One of the delicious Indonesian soto (soup) made with chicken and aromatic spices and herbs and characterized by its clear soup, without coconut milk like other types of soto. Also known as Soto Ayam Lamongan. Can be made on stove-top or pressure cooker.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and place the dried bean thread noodles inside the pot and let it soak for 10 minutes or until the noodles are soft and no longer tough when you try it. Drain off the water and rinse the noodles with cold water to stop the cooking process. Cut into shorter pieces if necessary. Set aside
Soak the mung bean sprouts in hot water for 5 minutes and then discard water. Set aside
Cooking with Instant Pot:
Press saute. Add cooking oil. When it says "hot". Add the ground ingredients and spices. Stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, herbs, and pour in the water, and seasonings. Stir to mix everything
Close the lid. Turn the steam release valve to seal. Press pressure cooker, high pressure, and set timer to 25 minutes. When the timer is up, release pressure immediately and then carefully unlock the lid
Carefully remove chicken pieces from the pot and set aside. Discard the lemongrass stalks and other leaves. Have a taste of the soup, season with more salt to your taste if needed. Place the tomatoes inside the pot. Close the lid back. The residual heat will soften the tomatoes without cooking them into a mush
Cooking on the stove:
Preheat a large pot with cooking oil. Add the ground ingredients and spices. Stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, herbs, and pour in the water, and seasonings. Stir to mix everything. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer for the next 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through
Remove from the heat and carefully remove chicken pieces from the pot and set aside. Discard the lemongrass stalks and other leaves. Have a taste of the soup, season with more salt to your taste if needed. Place the tomatoes inside the pot and close the lid. The residual heat will soften the tomatoes without cooking them into a mush
Serving:
If you feel like it, you can pan fry the chicken briefly until it forms some layer of skin and then shred the meat. This is totally optional. Otherwise, when the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat.
Portion noodles into an individual serving bowl. Top with some shredded chicken meat, bean sprouts and generously ladle with hot soup. Top with halved of hard-boiled egg. Garnish with celery leaves, squirt some lime juice, and garnish with crispy fried shallots