Introducing Eva

Eva has loved cooking ever since she was young. Though her family’s roots can be traced back to Java, Eva grew up in Lampung, Indonesia, where the fertile land is optimum for coffee and coconut plantations, and perfect for growing herbs and spices at home. Working with food on a professional level, Eva has honed her skills over the years, paying close attention to ingredients, textures, and flavours.

“I love cooking at home, and I do most of the time. Some weekends, my friends come over to ours and we enjoy home-cooked meals together,” says Eva. “For us, soto ayam is comfort food. My husband, Geoff, loves this dish too,” she shares. Eva, Geoff, and their two children, Gabriel and Azeliz, live in the green valley of Yung Shue Long on Lamma Island.

Soto ayam overview

Soto ayam directly translates to ‘chicken soup’ – a traditional Indonesian noodle soup popular in warungs (small local eateries or cafés). These delicious bowls of soup are put together individually, combining the soup, shredded chicken, and garnish according to individual taste or preference.

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken, quartered
• 3 pcs curry leaves
• 6 pcs makrut lime leaves
• 1 thumb galangal
• 1 thumb temu kunci (Chinese keys)
• 1 thumb ginger
• 3 bulbs lemongrass
• cooked rice vermicelli noodles
• 1 cup vegetable oil (to fry the chicken and sauté the paste)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2l water

Paste:

• 5 pcs peeled shallots
• 6 cloves peeled garlic
• 5 pcs candlenut
• ½ nutmeg
• 1 tbsp dried coriander
• 1 tsp ground white pepper

Garnish:

• chopped spring onion
• bawang goreng (crispy fried onion)
• beansprouts
• shredded cabbage
• half a boiled egg
• kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
• sambal (homemade chili paste)
• lime

Method

1. Place chicken in a big pot with lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, curry leaves, temu kunci, ginger, salt, and 2 litres of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam and reduce heat. Cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes; you can use this time to make the paste and prepare the garnishes
2. Remove chicken from the broth and let it rest on a cooling rack or a plate with kitchen towel to absorb the broth. Discard the lemongrass and lime leaves; reserve the soup in the pot and keep on a low heat for serving
3. To make the paste, combine all paste ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse until a thick paste is formed. Add a little water if paste is too thick
4. Heat up 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a small pan. Sauté the paste until ingredients are cooked through, around 10-15 minutes. Add all of the cooked paste to the soup pot
5. Place 1 cup of vegetable oil in a wok or deep-frying pan. Fry each side of the chicken until golden brown. Once cooked, separate the meat from the bones and roughly shred it using a fork
6. Assemble the soto ayam in individual bowls; place a portion of the cooked rice vermicelli, half a boiled egg, bean sprouts, and shredded cabbage, then add the soup. Now place some chicken, spring onions, bawang goreng, and half a lime. Add some krupuk (rice crackers), and season to taste with sambal and kecap manis. Best enjoyed while still hot!