Soto is a kind of Indonesian soup consists mainly of broth, meat, and vegetables. Soto recipes vary as it is often modified and localized across different regions in Indonesia. However, two main types of soto are distinguished by the color of the soup. Some use clear or slightly yellow broth, and the others will add some milk to it. The first has very fresh taste: sour, savory, full of spices and the latter is very rich, creamy, and flavorful. Both are often served with lime.
Our recipe uses coconut milk generously, which makes it fall to the second type. It is not a typical soto being sold in restaurants, but something that we come up with after eating different varieties of soto. This soto has regularly got a loooot of complements, even from those who never had any soto experience before, making it a must-try recipe!
Steps:
- Boil chicken with chopped ginger, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, cloves, ground nutmeg, lemon grass, white pepper, and salt. Don’t worry about not putting enough salt as it can be added later.
- Grind garlic, shallot, and candle nut. Prepare a frying pan, and add some oil to it. Put in the ground ingredients and stir until it smells fragrant. Add this, along with the oil, into the boiling chicken.
- Let the chicken soak all the flavor. Turn off the stove when it is well-cooked. Dry the chicken and shred it before putting it back.
- Heat the soup again, add coconut milk and chicken powder. Keep stirring to avoid curdling. This is when your coconut milk turns into white lumps.
- Put the sweet soy sauce and add salt if needed.
- Serve the soto in a bowl, garnish with chopped tomato, celery, and green onion to taste.