During my two years spent in Indonesia, nothing I ate compared to a good bowl of soto ayam, literally, chicken soup. It varies across the country, but everywhere I went it seemed so hopelessly complex that I never tried to make it. It involved using a mortar and pestle while seated to mash garlic and turmeric root to a smooth paste, and then again to make the sambal chili sauce which had ingredients like candle nuts and birds-eye chilis quickly deep fried beforehand. One woman who showed me how to make the soup insisted that a whole chicken had to be deep friend before the cooking could even begin. She also told me that celery leaf was an important spice, though I find that it tastes just fine without it. In Indonesia, celery is an herb and it's hard to find stalks wide enough to spread peanut butter on.

With all that work, I figured I would never be making soto ayam. Recently, though, I discovered that this delicious, warming soup turns out just fine without all the steps. This recipe is easier than most soups I make regularly, and it tastes just as good as the soto ayam I learned to love on the island of Java. All it requires is a simple broth and an array of condiments. It's a rather flexible recipe. Here's how it works:

Ingredients for Soto Ayam

Broth:
1 T oil (canola, vegetable)
4 cloves Garlic
1 2/2 T salt
2 T turmeric, powdered, or 1" piece of turmeric root
4 c. chicken broth (homemade or store bought)
1 sprig of celery leaf (optional)

Condiments:
cooked, shredded chicken
medium-grain white rice
rice noodles
sliced hard boiled egg
thinly sliced green cabbage
fried shallots (these can be bought in a jar at Asian grocery stores, or made by deep-frying thin slices of small red shallots or garlic)
homestyle potato chips
lime wedges
chili sauce

For the broth, pulverize 4 cloves of garlic along with about a Tablespoon and a half in a blender. Add a little water to get it going. If you can find fresh turmeric root, peel and slice into the blender and continue mixing. Turmeric stains everything, so don't do this in a plastic blender. Heat a little oil in the bottom of your soup pan and fry the spice mixture as you would for Indian food. If you're starting with raw chicken (a whole breast with skin and bone attached works nicely). Once your chicken is seared, add water, chicken broth, or a combination until you've added about 6 cups or enough to cover the chicken. Add the celery leaf if you have it, and bring to

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