Soto ayam (spiced chicken soup)

Chilli soy sauce

• 1 tsp Chicken stock paste (see Tips)
• 100 g fresh long red chillies trimmed, deseeded if preferred and cut into halves (see Tips)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 5 cm piece fresh ginger peeled
• 50 g tomato ketchup
• 200 g dark soy sauce or kecap manis
• 100 g water
• 1 tbsp brown sugar to taste

Soup and chicken

• 500 g chicken breast fillets cut into quarters
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 2 ½ cm piece fresh ginger peeled
• 3 garlic cloves
• 100 g eschalots
• 50 g vegetable oil
• 1220 g water
• 2 star anise
• 8 whole cloves
• 1 tbsp Chicken stock paste (see Tips)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1500 g sticky rice cakes (Nasi impit), cut into cubes (2 cm) or 800 g vermicelli noodles, cooked (see Tips)