Indonesian Chicken Soup (Soto Ayam)

Ingredients:
* 1 whole chicken
* 5 stalks green onions, finely sliced
* 2 Tbs. sweet soy sauce
* 1 tsp. vinegar
* vegetable oil
* 100 gram flour
* 150 ml water
* 200 gram beansprouts
* 150 gram crisp-fried potato chips
* 100 gram cellophane noodles, soaked briefly in hot water until softened and drained
* 5 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
* 2 Tbs. fried shallots
* 3 stalks flat-leaved parsley, finely sliced

Spice Paste Ingredients:
* 4 cm fresh ginger
* 10 small cloves of garlic
* 1 tsp. ground pepper
* salt to taste

Instructions:
* Put the chicken in a large pot cover with water and using medium high heat, bring the it to a boil and until tender. Set aside 2 liter of the chicken broth.
* Bone the chicken and slice in 1x2 cm shreds. Stir-fry the chicken until it's golden yellow and set aside.
* Fry the spice paste until fragrant with 1 Tbs. vegetable oil. Add it to the stock and heat the stock to boiling.
* Add the sliced spring onions, sweet soy sauce and vinegar. Stir well.
* Adjust the seasoning and simmer for a few minutes.
* To make the beansprout fritters, mix the flour, water and salt and then add the beansprouts. Drop a heaped tablespoonful of the mixture into hot oil and fry to a golden yellow color. Remove and set aside.
* To serve: Arrange the beansprout fritters, fried potato chips, cellophane noodles, hard-boiled eggs in a deep soup plate. Sprinkle fried shalots and parsley on top. Laddle the seasoned broth into the soup plate. This should be served very hot. For hot-flavor lovers, provide a side-dish of Sambal Soto.

Makes 8-10 servings.


Korean Chicken Soup