Clear oriental chicken soup (Soto Ayam)

One of the soup I like most, very easy to make, healthy and very refreshing especially in the cold weather.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut half
• 5 stalks spring onion, finely sliced
• 1 and 1/2 litre water
• 100 gram vermicelli noodle
• 200 gram beansprouts
• 1/4 cabbage, shredded finely
• 2 boiled egg, each egg slice half
• 2 boiled potato, each potato slice half
• fried shallot flakes
• celery
• 1 lime

Spice Paste Ingredients:

• 8 small cloves of garlic
• 4 cm ginger
• 5 candlenut
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, bruised
• 4 kaffir lime
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Boil chicken into 1 & 1/2 litre water until tender. Allow 1 litre of broth to remain in the pan. Lift out the chicken and shred it. Add spice paste and cook until welldone.
• Boil vermicelli, beansprouts and cabbage then drain it
• Place vermicelli, beansprouts, cabbage, shredded chicken, egg and potatoes in a bowl.
• Pour on the seasoned chicken stock and sprinkle with fried shallot flakes, spring onions and celery. Add juice to taste and serve hot.

Chilli paste:

Boil big and small red chilli then ground them with using mortal & pestle.

Serves: 4 bowls

Tips to prepare vermicelli:

Cover vermicelli strands in cold water and soak. Leave at room temperature for 15 minutes until noodles are transparent. Drain and cut into shorter, managable lengths. Alternatively, cut bundle in half. Break into small bunches and place into boiling water, leave it until noodle soft then drain it.