Food, Dining & Family

 Soto Ayam Johor ( Johor Spiced Chicken Soup )

A chicken soup dish originated from the Island of Java, Indonesia . The soto soup is the compilations of several herbs and spices , toasted and finely pounded into beautiful aromatic soto spice powder . The spice defined the authentic flavor of the soup that differentiate it from the usual chicken soup . The shredded chicken meat , the Potato Cakes , deep fried glass noodles , the compact rice cakes and the hot soy garlic chili paste complimented the savory dish . 

The spice powder :

• 5 tablespoon  fennel seed
  
• 5 tablespoon  cumin seed
  
• 7 tablespoon coriander seed
  
• 1 cinamon stick
  
• 3 cordamom pods
  
• 4 cloves
  
• 1 star anise
  
• a small piece of nutmeg

Wash and drain the above spices . Toast the dried spices. Toasting over low heat with gradual stirring to avoid  burnt . Remove from heat once the spices become lighter and crunchier. Transfer the spices into a mortar to manually pound them into powder or using the dry blender, blend until fine . Wrap the powder  in a Muslin Cloth and tie to make a spice pouch .

The Soup ingredients

• 1 whole chicken - clean and wash
  
• The 4 siblings - 1 cinamon stick , 3 cardamom pods , 3 cloves and 1 star anise
  
• 1 litre of water or enough water braising .

Blend

• 15 shallot
  
• 7 cloves of garlic
  
• 2 inches of ginger
  
• 3 stalks of lemon grass
  
• 1 cm of galangal
  
• 1/2 inch of fresh turmeric
  
• 4 candlenuts

• 2 t/spoon of black pepper powder
• 2 t/spoon of white pepper powder
• 1/2 cup of fresh coconut milk
• 1/2  cup of kerisik ( toasted grated coconut )
• 2 lemon grass bruised
• salt to taste

Once boiled , lower the heat and put in the chicken .  Make sure the chicken is wholly submerge in the soup and leave it to slowly cook for 1 - 11/2 hours .  Bring the chicken out from the soup and put it aside . Let it cool . Continue with the soup .  Add in the coconut milk and gradually stirring it to avoid lumps  Add the kerisik  and salt . Leave the soup to boil . Keep it warm over low heat.   

Hot Garlic Soy Chili Paste

• 6 cloves of garlic
  
• 10 birds  eye chili  ( Red or Green mix )
  
• 1 t/spoon of grilled prawn paste
  
• Salt and 1 tablespoon of palm sugar
  
• 2 tblespoon of salty soy sauce 
  
• 2 tblespoon of sweet soy sauce
  
• a dash of fresh lime juice
  

To serve :

In a bowl , put in the cubed rice cakes . Top it with the shredded chicken meat , the finely sliced cucumber , bean sprout and other sliced condiments with the hot soy sauce . Pour the chicken soup . Eat while the soup is warm .