Soto ayam
A clear chicken broth, yellow with turmeric, poured over shredded chicken, glass noodles, bean sprouts and egg, with lime, sambal and fried shallots.
What makes it soto ayam
- A clear, turmeric-yellow broth, fragrant with lemongrass, lime leaf and galangal.
- Chicken shredded, not in pieces.
- Built in the bowl: noodles, sprouts, egg, then broth, then lime and sambal.
Where it comes from
Soto is Indonesia's family of soups, and the chicken one is the most common of all, eaten from breakfast at stalls across Java. Nearly every town has its own; Lamongan's, from East Java, is carried everywhere by its sellers and finished with koya, a powder of prawn crackers and fried garlic that thickens the broth as it goes in.
In Kudus, in Central Java, soto is traditionally made with buffalo or chicken rather than beef — a custom often said to come from respect for the town's Hindu neighbours, though that is a story told rather than a certainty.
How it varies
- Soto Lamongan
- With koya sprinkled over — cloudier, richer.
- Soto Kudus
- Small bowls, with chicken or buffalo, and a sweeter edge.
Be the first here
Start your own soto ayamNo one here has made soto ayam yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.
Near it
JavaneseRawonA beef soup turned black by keluak nuts, earthy and deep, served with rice, short bean sprouts, a salted egg and sambal.No one here has made it yet
MinangkabauSoto PadangA clear, spiced beef broth poured over crisp-fried beef, rice vermicelli and potato fritters, with crackers and rice alongside.No one here has made it yetSundaneseSoto mie BogorYellow noodles, beef and cabbage in a clear spiced beef broth, with tomato, potato and slices of fried spring roll.No one here has made it yet
MinangkabauSoto PadangA clear, spiced beef broth poured over crisp-fried beef, rice vermicelli and potato fritters, with crackers and rice alongside.No one here has made it yetSundaneseSoto mie BogorYellow noodles, beef and cabbage in a clear spiced beef broth, with tomato, potato and slices of fried spring roll.No one here has made it yet