Thai Chicken noodle soup

It seems to be instinctive in a lot of cultures that if you feel sick or unwell you eat soup.

I remember landing in Bangkok last year at 4am in the morning. I’d just had a sleepless overnight flight from Sri Lankda and by the time I got to my hostel it was 6am in the morning, dark and wet and I felt like death warmed up. Just off a main road were a few local ladies serving up hot soup on small tables and plastic chairs. Inwardly I rejoiced. I knew that if there was one thing that I needed right then, it was soup. Cue a 40 baht bowl of broth, meat and rice. I knew from that first bowl I was going to love my time in Thailand.

This recipe is from another soup I had at Wat Sopharam-the Vipassana monastery in Chiang Mai. I was in the middle of a 21 day retreat so I never asked what was in it. I just remembered the flavours, what was in it, and did some digging afterward into Thai flavours etc. Here’s my homage to Monastery soup.

Monastery Soup

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

• 1 whole chicken

• 1kg chicken frames or necks. (Optional extra is chicken feet)

• 5 star anise

• 6 slices fresh ginger

• 1 stalk lemongrass, bashed and chopped

• 6 whole cloves garlic-bashed just to break peel

• Cleaned and chopped roots of coriander stems-approx 4.

• 1-2 tablespoons palm or brown sugar (palm is traditional but can be substituted)

• 4 tablespoons soy

• 1 tablespoon dark or black soy sauce

• 1 handful of white or black peppercorns

• rice noodles

• coriander, spring onion & pak choy to serve

Instructions

1. Place the chicken frames/necks and all the spices and sauces in a slow cooker or pot and cover with water-I’ll use 2-3 litres at least. Bring to the boil and scoop off the scum. Then reduce to a low simmer for 1-3 hours.

2. On a low simmer add the whole chook and cook for 60-75 minutes or until cooked. Remove the chicken from the pot, leave it to cool and rest. Once chook has rested for 30-60 minutes, carve the meat off the bones. Return the bones, carcass and wings to the stock.

3. Now cook your rice noodles and pak choy.

4. Strain stock and set aside Add to cooked noodles of choice (i use udon) and serve with sliced chicken, coriander, thai basil, fresh spring onion, and crispy spring onion, and a splash of fish sauce. Optional additions: daikon radish, fresh ground white pepper.

Notes

• Do your best to source free range or organic chicken. Cherry Tree Organics stock incredible organic meat and if you live on the Surfcoast you can order their produce through Surfcoast Wholefoods.

• The stock will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge-I store mine in glass jars and have a cup a day as a substitute for bone broth