Soto Ayam Lamongan (Lamongan Chicken Soto)

Indonesian Cuisine - Lamongan is the name of a district in the province of East Java, Indonesia, with the capital named the same namely Lamongan. One of the most famous culinary dishes from Lamongan is soto, known as Soto Lamongan.
In his book “Nusa Jawa: Silang Budaya”, French anthropologist Denys Lombard described soto as the local adaptation ol Chinese dish caudo. The soupy dish had originated in the Chinatown area of Semarang (Central Java). It also makes use of glass noodles, shredded chicken and fried garlic-all of which are elements of traditional Chinese cooking. In Makassar, soto is called coto, in a more similar pronunciation of caudo.

Soto is one of the most popular types of comfort food readily found all over Indonesia, in different version and names. Most use glass noodles. When the glass noodles are replaced with egg noodles, the dish is called sotomie. In general, soto uses chicken or beef as the source of protein. However, some interpretations of soto use shrimp and fish. 

Indonesian Cuisines - Soto Lamongan

Soto Ayam Lamongan refers to transparent yellow chicken soup (although some versions use coconut milk) made using savory and thick chicken broth. As a single meal, Soto Ayam (chicken soto) is served with rice that is placed at the bottom of the bowl.

When treated as an appetizer, soto is not accompanied by rice, and the chicken broth thinned so as to avoid being too savory and oily. lts wide spectrum of flavors reflects the use of rich spices, which include shallots/garlic, candlenut, galangal, ginger, lemongrass and others.

The whole chicken is deep-fried and cut thinly (not shredded or diced and cooked in soap), complimented by glass noodles. boiled bean sprouts and cabbage slices. After the soup is poured over, it is common to add slices of hard-boiled chicken egg and sprinkle fried shallots and thin slices of celery on top of the dish.

it is further complimented with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), samba/ bawang (chili condiment made with shallot) and kayak (mixture of fried garlic and prawn crackers).

Sate Ayam (chicken satay) Lamongan is served with prawn crackers and other side dishes such as: tempe, tofu or perkedei (pan-fn'ed dumplings of mashed potato and meat). it is definitely one of the most popular types of soto in lndonesia.

INGREDIENTS (serves 7-8):

• 3.000 cc water
• 500 gr 1/2 free-range chicken
• 36 gr 3 pcs lemongrass stalks, crushed
• 30 gr 3 cm galangal, crushed
• 1 gr 1-2 pcs cloves
• 2 gr 1/2 pcs nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 100 gr 2 pieces limes, sliced into small parts
• Cooking oil

GROUND SPICES:

• 120 gr 12 pcs shallots
• 12 gr 6 pcs garlic cloves
• 21 gr 3 cm ginger
• 15 gr 3 cm turmeric
• 20 gr 5 pcs candlenuts, toasted
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander, toasted

KREMES (Topping)
200  gr 10 pcs garlic, finely chopped and deep fried

COMPLEMENTARY:

• 50 gr dry vermicelli, soaked in water until soft, cut by 10 cm
• 165 gr 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 50 gr cabbage, sliced by 1/2 cm, boiled
• 150 bean sprouts, placed in boiling water for less than a minute
• 10 gr 2 celery stalks, cut by 1/2 cm
• 6 gr 3 tablespoons of fried garlic
• Sambal (chili paste)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil chicken along with lemongrass stalks, galangal, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Turn down the heat, keep cooking until the broth subsides. Take out the chicken. Measure the broth at 1.750 cc. Add more water if necessary, then continue cooking. Fry the chicken, drain and shred it. Set aside.
2. Heat 6 tablespoons of oil, sautee the ground spices until well cooked and aromatic. Add to the broth. Bring to another boil, add sweet soy sauce, remove.
3. Serving: divide among the bowls: cabbage, shredded chicken, bean sprouts and vermicelli. Pour in the chicken broth, top with celery and fried garlic. Add slices of hard-boiled eggs. Serve hot with limes and sambal.  

 Happy cooking and enjoy Soto Ayam Lamongan.

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