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Soto Banjar
Spiced chicken soup
Soto Banjar — clear Kalimantan chicken soup perfumed with cinnamon, cloves and star anise
Along the rivers of Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, breakfast often means soto Banjar eaten at a wooden riverside warung, sometimes after a dawn trip to the floating market. Unlike the turmeric sotos of Java, this broth is pale and clear, perfumed with the sweet spices that traders brought up the river centuries ago: cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and nutmeg. Shredded chicken, glass noodles, carrot and a boiled egg go into the bowl with rice cakes, and lime and a little chilli sharpen it at the table. Chef's tip: toast the whole spices in the pan for a minute before the paste goes in; it brings out their sweetness without the dusty edge of ground spice.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 2 ¼ lb bone-in chicken piecesthighs and drumsticks, or a small chicken jointed
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 1 cinnamon stickabout 5 cm
- 4 cloves
- 3 green cardamom podslightly crushed
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp salt
For the paste
- 8 shallotspeeled
- 5 cloves garlic
- ¾ in fresh gingerpeeled
- 1 tsp white peppercorns
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
To serve
- 10 ½ oz ketupat or lontong rice cakessliced, or steamed rice
- 2 ⅞ oz mung bean vermicelli
- 1 carrotthinly sliced
- 4 eggsduck or hen
- 2 limescut into wedges
- 1 handful Chinese celery leaves (optional)chopped
- 3 tbsp fried shallots (optional)
- 4 tbsp chilli sambal (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Blend 8 shallots, 5 cloves garlic, ¾ in fresh ginger and 1 tsp white peppercorns to a smooth paste.
3 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over a medium-low heat. Add 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 1 star anise and 3 green cardamom pods and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
1 minStep 3: Add the paste and fry for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until pale gold and sweet-smelling. Go easy on the cloves: too many make the broth taste medicinal.
6 minStep 4: Add 2 ¼ lb bone-in chicken pieces and 8 ¼ cups water, using a separate board for raw chicken. Bring to the boil over a high heat and skim off the foam.
8 minStep 5: Simmer very gently, half covered, for 35 minutes so the broth stays clear. The chicken is done when the thickest part reads 165°F (165 °F) and the juices run clear.
35 minStep 6: Meanwhile, boil 4 eggs for 9 minutes, cool in cold water, peel and halve. Soak 2 ⅞ oz mung bean vermicelli in just-boiled water for 5 minutes and drain.
10 minStep 7: Lift the chicken out, shred the meat and discard skin and bones. Add ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, 2 tsp salt and 1 carrot to the broth and simmer for 5 minutes until the carrot is just tender.
5 minStep 8: Arrange 10 ½ oz ketupat or lontong rice cakes, vermicelli, chicken and egg in bowls and ladle over the hot broth with some carrot. Top with 1 handful Chinese celery leaves and 3 tbsp fried shallots and serve with 2 limes and 4 tbsp chilli sambal.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does soto Banjar take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
- What can I use instead of cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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