Soto Ajam (Indonesian Chicken Soup)
Soto ajam
A fragrant golden chicken soup with turmeric, lemongrass and ginger, piled with noodles, egg and beansprouts — the Indonesian comfort bowl beloved on the Dutch-Indo table.
IVSoups- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
When the weather turns and something restorative is wanted, the Indo kitchen answers with soto ajam — a clear golden chicken broth, deep with turmeric and lemongrass, built at the table into a bowl of noodles, shredded chicken, egg and fresh herbs. It is the kind of soup that seems to cure things, and it holds an honoured place on the Dutch-Indo table.
An Indonesian soup with a thousand faces
Soto is not one dish but a whole Indonesian genus — every region has its own, thickened, spiced, or garnished to local taste, from the coconut-rich soto Betawi of Jakarta to the clear, turmeric-gold soto ajam that travelled furthest abroad. It reached the Netherlands, as the rest of the rijsttafel did, through the colonial era and the Indo families who made these dishes part of Dutch life. What is on the Dutch table is Indonesian to its bones, and worth naming as such.
Broth first, assembly last
Two techniques give soto ajam its character. The first is the bumbu — a fried paste of shallot, garlic, turmeric, ginger and candlenut — stirred into the simmering chicken broth so the soup turns golden and fragrant rather than merely meaty. The candlenuts, kemiri, are the quiet workhorse, lending body and a faint richness the way ground almonds might.
Soto ajam is a soup you finish at the table — hot broth poured over cool garnishes, each bowl assembled to order.
The second is in the serving. Soto is built, not stirred: noodles, beansprouts, shredded chicken and egg go into the bowl, and the hot broth is ladled over at the last moment so nothing turns soft. Finish with fried shallots, a scatter of celery leaf, a squeeze of lime, and sambal for those who want the heat. It is comfort and brightness in one bowl.
“Serve soto ajam "assembled at the table" — broth ladled over noodles and garnishes at the last second so nothing goes soft.”
Ingredients
Serves 6
The broth
- 1whole chicken — about 1.4 kg, or 6 thighs
- 2.5 litreswater
- 3lemongrass stalks — bruised
- 4kaffir lime leaves
- 2salam leaves — or bay, optional
- 1 tspsalt — or to taste
The spice paste (bumbu)
- 5shallots
- 4garlic cloves
- 4 cmfresh turmeric — or 2 tsp ground
- 3 cmfresh ginger
- 3candlenuts — or macadamias, optional
- 1 tspground coriander
- 2 tbspneutral oil
To serve (per bowl)
- 150 gglass or rice noodles — soaked
- 100 gbeansprouts — blanched
- 3eggs — hard-boiled, halved
- to servefried shallots, celery leaf, lime and sambal
Method
- 1
Simmer the broth
Put the chicken in a large pot with the water, bruised lemongrass, lime and salam leaves and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, skimming the foam, and cook until the chicken is tender, about 40 minutes. Lift out the chicken to cool.
- 2
Fry the bumbu
Grind the shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, candlenuts and coriander to a paste and fry in the oil until deeply fragrant and the raw edge is gone. The candlenuts thicken and enrich the broth in the classic way.
- 3
Marry paste and broth
Stir the fried paste into the simmering broth and cook another 15 minutes so the flavours meld and the soup turns golden and aromatic. Taste and adjust the salt — the broth should be clear, savoury and perfumed.
- 4
Shred the chicken
Pull the cooled chicken from the bones and shred the meat. For a richer bowl you can quickly fry the shredded chicken until the edges crisp, though many cooks simply return it to the pot.
- 5
Build the bowls
Divide noodles, beansprouts and shredded chicken between bowls, ladle over the hot golden broth, and top with a halved egg. Finish with fried shallots, celery leaf, a wedge of lime and a spoon of sambal.
In the kitchen
The tools that make this recipe easier.
- WorthwhileStone mortar (cobek) ↗
To pound bumbu spice pastes for the rijsttafel.
With the soup
A bowl of snert is a meal — but the trimmings make it Dutch.
- Roggebrood met spek — rye bread with a slab of bacon
- Katenspek — smoked cured bacon on the side
- Mustard — a dab of coarse mustard on the rye
Questions from the kitchen
Where does soto ajam come from?+
Soto is a family of Indonesian soups with countless regional versions; soto ajam is the chicken one, golden with turmeric. It came to the Netherlands through the rijsttafel and Indo community and remains a treasured comfort dish.
What are candlenuts, and can I skip them?+
Candlenuts (kemiri) are a waxy nut used across Indonesia to thicken and enrich spice pastes. Macadamias are the closest substitute. You can leave them out — the broth will simply be a little lighter in body.
Can I make it ahead?+
Yes — the broth is even better the next day. Keep the noodles, garnishes and chicken separate and assemble each bowl fresh so the noodles and beansprouts keep their texture.
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