Surinamese Javanese Style Saoto Soup (Updated)

I used to have this soup back in Holland all the time and I’ve been working on a recipe that tastes similar to the soup in that little Indonesian shop by the market. I’ve been back to Holland recently and I have to say that this one comes pretty close flavor-wise.

A few of these ingredients are sometimes tough to find here, but since there are so many- I think its OK if you skip some. The photos below show a larger quantity than the amount indicated in the recipe below because I was making it for a bigger dinner party when I took the photos.

When serving the soup I like to lay out all of the various garnishes so that people can add or omit what they like/dislike to the chicken soup.

Indonesian Saoto Soup

www.iamartsy.ca

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Course Soup

Cuisine Indonesian, Suriname / Javanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Broth:

• 3 liters water
• 600 gr chicken cut
• 5 slices galangal root laos
• 4 cloves garlic whole
• 1 onion cut in half
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 1 stalk lemon grass sereh
• 2 Indonesian bay leaves duon salam
• 2 large bouillon cubes
• 5 pieces allspice whole
• 1 tsp black and/or white pepper
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp crushed cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp galangal powder

To garnish the soup:

• 6 hard boiled eggs
• 300 gr beansprouts taugé
• 2 cups shredded cabage
• 2 string cut potatoes fried
• 1 small pack bean thread vermicelli fried (soe-on)
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 3 cups of cooked shredded chicken breast from the soup stock
• 1 stalk celery & parsley chopped

Sambal ketjap (spicy soy sauce):

• 1 pepper habanero or scotch bonnet
• 5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp sugar

Instructions

 

Broth:

• Add all of the ingredients for the broth into a large pot and being to a boil, reduce the heat till about medium and cook until the chicken is done (about half an hour).
• Remove the chicken from the soup and cook the soup for another hour or so on low heat ( the longer the better). Add salt to taste.
• Once the chicken has cooled shred the meat with your fingers or use forks (no chopper). Add the chicken back to the broth.

Garnish:

• Peel, cut, and fry the potatoes.
• Boil, then peel the eggs.
• Rinse and clean the beansprouts.
• Fry the vermicelli and the onions separately in hot oil.
• Shred the cabbage.

Sambal:

• Boil the whole pepper for a short time in the soup, scoop it out and chop it with the clove of garlic before adding some sugar and soy sauce.

Notes

To Serve:

In each soup bowl, add the soup topped one boiled egg, some beansprouts, cabbage, fried potatoes, onion/garlic, topped by vermicelli. Add some celery/parsley and if f you like it spicy, add some sambal ketjap.

You can add or omit as many of the garnishes as you like.