Monday 27 July 2009

Super quick noodle soup


There are millions of types of noodle soup out there, some of them have to be made with v.specific cooking method & ingredients if you want to achieve the right / authentic / tastiest result.

But, equally, noodle soup can be great fast food and a way of using up what you've got left in your fridge. I made one the other day with some random bits n bobs i had knocking around in the fridge, so thought i'd stick the pic & general recipe up here:

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • about 500ml-1L stock - ideally a plain chicken or beef stock**
  • flavorings: couple of shallots or spring onion, clove garlic & a slice of ginger
  • pinch of white sugar
  • splash of fish sauce or light soy
  • 1 lime
  • chilli - bird's eye or long, or even dried - as many as u like (i use one bird's in the stock then more sliced in my bowl)
  • few vegetables.....e.g shitake, oyster, enoki mushrooms, spinach / pak choy / choy sum / chinese cabbage, broccoli, beansprouts, julienned carrot, radish etc etc
  • a little cooked meat and / or shredded omellete / good quality tofu / toasted peanuts or cashews
  • noodles - 2 small nests of either rice or egg noodles
  • garnish: herbs: esp coriander, mint, basil, thai basil, dill (less used but works well)...or something more unusual e.g pea shoots, vietnamese mint, pak chee farang, perilla, rice paddy herb, sliced chilli, sliced spring onion, matchsticks of fresh ginger.
**real chicken stock makes all the diff here, if you dont have you could just simmer a chicken leg gently in slightly salted water until cooked, remove leg, skim liquid and use it for stock (shredd the meat from the chicken and add later). At a push you could use a chicken stock cube /concentrate, it wont be nearly as nice, but still nice.


(Rough) Method:

  • Bring your stock to simmer - add the flavourings (optional additions here include: star anise or 2, cinamon stick, coriander root or 2, smashed lemongrass stork, torn lime leaf or 2...etc)...simmer while you get on with preparing the other components...
  • Cook your noodles separately according to packet ins...drain and divide between two bowls
  • Cook your veggies in the stock: e.g add things like spinach, small mushrooms towards the end, anything that needs longer cooking either add earlier or slice thinner
  • Throw in your meat to reheat (if using)
  • Season the soup with splash (tablespoon or two) of fish sauce or soy, pinch of sugar.
  • Divide the hot soup & veggies between the bowls (it will reheat the noodles which are waiting there)
  • Now add omelette or nuts if using
  • Sprinkle over some herbs chopped chilli (+ ginger & spring onion if using)...nice thing here is to leave more on the table for peeps to help themselves to
  • Finish with a fat slice of lime*, and leave the sugar & fish/soy sauce on the table for people to tweak their own bowls with.
*little tip: with this kind of thing, and notably with Thai curries, soups etc, lime juice should be added right at the last minute...ideally once the liquid isnt boiling anymore; if you boil lime juice it turns bitter and can ruin the taste of your curry/soup/sauce. So giving each person a 1/2 lime is ideal, alternatively squeeze the juice in to the bowl before ladling over your hot wot-not.

Andy

2 comments:

David Hall said...

Hey Andy, how's tricks? Hope the new life is sweet. Loving the broth - we adore noodle soups, especially ramens. Nice one. All the best, David

Andy said...

thanks D, have sent u an email mon ami.

Andy