stains hands, boards and plastic. Use a glass board or wear gloves.
Step 2
Heat the oil in a stockpot and fry the paste on medium heat until it darkens a shade and smells cooked, 4 minutes. Add lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and bay leaf for one more minute.
5 min
Step 3
Add the chicken and water, bring to a boil, skim, and simmer gently with the lid ajar until the chicken is cooked, 40 minutes. Season with salt.
45 min
Tip: A bare simmer keeps the broth clear. A hard boil clouds it.
Step 4
Lift the chicken out. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat and discard skin and bones. Keep the broth hot and taste it again for salt.
10 min
Step 5
Fry the 2 sliced shallots in a little oil until golden and crisp. Drain on paper.
5 min
Step 6
Put noodles, chicken, cabbage, bean sprouts and half an egg in each bowl. Ladle over boiling broth. Top with celery leaf and fried shallots, and serve with lime and sambal.
5 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 610 kcal
Protein: 80.9 g
Carbs: 24.9 g
Fat: 19.2 g
Saturated fat: 3.9 g
Fibre: 4.1 g
Sugar: 5.8 g
Sodium: 1706 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Tree nuts
Eggs
Soy

Dairy-free
Gluten-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.

Substitutions

Fresh turmeric → 2 tsp ground turmeric
Flatter and more bitter. Fry it only briefly.

Tips

Return the shredded chicken to the hot broth briefly before serving so it is not cold in the bowl.
A crumbled prawn cracker over the top is the Lamongan touch, and it is good.
The broth freezes well. Make double.

History & culture

Soto is a family of soups found everywhere in Indonesia, and the chicken version is the one most people grow up on. Street vendors specialise in one regional style: Lamongan with its koya crumb, Madura with its richer broth, Betawi with coconut milk. It is eaten for breakfast as readily as dinner, and it is what gets cooked when someone is ill.

Soto most likely began as a Chinese-influenced offal soup in nineteenth-century Java, named from a Hokkien word, and spread through the islands taking on local spices. The turmeric and lemongrass version with chicken became the standard in the twentieth century as chicken got cheaper than beef.

Regional variation — A clear East Javanese style. Candlenuts are traditional in the paste; cashews or macadamias stand in. Betawi soto adds coconut milk and this one does not.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Soto ayam take?

1 hr 30 min all in — 30 min prep, 1 hr cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 6 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

Mild.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Tree nuts, Eggs, Soy. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Gluten-free.

7 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Stockpot, Mortar and pestle, Frying pan.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.

What can I use instead?

Fresh turmeric → 2 tsp ground turmeric. Flatter and more bitter. Fry it only briefly.

What should I watch for?

Fresh turmeric stains hands, boards and plastic. Use a glass board or wear gloves.

Any tips from this recipe?

Return the shredded chicken to the hot broth briefly before serving so it is not cold in the bowl. A crumbled prawn cracker over the top is the Lamongan touch, and it is good. The broth freezes well. Make double.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.