Soto Ayam (Javanese Chicken Soup)

Soto or Javanese soup is so popular in Java that even in every place there has its own taste and way to serve it. For example in East Java, Soto Lamongan -named after the place near Surabaya, comes with tasty koya powder (it’s a mixture from dried shrimp and fried garlic). Meanwhile in Kudus, Central Java, they serve it with sliced fried garlic and this is really strong garlicky flavor. in Semarang not far from Kudus, Soto spiced with candle nut and often served with sate kerang (cockles on a stick). And in Jakarta, they call it Soto Betawi, it served in totally different way Soto made of beef or beef offal, cooked in a whitish cow milk or coconut milk broth, with fried potato and tomato.

There are two types of Soto based on the main ingredient: Soto Ayam (chicken Soto) and Soto Daging (beef Soto) although some places they also serve it with beef offal. Soto is not a standalone dish, it always served with rice or lontong (cooked rice in banana leave) and of course the spicy sambal.

The other typical thing in Soto, well this is actually common in almost every Javanese dishes is Kecap (sweet soybean sauce), its made of fermenting black soybean. Kecap also used in Nasi Gudeg.

The Recipe: Soto

Ingredients:

• 1/2 chicken with bones
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 5 lime leaves, crushed
• 2 eggs, boiled and peeled
• 2 medium size potatoes, cut in small cubes and fried till browned
• 3 cm ginger root, bruised
• 2 cm turmeric root, bruised
• 2 cm galangal root, bruised
• 100 ml coconut milk
• 1 tbs coriander seeds
• 1 tbs cumin seeds
• 8 shallots, peeled and chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 6 candlenuts
• 1 cup beansprouts, blanched
• 70 g cabbage, sliced thinly and boiled
• 1 1/2 tbsp sweet soya sauce
• 2 tbsp chilli sauce

Preparation:

1. Cut a medium size chicken into 4 pieces, put it a pot together with ginger and lime leaves, add 2 liter of water, then boil it for 30 minutes. During the boiling process, remove the foam that coming from chicken.
2. Take chicken out of the pot as well as the ginger and lime leaves. Slice chicken into smaller pieces and remove the bones. Keep the heat down, leave it aside meanwhile we preparing the ingredients.
3. Blend all ingredients: garlic, turmeric, galangal, chili, coriander seeds and cumin seeds add some water to help the process.
4. Fry onions with lemongrass for one minute, then add blended ingredients and fry it for two minutes. Then pour the fried ingredients into the chicken stock pot, boiled the pot for three minutes.
5. Place all condiment ingredients in a bowl and pour the hot soup over.
6. Garnished with shallots, spring onions, lime juice and sweet soya sauce kecap.
7. Serve it with rice and sambal.

Gado gado

Gado gado is a Javanese dish comprising a vegetable salad, boiled egg, tofu & tempeh (Javanese traditional soy product) served with fabulous peanut sauce dressing. Gado gado literally means ‘mixes’, which is served by mixing all ingredients together with peanut sauce dressing (may not look nice but the taste is so good).

Gado gado comes along with fabulous peanut sauce, which actually you can find also on other Javanese dishes like Ketoprak, Pecel, Karedok (different version of Gado gado) and many more.

The Recipe: Gado Gado

Ingredients:

• 200 g potatoes, sliced
• 120 g fresh spinach, chopped
• 100 g cabbage, chopped
• 50 g cauliflower florets, chopped
• 50 g beansprouts, washed
• 60 g  finger beans, chopped
• 50 g carrot, sliced
• 50 g cucumber, sliced
• 4 boiled egg
• 80 g fried tofu
• 80 g fried tempeh (optional)

Dressing:

• 110 ml vegetable oil
• 225 g peanut
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 shallots
• Small slice of shrimp paste terasi (optional)
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 450 ml water
• 1 tbsp tamarind water
• salt

Preparation for vegetables:

1. Boil the vegetables for 3-4 minutes, except the beansprouts which only need 2 minutes and potatoes for 10-15 minutes.
2. Drain each vegetable separately in a colander.

Preparation for dressing:

1. Stir–fry peanuts until light golden brown, about 4 minutes.
2. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel to cool. Pound or process peanuts until finely ground. Discard oil from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon.
3. Crush garlic and shallots in a mortar or blender and pestle with a little salt. Fry in reserved oil, about 1 minute and add chilli powder, sugar, soy sauce and water.
4. Bring ground peanuts to boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick, about 10 minutes. Don’t forget to add tamarind water.
5. Ready to served.

Traditional Nasi Gudeg

Nasi Gudeg is popular dish from Jogjakarta and also well known on entire island of Java. The dish itself called ‘Gudeg’ while most of Javanese eat rice, sometime it says Nasi Gudeg (Gudeg served with rice). This sweet flavored dish Nasi Gudeg is made of young jack-fruit cooked with coconut milk and also Javanese palm sugar. Nasi Gudeg usually served with boiled egg, stewed tofu and tempeh ala bacem and also krecek fried chili sauce  (typical ingredients in Javanese dish).

In Jogjakarta, Nasi Gudeg is easily found on almost entire street cafe ‘lesehan‘. It perhaps the best way to eat Nasi Gudeg in lesehan while enjoying traditional  Javanese singer playing gamelan instrument.

The Recipe: Nasi Gudeg

Ingredients:

• 500 g young jack-fruit
• 500 g fat bone
• 350 g bony chicken or scrawl
• 6 eggs, boiled and peeled
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 400 ml water
• 200 g Javanese palm sugar
• 10 laurel likes
• 10 small chilies
• Salt as necessary

Grinded spice:

• 18 cloves of garlic
• 6 onions
• 5 grains candlenut

Preparation:

1. Clean and wash jack-fruit, cut into smaller sized. Boil fat bone and bony chicken for a while in order to get softer meat.
2. Mix grinded spice, coconut milk, Javanese palm sugar, and salt. Stir until it is mixed.
3. Arrange jack-fruit, fat bone, bony chicken, boiled egg, laurel like, and galangale in steamed pan.
4. Pour spicy coconut milk into pan. Add some water until they are soaked.
5. Put small chilies in the top. Take out and remove when soup is getting dry.
6. Ready to served.