Chicken and Noodles in Spiced Broth
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The February 2010 issue of Food & Wine (an excellent magazine!) featured this as a "Healing Recipe To Fight Pain and Panic" It uses so many of the ingredients we offer, so we demonstrate it for you here. We did modify it a bit--the original recipe calls for only salt and pepper to taste, we changed that to a combination of fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar as listed below. The soup tastes spicy, rich, fills your stomach and clears your mind. A real winner.
Ingredients
For4Person(s)
Ingredients
- 1/4TeaspoonSichuan peppercorns
- 1/2TeaspoonCoarse Sea Salt
- 6 1/2CupsChicken Stock, Preferably homemade
- 2Star Anise Pods
- 1/2TeaspoonBlack Peppercorns
- 1/2Cinnamon Stick
- 13-InchStrip of Orange Zest
- 14-InchPiece of peeled fresh ginger—1 inch cut into fine matchsticks, the rest thinly sliced
- 6Shiitake Mushrooms (or any fresh mushrooms) stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
- 46-OunceSkinless, Boneless Chicken breast halves
- 3OunceBean Thread Noodles
- 1TablespoonFish Sauce
- 2TablespoonsThin Soy Sauce
- 2TablespoonsSugar
- 2Scallions, green parts only
Method for Chicken and Noodles in Spiced Broth
Soak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 20-30 minutes, covered. Remove from water, gently squeeze, and slice.
In amortar and pestle, crush the Sichuan peppercorns until fine but not powdery. Add the salt and lightly crush to combine, leaving it coarse in texture. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the stock with the star anise, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, orange zest and the sliced ginger. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over moderately low heat until fragrant and flavorful, about 20 minutes. Strain the broth into a clean pot and season with fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Add the mushrooms, cover and cook over low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Keep the broth hot.
In a large saucepan of water, poach the chicken at a very low simmer at low heat just until it is white throughout, about 18 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, pat dry and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken crosswise on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, soak the noodles in hot water until pliable, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer the noodles to the hot broth. Let stand until heated through, about 1 minute. Ladle the noodles, mushrooms and broth into shallow bowls. Top with the sliced chicken breasts, scallions and ginger matchsticks. Sprinkle the chicken with the Sichuan pepper-salt and serve.
Chicken and noodles in spiced broth
Ingredients ready