Saturday 25th April 2009
ok so one of my (many) favourite dishes to eat in indonesia is soto ayam. soto translates as soup and ayam is chicken. so it is basically a chicken soup...but to bring it down to such a basic level is truly shameful, for it is oh-so-much more than just that. it consists of vermicelli, chicken, chopped cabbage, hard-boiled egg, fried shallots, spring onions, lime and chili. and that's just the toppings. let's not go into the stuff you need for the spice paste which gives the flavour to the broth...or maybe we should...ginger, galangal, turmeric, coriander, cumin, garlic and shallots...the flavour of the broth is divine...i could just have it all on its own. but added together with the toppings, it all comes together into a very exotic chicken noodle soup.so naturally at this stage, i consider myself quite a soto ayam connoisseur...i mean i've eaten it countless times in any number of places and constantly compare, complain or compliment depending on how i feel about any given bowl. so, today i decided...ENOUGH! time to make it myself. shopped last night and got everything i needed (point to remember...it really is far more intelligent to cook indonesian dishes when living in indonesia as all ingredients are readily available in the supermarket...as opposed to something random and far-away where none of the ingredients are on site!) and this morning set about bringing it altogether. it happened with relative ease and apart from developing arms like arnold schwarzenegger pounding up the spice paste, things went off without a hitch. i followed a recipe i'd located at a favourite asian food blog of mine Rasa Malaysia and was delighted with the end result.
the broth was delicious and full of flavour and i have just finished the nice big bowl pictured above, right down to the last drop...what a lunch...now thats what i call chicken soup for the soul!
6 comments:
Wow, great job, sounds and looks fab-u-lous!
awww, thanks...i'm so proud of my 1st attempt to make it...can't wait to try some more dishes...
Oh I do LOVe your new 'look' .. just had to stop a moment and let you know. Not sure how I found your site many moons ago .. but I loved my trip to Bali and possibly was one day searching for more 'bali time' online while bored at the desk. Keep writing and adventuring and sharing .. you know you are very lucky to be in such a wonderful place!
Hi Airy Fairy! I stumbled across your blog researching Indonesia, I'm thinking of heading there to teach. I taught in China for 2 years, now back home I mix expat life SO MUCH and I'm fascinated by the mix of Indonesian cultures! Anyway, I'm loving your blog, it may be the deciding factor in where I go next! (reading the archives in another window, but I thought I'd comment here so you'd be sure to see it)
thanks, sarah...i'm really happy with the new 'look'! it's more fitting with the theme of my blog...thanks for your support and visits to the blog. makes it all worth while.
hi meg, definitely come and teach in indonesia. it's an amazing country, so diverse and rich in culture and heritage. i don't regret a single second i am here...
Hi Airy Fairy...I'm Donny of Indonesia...
I love your blog about my country...
And umm...about the soto, yes I love it, one of the greatest indonesian foods...
Have you ever eaten tempe and tahu? They're also originally from Indonesia...
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