Mie Sop Ayam Medan Recipe (Medan Chicken Noodle Soup)

With many different style of chicken noodle soup in the country (depend on the region off course), this one was not the soup that I grew up thou my late dad came from this area.   Yet, I felt in love right away!

Being raised in Java island (thou my dad originally was from Medan), I wasn’t aware of this Peranakan street food until I heard from many foodies who live in Medan. Thanks to Jun of Indo-Chine Kitchen for the recipe. I still have to learn a lot about Peranakan cooking in Medan from you, Jun.

To describe this dish, it’s like describing Medan; a city where has a perfect blend of Chinese, Malay and Indian descendants in Indonesia. This chicken noodle soup has more flavour compare to the one that I used to have in Java. The aroma of cinnamon, clove, star anise, nutmeg, cardamom was flavouring the air when I cooked the broth.

For this recipe, I also recommended using green cardamom that has more flavour compare to the black one. I slightly changed some measurements to my preferably palate. I didn’t deep fry the chicken, but broiled it instead.

Mie Sop Ayam Medan
– Medan-Style Chicken Noodle Soup –
adapted from Indo-Chine Kitchen

Ingredients
Spices to be ground
15 g (about 3 cloves) garlic
50 g (about 2) shallots
1 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tbsp sea salt
3/4 cm fresh gingerroot, peeled
2 candlenuts (you may use macadamia nuts if there no candlenuts)

Whole spices for broth
1 star anise
2 cm length cinnamon stick
4 pieces cloves
1/2 nutmeg
1 -2 green cardamoms

Other ingredients
2 L water for broth
2 leg-thighs (you can add more chicken bones to have deeper chicken taste)
50 g Chinese celery (divide into two, chopped finely for condiments and the other half for broth)
2 green onions (same as above)
150 g tomato (quartered)
150 g jicama (quartered), can be substituted for carrot
150 g yellow fresh/dry egg noodles (I used fresh ramen)
150 g dried rice vermicelli
fried shallot flakes
red and white tapioca crackers (fried till fluffy)
slices of lime (optional)
sambal cabai hijau/green chilies (optional)

Methods:
In a large stock pot, boil water and add star anise, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom. Boil over high heat for 10 minutes. Lower heat to a simmer

Grind the spices till smooth using a spice grinder (or pound away with mortar and pestle). In a skillet, heat 1/4 cup of vegetable cooking oil and quickly stir fry the ground spices till turned brown, for about 5 – 7 minutes.

Add the spices into the stock pot, and throw in tomato, jicama and chicken. Turn the heat to medium. Cook for another 10 minutes or till boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer and remove the chicken breast from the broth. Add celery and spring onion to the broth

Broil chicken leg-thighs for 2-3 minutes till the skin turned brown and crunchy. Shred the chicken meat to small pieces or cube them.

Prepare the egg noodles and vermicelli by blanching them quickly with hot water for 2 – 4 minutes and drain well.

Remove the tomato, whole spices, jicama, spring onion and celery from the broth before serving.

To serve, first put cooked egg noodles and vermicelli in a deep dish or bowl. Add chicken bits and chopped celery and spring onions on top. Pour the boiling broth on top of the noodles. Add one tablespoon of sweet soy sauce and one teaspoon of tomato sauce. Sprinkle some shallot flakes and crackers. Serve with green chili sambal.

Note :
I still served the jicama and tomato on top as well.