James Oseland's Soto Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Soup with Noodles and Aromatics)

(Do not reach to adjust the brightness dial on your computer: that is, indeed, the color of the soup. And the color of my silicone spatula. And the color of my bespattered linoleum counter. Oh, turmeric, you madden me with your lovely flavor and your ability to turn everything you touch to bright, unmoveable yellow.)

Whenever I leave Europe after vacation, I arrive back in the States with a knot in my heart and a serious craving for fresh, spicy Asian food: clear broths, incendiary peppers, bright flavors. I'm not really sure why. Last summer, I read Fuchsia Dunlop's Shark Fin and Sichuan Pepper on the flight back from Italy and I arrived with a watering mouth and unholy hankering for dan dan noodles. I couldn't rest until I drove myself to Flushing one night after work to go down into the rabbit warren of food stands that is Golden Mall.

This time I made a crucial mistake. I thought that making my own Asian food would be just as good as leaving it up to the experts. What I didn't realize is that part of what I look forward is the sheer ease of being able to show up somewhere in New York and have utter confidence that what you're about to order is authentic, delicious and not to be replicated at home. Berlin may have many things, but superb Asian food available at a moment's notice is not one of them.

Anyway, instead of just hopping in the car and going to to Flushing one night, I read Julia Moskin's article about curried noodle soups and decided to cook my own happiness instead of buying it. Well. I won't be doing that again. Not when I'm in the still-delicate fog of jet lag and melancholy. It's not that the soup was bad. It wasn't. It was fine. Well, a little greasy, perhaps, and the flavors a bit muddied, it's true, but it wasn't awful.

(What an endorsement, right?)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this soup just wasn't right for me this week. That's the silliest thing I might have ever written on this blog, but it just so happens to be true. I don't doubt that this soup soothes millions of souls, but all it made me feel was foolish and slightly cheated. I learn easily enough, though. Next time, I'm going directly from the airport to Chinatown and letting the professionals do my palliative cooking. Ooh, I'm excited already.

Soto Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Soup with Noodles and Aromatics)
Serves 4

1 free-range chicken, about 3 pounds, quartered
2 stalks fresh lemon grass, bruised with the handle of a heavy knife and tied in a knot
6 kaffir lime leaves, fresh or frozen  (optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
5 shallots, peeled and halved
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh turmeric, or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
3 tablespoons peanut oil
4 ounces glass noodles or thin dried rice noodles, called vermicelli, bihun or bun
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves, mint, Thai basil or cilantro leaves
2 shallots, thinly sliced and fried in vegetable oil until brown (optional)
Quartered limes and chili paste (such as sambal) for serving
Cooked white rice  (optional)

1. Place chicken in a medium pot with lemon grass, lime leaves (if using), salt and 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes, skimming as needed to make a clear broth. Remove chicken pieces from broth and set aside. Remove and discard lemon grass and lime leaves; reserve stock in pot. When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and shred meat into bite-size pieces.

2. Meanwhile, combine peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a small food processor. Pulse until ground. Add halved shallots, garlic, turmeric and ginger and pulse to a thick paste. (Add a little water if needed.)

3. Heat peanut oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. When very hot, add spice paste and cook, stirring until paste is cooked and beginning to separate from the oil, about 5 minutes.

4. Add cooked spice paste and chicken meat to stock. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

5. Cook noodles according to package directions.

6. Turn off heat under soup and stir in lime juice. Taste for salt.

7. To serve, divide noodles in large soup bowls. Ladle chicken pieces and soup on top and sprinkle with celery leaves or herbs, and fried shallots, if using. Pass lime and sambal at the table.

8. Eat from soup bowl, or serve a scoop of rice on a side plate, sprinkled with more shallots, and put a mouthful of noodles and chicken on rice. Combine on a spoon, dab with sambal, and eat.

Comments

[Mei]

Oh my gosh! I made the same soup last night and was thinking pretty much the exact same thing. Underwhelming, if you ask me.

[Amanda B]

Ok, so I was going to make this recipe when I saw it but I ran it by my mom, who was born and raised in Indonesia. She looked at the recipe and started laughing. She was like, that is NOT going to work out. So I had her make her own Soto Ayam, which she learned from her mom who learned from her mom etc. And it was DIVINE. I used to eat it for breakfast when I would visit Indonesia and it is a winner. I will try to write out the recipe since it is all in her head and will send it to you...

[Jessika]

You should try the book by James Oseland that I like the best, Cradle of Flavor.
Of course, indonesian food (travelled extensively in Indonesia) is one of those foods reliant of its environment. But they are simple to prepare usually. I are Soto Ayam soooo many times and found it to be a great soup. Out of "foreign" cuisines I seem to cook two the most, indonesian or anything south-asian and persian.)

