Skip to main content
Epicurious
Cookbooks

Vegetarian Soto

By Patricia Tanumihardja

4.7

(3)

Peppery Turmeric Soup in a bowl being served with rice.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

This turmeric-tinged soup is a meatless version of Indonesian soto ayam, a peppery chicken soup. My mom used to slice potatoes into thin ovals and fry them into kripik (Indonesian for crisps or chips) to put on top. But now she just buys bags of chips off the shelf. The brittle potato chips complement the tender potatoes, slippery cellophane noodles, firm bean sprouts, and soft egg in the bowl. 

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    35 minutes

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

Soup:

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. minced shallot
1 tsp. ground turmeric
4½ cups (1.25 liters) low-sodium vegetable stock
1 plump stalk lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
2 makrut lime leaves (optional)
1½ tsp. fine sea salt
½ tsp. granulated sugar
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 large yellow potato, peeled and cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) cubes
2 oz. (50 g) cellophane noodles
2 large hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise
1 cup (100 g) bean sprouts or shredded cabbage, blanched
1 green onion (scallion), white and green parts, chopped
2 Tbsp. fried shallots (store-bought or homemade)
¼ cup (5 g) chopped celery leaves or flat-leaf parsley
½ cup (75 g) plain potato chips, crushed
1 large lime cut into wedges
Chile paste, such as sambal oelek
Sweet Soy Sauce (see below)

Sweet soy sauce:

2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. coconut palm sugar or 1 to 1½ Tbsp. dark brown sugar

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Fry the garlic, ginger, and shallots until aromatic, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the turmeric and cook for another 30 seconds.

    Step 2

    Pour in the stock and drop in the lemongrass and lime leaves, if using. Season with the salt, sugar and pepper. Add the potatoes and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves.

    Step 3

    While the soup is simmering, soak the cellophane noodles in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside.

    Step 4

    To serve, divide the noodles, egg halves, and bean sprouts among 4 bowls. Pour ½ to ¾ cup soup into each bowl and garnish with green onions, fried shallots, celery leaves, and potato chips. 

    Step 5

    Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges, with the chile paste and Sweet Soy Sauce in small dishes alongside.

Image may contain: Food, Dish, Meal, Noodle, and Pasta
Reprinted with permission from Farm to Table Asian Secrets: Vegan & Vegetarian Full-Flavored Recipes for Every Season © 2017 by by Patricia Tanumihardja. Published by Tuttle Publishing. Buy the full book on Amazon.
TagsSoupSoup/StewGlass NoodleNoodlePasta & NoodlesIndonesianSoutheast AsianAsianLemongrassHerbs & SpicesPotatoRoot VegetableVegetableCabbageLeafy GreensShallotTurmericMainDinnerDairy FreeVegetarianNut FreeCookbooks

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Spaghetti)
Spaghetti is a common variation in modern Thai cooking. It’s so easy to work with and absorbs the garlicky, spicy notes of pad kee mao well.
Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo & a Pat of Butter
This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.
Thai Curry Puff (Ga-ree Puff)
These flaky, crispy pastries with a curry flavored filling are a popular snack sold in street food stalls and eateries all across Thailand.
Sofrito Bolognese
An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.
Southern Thai Fried Chicken (Gai Tod Hat Yai)
This is one of the best fried chickens ever. From southern Thailand, gai hat yai is known for its crispy skin, great aromatics, and super juicy meat.
Curried Yellow Squash Soup
Creamy, bright, and wonderfully aromatic with ginger and garlic.
Smothered Italian Sausage
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
Green Curry Mussels
The mussels here add their beautiful, briny juices into the curry, which turn this into a stunning and spectacular dish.