Homestyle Indonesian Chicken Soup with Vegetables

from Periplus Mini Cookbooks by William W. Wongso and Hayatinufus A.L. Tobing

Ingredients:

½ Chicken cut into pieces

6 cups water

1teaspoon peppercorns

4-6 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium carrot, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons dried woodear mushrooms coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons dried lily buds, hard stems removed

½ cup cabbage

½ cup snow peas

2 spring onions, cut in 1 cm lengths

2 stalks chinese celery cut in lengths

8-10 hard boiled quail eggs

100 g glass noodles

1 tablespoon sweet Indonesian soy sauce

2 tablespoons crispy fried shallots

Place the chicken, water and salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 35 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, grind the peppercorns in a spice grinder until fine. Add the garlic and process to a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a small saucepan, add the spice paste and stir fry over medium heat until golden brown. Add to the soup.

When the chicken is tender, remove and cool slightly, then cut the meat into 1 cm cubes and set aside.

Add the carrot to the soup, return to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, lily buds, cabbage, snow peas, spring onion and chinese celery. Simmer for 5 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Add the reserved chicken, quail eggs, noodles and sweet soy sauce to the soup. Heat through, then serve garnished with crispy fried shallots.

I tried this recipe over the weekend. I didn't put all the veggies in though. Just carrots and cabbage and I forgot the sweet soy sauce :) Still P said it tasted good.