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1
Combine the stock, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, and shallots in a pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and hold there, uncovered, until the broth is deeply golden and fragrant — the raw edge of turmeric entirely gone. Season with salt. Strain through a fine sieve; the liquid should run a clear, bright amber.
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2
Pound or blitz the cooled krupuk to a coarse powder — not a fine dust — then pound in the fried garlic until the two are fully combined into a pale, sandy paste-powder. The koya should hold its texture when pinched: neither caking into dough nor so fine it vanishes into the broth. This is where the dish lives or dies: koya too fine collapses into mush; koya too coarse never integrates. The correct grind is reached when the powder, pressed between two fingers, feels slightly gritty but cohesive.
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3
Divide the vermicelli, shredded chicken, and halved eggs among four deep bowls. Ladle the hot turmeric broth over each bowl until the ingredients are just submerged — the broth should steam actively on contact.
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4
Sprinkle a generous mound of koya — two to three tablespoons per bowl — directly over the surface. The powder will begin to absorb the broth at the edges immediately, creating the dish's signature crunchy-soupy border. Finish with crisp-fried shallots and spring onion. Serve at once with lime wedges alongside; the textural contrast between the still-dry centre of the koya and the broth-soaked edge should be perceptible in the first spoonful.