Check out this delicious Lithuanian recipe from Andrea Melissa (IG: @rosselinimelissa, FB: Melissa Rosselini).
Ingredients:
(Serves 3-4 people)
Ingredients for the soup:
- 1 kg of chicken breasts/any part of your choice, cleanse well
- 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, bruised and tied in a knot
- 6 makrut lime leaves
- 1 tablespoon salt, and more if needed, or instant chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 100 grams glass noodles or vermicelli
- 100 grams cabbage, thinly sliced
- 50 grams of tomato, sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped leeks
- 5 shallots, thinly sliced, sprinkle some salt, and fried in vegetable oil until golden brown
- Chili paste/sambal/crushed chillies
- Cooked white rice (optional)
Ingredients for the paste:
- Blend the spices using a small blender/food processor to create a paste:
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 10 shallots, peeled
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh turmeric (you can grill this before peeling and mince it to make some extra flavour)
- 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
- 1 pieces of 10cm dried cinnamon
- 5 pieces of cloves
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
Instructions:
- Heat the coconut oil and stir fry the spices paste, the lemon grass and makrut lime leaves. Add 1 litre of water until boiling, and add the chicken, cover it until tender for around 40 minutes. You can add the leeks at this time or later if you want a stronger taste. If you don’t like the floating spices, you can strain it.
- Boil the vermicelli for about 2 minutes.
- Put 1 scoop of rice in a bowl, add some thinly sliced cabbage+celery+tomato+fried shallot+ boiled vermicelli+ the chicken soup. You can deep fried the chicken and shred it, or just simply shred it.
- Serve with lime juice and sambal. The chicken soup is ready. In Indonesian, we call it Soto.
