I’ve been posting many Indonesian traditional dishes lately as my boy prefers to eat Indonesian food nowadays. This dish which is known as opor ayam in Bahasa Indonesia is actually a creamy chicken soup that comes in many variations. The very well-known one is creamy white chicken soup (this one is cooked without adding turmeric), then creamy yellow chicken soup (which uses turmeric), then the non-creamy ones come both in white and yellow color.

Although this dish looks a lot like soto ayam or Indonesian yellow chicken soup (I’ve posted the recipe before) the taste is different. Both dishes are using lots of herbs and spices (they are almost the same actually with only very few differences) and the broth is heavily infused with those herbs and spices. The main difference is that opor ayam (the dish which recipe I am about to share) is creamy because it uses coconut milk. The broth is also thicker compared to soto ayam.

This time, I didn’t use coconut milk but I used fiber creme which was low sugar creamer with high and soluble fiber and made from coconut oil to replace coconut milk. If you can’t find this cream, replace it with coconut milk in packets that can be bought in the supermarket.

Since I didn’t want the soup to be very thick and creamy, I only use 70 gr of creme or you can replace it with 100 ml UHT coconut milk. You can add more if you want the soup to be creamier. You can also reduce the amount of water if you want the soup to be very thick in consistency, although in my opinion the amount of water and creme used in this recipe was perfect for me you can adjust to your preference. 

One more thing, to enhance the flavor and gave a very nice and vibrant yellow color, I added saffron which is now my new favorite spice in my kitchen (but you can skip this if you don’t have saffron). I liked the flavor and the strong aroma of saffron and it really increased our appetite.

Opor ayam is commonly served during Hari Raya Puasa or Hari Raya Idul Fitri (one of the biggest and most important celebrations in Indonesia that comes at the end of the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadhan). It is usually served with lontong or Indonesian rice cake wrapped in banana leaves along with other Indonesian traditional dishes. This dish was so delicious and we loved it so much and I served it with rice and shrimp crackers and lots of fried shallots on top.

Ingredients:

1. 1 chicken (preferably kampong or free-range), cut into 8
2. 6 hard-boiled eggs
3. 2 medium-size potatoes, cut each into 8
4. 3 tbsp cooking oil
5. 5 garlic
6. 10 shallots (150 gr)
7. 5 candlenuts, stir fry without oil until fragrant and starts to brown
8. 2 tsp coriander seeds
9. 2 good pinches of saffron (skip this if you don’t have)
10. 2 tsp turmeric powder
11. 1 tsp ground caraway seeds (or substitute with ground fennel seeds) or jinten in Bahasa Indonesia
12. 1 thumb of ginger
13. 2 thumbs of galangal (In Indonesian: lengkuas), cut into thin slices
14. 2 stalks of lemongrass, take the white part only and crush
15. 5 salam or bay leaves
16. 8 lime leaves
17. 100 gr fiber creme (or replace with 200 ml instant coconut milk)
18. 1.5 L water
19. 2 tsp salt, or to taste
20. 1 tsp pepper, or to taste
21. 2 tsp sugar
22. 3 tbsp fried shallots
23. 3 handfuls kemangi or lemon basil

Method:

1. In a blender, add cooking oil, garlic, shallots, candlenuts, coriander seeds, ground caraway seeds, and ginger and process until smooth and form a paste (add oil if your blender doesn’t work well with little oil). Transfer the paste to a wok or a pan
2. Add turmeric powder,  galangal, and lemongrass to the pan and stir fry until really fragrant and the paste starts to dry (it may take 15 minutes in medium heat. Stir often so the paste doesn’t burn)
3. Transfer the paste to a large pot (you can use stovetop cooking or electric multi-function cooker and select soup menu), then add chicken, eggs, water, and all seasoning (salt, pepper, and sugar) and a pinch of saffron (if using)
4. Bring to boil then add fiber creme or coconut milk, then stir to bring to boil again (stirring will prevent the cream or milk from crumbling and breaking apart)
5. Cook in low heat and stir occasionally until the mixture is thickened and chicken starts to soften (add water if the water is reduced during the cooking process, it is not necessary to add water if you cook using an electric multifunction cooker since the amount of water will still stay the same)
6. Add potatoes and continue cooking until potatoes are soft and chicken is thoroughly cooked
7. Turn off the heat, then add fried shallots, a pinch of saffron (if using) and kemangi or lemon basil. Cover the pot for 15 minutes
8. Serve hot with rice, sambal terasi (check the recipe here)  and shrimp crackers