Soto Ayam Medan (Chicken Soup in Coconut Milk)
Chicken soup cooked with herbs, spices, and coconut milk originated from Medan. Served with shredded chicken meat, perkedel (potato fritters), and chili
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4-5 chicken thighs ((skin removed))
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 block chicken bouillon
- 1 cup coconut cream ((you can replace with whole cow's milk, but I don't recommend using low fat or fat-free))
- Salt and Sugar to taste
- 2 Roma Tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
- Small bunch of Chinese celery leaves ((chopped))
- 2 hard-boiled eggs (quartered)
- 1/3 cup crispy fried shallots
- 2 cups Beansprouts ((blanched))
- 4 cloves garlic
- 7 shallots
- 4 candlenuts (omit if you don't have any)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp of chopped ginger
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 Kaffir lime leaves
- 4 cardamom pods
- 3 cloves
- 1 stalk lemongrass (bruised with heavy object)
- 50 gr long green chili (or use serrano peppers)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Perkedel kentang (potato fritters)
- Kecap manis for drizzling
Instructions
- 1
Put all ingredients you need to grind in a food processor except for turmeric powder. Process into a paste and then add the turmeric powder. That way you won't stain your food processor bowl.
- 2
Boil the chili in a boiling water until soft, about 5 minutes. Discard water and process into a smooth paste or roughly chopped if you prefer. Add in salt to taste. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week
- 3
Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Put in chicken pieces and lower the heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside. Save the liquid and shred the meat when cool enough to handle
- 4
In a meantime, heat up some oil in a large pot and stir-fry the paste you prepared earlier, cardamom, cloves, and lemongrass until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Put in bay Leaves and kaffir lime leaves and continue stir-frying for few minutes until fragrant
- 5
Pour in the liquid from cooking the chicken and chicken broth and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Strain off the liquid and discard the solids. Add in coconut cream and let it heated through but do not let it boil. Have a taste and season with more salt and pinch of sugar to your taste. It should be savory
- 6
When ready to serve, portion the shredded chicken meat, bean sprouts, diced tomatoes, in a individual serving bowl. Laddle the hot soup over. Garnish with celery leaves, crispy shallots, hard-boiled eggs. Serve with rice, chili sauce, and perkedel