[Minti]

What a relief to learn that your review of the soup matches mine - I have the 'Cradle of Flavor' book. The author is clearly passionate about the food, and the travelogue is interesting to read. But I found all the recipes much too heavy on the coconut milk, and I wasn't wowed as often I would have liked after working my way through 60-70% of the recipes in the book.

[lisa slater]

Funny, I felt the same way about the soup: underwhelming in depth of flavour. I used fresh tumeric so it wasn't quite so psychedelic. There was no balance between the garlic-ginger-shallot paste and the soup. Next time (if there is a next time), I would double the quantity of paste and use a kosher chicken whose saltiness automatically deepens the flavour. I used salt and fish sauce but felt any more would overwhelm what "delicate" (and that's a euphemism) flavour there was.

[David]

There is something about the immediacy of many of the Asian foods, which are best cooked in very hot woks, or in giant steaming kettles. It's hard to recreate those flavors and tastes at home, although it is fun to try sometimes. Welcome back!

[maggie]

If you ever want a partner for exploring Flushing, I'm so there.

Attempting to satisfy my cravings for asian food by cooking my own often fails for me, too...I just never get it quite to the level of the place down the block. Sometimes I tell myself it will be useful to have these skills in case I move somewhere without good ethnic restaurants...

[kickpleat]

dan dan noodles are definitely best left to the professionals. the soup looks lovely and heartwarming (and sorry about your splattered counters), but at least you gave it a go!

[Shira]

Your timing is uncanny. Just a few days ago, I wrote on my blog that one of my food goals for the year was to introduce an Southeast Asian dish into my everday repetoire. And I had my eye on that Moskin article. So now I'll need to search for something else, or make more trips to Belleville. (It's not Flushing, but a girl has got to eat.)

[Dana McCauley]

I always come home from Europe craving Asian flavours, too! Like NYC, Toronto has wonderful Asian restaurants of all kinds. I do make a lot of Japanese foods at home but, like so many of you, I head out for most other styles of food (such as Thai and Indonesian).

I've been on a miso dressing kick the last week or so. In fact, I think I just made my fourth batch - talk about salad days.

If any of you want an easy Asian recipe, please give my dressing a try: http://danamccauley.wordpress.com/2008/07/14/salad-with-wine-surely-you-jest

I'll be surprised if you find it too much effort for the reward.

[Jessika]

Minti - that is what I mean with environment reliant. Some south asian cuisines are just not meant to be cooked elsewhere. I don't mean to be condacending or anything. Just like take a seabass, sprinkle it with x and y and cook over open fire. Well gee, I'll go out and fish and set an open fire out in the yard. Should be popular with the neighbours. Some of his recipes ARE spice overload and you can easily cut back on coconut milk. I like his book as I said above, I have other books on South asian cuisine (Alford & Duguid). They can be tricky at times but can be used as a comparison to Oseland before you decide which recipe to cook. I often cook an Indonesian rice dish: cooked rice, chicken or lean meat fried and then marinated in soysauce, oil with curry powder, red onions and leeks. Put rice in frying pan, add the chicken (or meat) along with the soy sauce. Add onions + leaks. cook until warmed through and the leeks hade "softened".

[Chubby Hubby]

I love Soto Ayam. It's the perfect soup when you are feeling a tad under the weather. I much prefer Sri Owen's recipe. It's also perfect as a base for Nasi Bubur.

[Tea]

Seeing as I ran down the street tonight for Singapore curry noodles despite a bad head cold, you can tell what side of that fence I am on!

xox

[Victoria]

As a Christmas present for myself, after much perusing, I bought The Spice Merchant's Daughter. I haven't had cooked anything from it yet, but I have read it. Take a look at it if you have a chance. Looks like authentic Indonesian food.

[Dee]

I love Soto Ayam, especially when accompanied by Nasi Impit (compressed rice cubes). The recipe I use (perhaps more Malaysian than Indonesian) uses coconut milk and galangal.

[jenny]

oh noooooo! I'm so sorry your craving was not satisfied in the right way, luisa. that's the worst. although, here I must selfishly add that I'm so glad to have gotten your review of this recipe. my mouth started watering the moment I read that article and I have had my eye on those soups ever since. thank you for preventing me from wasting several hours of my time on something mediocre. and may I just put in a plug for amanda b to come back and share her mom's secrets?? there's nothing I would like more than a really good recipe for some iteration of this soup.

