Soto Banjar (Banjarese Chicken Soup)

Ingredients:
• 1 chicken, quartered, or 800 g (1 ½ lbs) chicken pieces
• 2 liters (8 cups) water
• 125 mL ( ½ cup) milk (optional)

Seasonings:
• 12-14 shallots, peeled
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• ½ nutmeg, roughly broken, or ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cardamom pods, slit and bruised
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 5 cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

Accompaniments
• 100 g (3 ½ oz) glass noodles, soaked in warm water to soften, cut in lengths
• 1 portion Fried Potato Patties
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, havled
• 3 stalks Chinese celery with leaves, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Crispy Fried Shallots
• Sweet Indonesian soy sauce, to serve
• Light soy to sauce, to serve
• 1 portion Bird’s eye Chili Sambal

Preparations:
1. Prepare the Seasonings by grinding the shallots, garlic and salt to a smooth paste in a mortar or blender. Heat the oil in a sauce-pan and stir-fry the paste over medium heat, 1 minute. Add the nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then wrap in a small piece of muslin cloth and tie securely.
2. Put the bag of Seasonings in a large pot with the chicken and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the chicken is soft, about 45 minutes. Remove the chicken, cool, then shred the flesh. Discard the bag of Seasonings. Return the shredded chicken to the stock and add the milk, if using
3. Prepare the Bird’s eye Chili sambal and Crispy Fried Shallots
4. Reheat the soup, then divide into 4 individual serving bowls and garnish with the glass noodles, Fried Potato Patties and eggs, spring onion, celery and Crispy Fried Shallots. Ladle the hot soup into each bowl and serve with both types of soy sauce and Bird’s eye Chili sambal. Serve with rice cakes or steamed white rice.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 mins.
Cooking time: 50 mins.

Recipe By : Periplus