Bubur ayam chicken broth

This recipe comes from chef Nyoman Wirata, with a fragrant chicken broth that can form the base for the popular Indonesian dish, chicken rice porridge (bubur ayam). On its own, the soto-style broth infused with ginger, galangal, lemongrass, salam leaf and other aromatics can be enjoyed as a light chicken soup, with optional toppings. It can also be traditionally paired with a simple rice porridge to form the complete bubur ayam dish.

Bubur ayam. Credit: Rob Gunn

• serves

  10

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

For the congee

• 375 g rice, washed and drained
• 4 cups (1000 ml) water
• 3 cm x 4 cm piece ginger
• 2 lemongrass stalks

For the chicken broth

• 8 chicken breasts
• 150 g ginger
• 10 g salam leaves (see Note)
• 10 g makrut lime leaves
• 50 g lemongrass
• 350 g finely chopped eschallots
• 250 g finely chopped garlic
• 200 g finely chopped galangal
• 30 g coriander seeds
• 60 g finely chopped turmeric
• 30 g salt
• 20 g sugar

To serve

• Thinly sliced spring onion, finely chopped celery leaves, crispy fried soy beans, crispy shallots, fried glass noodles, sliced egg omelette, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. To make the congee, combine the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the congee is tender and thickened.
2. Meanwhile, for the broth, place the chicken, ginger, salam leaves (see Note), makrut lime leaves and lemongrass in a second large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover, then bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce to a low simmer and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
3. While the chicken is cooking, combine the remaining ingredients in a mortar and pestle and grind to a thick paste.
4. Once the chicken has cooked through, remove it from the pan and shred the meat finely.
5. Transfer the paste to a third large saucepan and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add the chicken to the pan with the aromatic paste and stir well to combine. Pour over the chicken cooking liquid and bring to a simmer. Taste the broth and add more salt and sugar to your liking.
6. Remove the chicken broth from the heat and transfer to a teapot or heatproof jug. Serve the congee with the bubur ayam chicken broth to pour over and your toppings of choice on the side, including some of the shredded chicken.

Note

Salam leaf is a type of Indonesian bay leaf that provides a sweet and savoury aroma to Indonesian dishes. You can substitute with a mixture of curry leaves and bay leaves but note that the flavour will be slightly different. Fresh turmeric can be substituted with ½ tsp ground turmeric if fresh is not available.

Watch how to make this recipe on Episode 1 of Beyond Bali with Lara Lee.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.