'Soto': It's not just the famous chicken version<\/p>\n
Suryatini N. Ganie, Contributor\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Soto, the broth-based dish served with various tasty
\naccompaniments, is definitely one of the most popular dishes in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
The dish can be enjoyed not only at modest sidewalk stalls but
\nis also found in the array of soups mentioned on the menus of the
\ncountry's star-rated establishments.<\/p>\n
Even abroad, soto belongs to the three best known dishes of
\nthe Indonesian kitchen, along with nasi goreng (fried rice) and
\nsatay. At the forefront is soto ayam, with cubes or slices of
\nchicken mixed with other ingredients (bean sprouts, potato
\nfritters)in the soup.<\/p>\n
Soto is actually a very old dish with a distinctive spicing of
\nshallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, sometimes pepper and herbs
\nlike lemon grass. It was already mentioned in the cookery books
\non Indonesian food compiled by Dutch housewives around the turn
\nof the 19th century. Beef or water buffalo tripe was made into a
\nstock and therefore it was named saoto babat (Tripe soup).<\/p>\n
There is also the story of the special Betawi (Jakarta)
\nvariety, soto tangkar. Tangkar meaning \"bones\" or \"bony
\nleftovers\". In those times long ago, Dutch housewives made the
\nbeef stock and threw the bones away; these were collected by
\ntheir servants who in turn made a delicious and spicy soto
\nTangkar.<\/p>\n
But in World War II and pre-independence times the soto was
\neaten by younger Dutch newcomers with little else to choose from,
\nand they thus enjoyed the kind of tangkar their grandmothers
\nthrew way!<\/p>\n
Soto Ayam is only a variation of the many similar dishes
\nexisting regionally throughout the country. Soto has also many
\nregional names -- it is saoto in Central Java, coto in Makassar
\nor sroto in the southern part of Java, for example. Pronunciation
\nwill also be different; the Sundanese do not say \"soutou\" but
\n\"sotok\" a softly pronounced k at the end. Spicings also differ
\nfrom region to region, although basic items like shallots and
\ngarlic remain.<\/p>\n
There are also different opinions on the place of origin of
\nsoto ayam. Because it is sometimes called soto Madura, many are
\nof the opinion that the dish originated from the sea salt
\nproducing island off the East Java coast.<\/p>\n
\"No way,\" a friend of Madurese ethnic origin said. \"I know my
\nway in the Madurese kitchen and there is no such thing as soupy
\ndishes! Calling soto ayam a Madura soto is not correct because
\nsoto Madura is made from beef. It has to be soto Pamekasan, a
\ndish from a small town on the island, made from chicken.\"<\/p>\n
The dish was originally made by clever, business-minded
\nMadurese who settled in the nearby East Java capital of Surabaya.
\nTo make a living, they began to sell hot steaming stock of their
\ngusto on wheeled carts and small eating places.<\/p>\n
The most famous were soto Gubeng, and soto Ambengan, named
\nafter suburbs in Surabaya. Their success with soto shows the
\nculinary resourcefulness of the Madurese, who also sell satay
\naround the country in their distinctive \"uniform\" of a striped
\nred and white T-shirt and black baggy trousers all over the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
In the course of time, soto now has its equally famous
\nregional representatives. Chicken is also not a sole stock
\ningredient anymore, but there are different kinds of broth, beef
\nor goat or their tripe. The accompanying ingredients are changing
\ntoo; soto mi, with the addition of noodles and baso (meatballs),
\nshows a Chinese influence<\/p>\n
Well, what makes soto popular?<\/p>\n
\"It is practical,\" my friend, a declared soto fan, said.<\/p>\n
\"One can serve soto at breakfast as they do in eastern Java,
\nAdd some sliced lontong (boiled rice in palm-leaf packages) or
\neven a spoon or two of rice into for a nasi soto. And when you
\ndon't know what to serve guests for luncheon just make a soto,
\nadd more condiments, like boiled mungbean sprouts, slices of hard
\nboiled eggs, glass noodles. For a crunchy bite, top with some
\nkrupuk (crackers) and for those liking it hot have some sambal
\n(chili sauce).<\/p>\n
She even suggests having it as the soup before the main dish,
\neven if it's steak, in the evening.<\/p>\n
So there you have it; it really is not just the tried but true
\nsoto ayam for a discerning palate!<\/p>",
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