Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
Not that hard, but definitely a dinner party soup.
Cut the chicken into 2cm cubes, then cook in a pan over medium heat with some olive oil until browned on all sides.
Heat oil in a large deep sided pan or non stick pot. Add onions, garlic, chillies & lemon grass. Cook stirring until the onions are soft, but do not brown.
Stir in the sambal oelek, turmeric and ginger, cook, stirring until fragrant. Add the stock and juice, simmer covered, for 10 minutes.
Add the chicken, cabbage, capsicum and coconut milk. Simmer uncovered for a further 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil a jug of water. Place egg noodles in a saucepan, and pour boiling water over them. Put saucepan on medium heat for 3 minutes; during cooking work the noodles with a fork so that they separate. Drain into a colander.
Add the noodles and spring onions to the soup. Add noodles a bit at a time to ensure that they are all separated. Regulate the amount of noodles added to achieve a 50/50 balance with the liquid.
Serve soup into individual bowls, ensuring the correct balance between noodles and liquid. Garnish with some whole coriander leaves.
Serves six to eight.
2 tbs vegetable oil
1½ medium onions chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 thin stems of lemon grass finely chopped
2 small red chillies finely chopped
1 tsp sambal olek
2 heaped tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground ginger
4 cups salt reduced chicken stock
2 tbs lime juice
300ml coconut milk (not cream)
2½ cups cooked chicken (see note)
1½ cups finely shredded cabbage
½ medium red capsicum sliced very thin
4 spring onions sliced diagonally (greens)
200g dried thin egg noodles
INGREDIENTS:
“BIG TAKE ON WHAT IS TRADITIONALLY A VERY SIMPLE SOUP.”
HEAT CAN BE ADJUSTED BY REGULATING THE CHILLIES AND/OR SAMBAL OLEK.
MAKE SURE THAT THE CABBAGE IS SHREDDED AS FINE AS YOU CAN GET IT, AS THERE IS NOT MUCH COOKING TIME INVOLVED.
I USE 50-50 BREAST AND THIGH MEAT, AS I FIND THAT USING BREAST MEAT ALONE CAN SOMETIMES BE A BIT DRY.