[Susannah]

Had to step in to say that the other recipe in the NYTimes article, Curry Mee, was a real winner, in my opinion. I made it yesterday and doubled many of its spices and aromatics.

[EB]

What amazing color. Worth the Pollack-like looks of the kitchen I bet.

[KatyBelle]

"Shark Fin and Sichuan Pepper" is one of my favorite books! I've been reading a lot of culinary memoirs lately (including Ruth Reichl's one, "Tender at the Bone"), but Fucshia Dunlop's is AMAZING!

I'm going to try the recipe for Dan Dan noodles tonight, and I plan on making the red-braised pork belly soon, too!

[jm]

Windex will get that tumeric off your counter!

[Kim]

Argh. I tried this recipe over the weekend. It was much more work than I imagined, but it smelled wonderful. Why didn't it taste as good as it smelled? Lots of lime juice and chili sauce made it good, but I wanted to taste ginger, lemongrass, coriander, mmmm . . .

[dailyfill]

This is what I love about your blog, Luisa - you're honest when something isn't good!

And now I must go get some tom yum. :-)

[Ilissa]

I also made the curry mee, and it was great. Thanks for reviewing this one so I don't have to bother!

[ann]

Funny! Every time I go away from New York for any length of time, the first thing I do is get some good Asian food. Korean, Malaysian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, whatever! As long as its dreamy and steamy it scratches that itch. We are so lucky to be surrounded by so much good food.

[johanna]

yes, this often happens to me when i try and cook south asian food. basically anything involving nam pla! often when i make these things at home they lack that umami deliciousness - plus the flavor is always eroded a bit by the huge effort and mess of chopping up all the aromatics just so. nevertheless, the moskin article did tempt me so i'm glad that i read this post! if only flushing were a little closer to park slope! also i completely agree about craving pungent, steamy asian flavors after returning from europe. i've just returned for a few weeks in england and this seems just the antidote to a steady diet roast beefs and christmas gooses.

[ulla]

I agree, good Asian food in NYC is unbeatable especially because it is so reasonable too.
Your soup looks absolutely gorgeous though.

[Noel]

You should see if you can find a copy of " A Treasury of Great Recipes" by Mary and Vincent Price (yes the famous Vincent Price). Apparently at the time Holland had several places that had a scald on Indonesian cooking. Everything I've made from this book, so far, has been out of this world good. I think you might enjoy it.

[carecooks@writerdog.com]

Like many others here, I made the Soto Ayam recipe. I had a cold and thought that I might enjoy an Asian Chicken Noodle Soup. I agree that the recipe was both greasy and underwhelming. However, because my head was in a cold fog, I made a batch of white rice to go along with the soup and then couldn't figure out what to do with it. The next day I heated up the rice, scooped out the chicken, noodles and some snow peas that I had added and topped the rice along with a bit of the broth. I then added some siracha sauce, rice vinegar and chopped cilantro and it was a much better dish. Still not worth making the soup and finding turmeric stains everywhere.

[Martina]

I can relate to that feeling of melancholy and jet lag so well... - when I used to live in NY and returned to NY from Germany, my craving was more for "home food": I was so desperate that I would even go to the Silver Swan on 20th St to satisfy me need for Rotkohl, Bratkartoffeln and Spaetzle... (I lived in a room without kitchen)

I am not a huge fan of Asian cuisine, however, there is one place in Berlin-Kreuzberg that has really great and (supposedly) authentic Thai food: Pagode in Bergmannstrasse (http://www.pagode-thaifood.de/).

Re. authenticity I cannot judge as I am plain German - however, it is run by Thai personnel, always packed and you can have the food to go or to stay within minutes.
The only drawback is the fact that they do not offer their meals without flavor enhancers (in German: Glutamat; in English: MSG?). But then again, which Asian restaurant does??

Thanks for your great blog, Luisa!
Martina

[Kristin]

Well it sounds good by the recipe alone... I guess I'm not an asian soup expert. Did you use the lime leaves? I found out quickly last week after trying to replicate the Tom Yum soup I had at a Thai restaurant, when it says "optional" next to lime leaves, it pretty much means "optional if you don't mind the soup being just OK".

[Luisa]

Amanda B - yes, please! I'd love your mom's recipe...

Martina - ooh, thanks for the tip!

Kristin - yes, I did. I think the problem here is that this recipe just isn't that good.

[Ashley]

This looks fabulous! I adore turmeric and will gladly let my kitchen turn yellow for some delicious food :)

[Joyti]

The soup sounds soooo yummy.
Expose the turmeric stain to sunlight (extended period of sunlight) - it will disappear.