When it comes to winter recipes, one of my favorite dishes is a delicious fragrant Thai chicken noodle soup. There are many spices and herbs, which add aroma flavor into the soup such as star anise, cinnamon stick, ginger, and galangal. This soup can be made with chicken, beef, or pork and cook in the pot until its tender.
The bitter melon is star of the show and has been deemed a super food. It creates such a bitter flavor but also has health benefits such as lower blood sugar, lose weight, and soothe digestive disorders.
There are many types of noodles can be used including egg noodles and rice vermicelli. The beansprouts, spring onion and coriander are also added at the end of cooking for a delightful in taste and texture. I am sure that you are already hungry, so let's get cooking ka!
Ingredients: serves 6-8
8 chicken drumsticks
5 sliced fresh ginger, unpeeled
5 sliced galagal
5 star anise
3 cinnamon sticks
2 medium onions
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons palm sugar or granulated sugar
2 bay leaves
12 cups water
5 dried mushroom, sock in warm water
1.5 pounds or 2 bitter melons, cut into 1-inch and remove seed
1 carrots, sliced
egg noodles or rice noodles
2-3 cups beansprouts
3 scallions, finely chopped for garnish
Making cilantro paste:
handful cilantro stems or 3 cilantro roots
5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon whole black or white pepper
1 teaspoon whole or powder allspice
fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
pickled or preserved cabbage (Tung Chai) for garnish(optional)
Making fried garlic for garnish
7-8 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
Thai table condiments such as fish sauce, red chili flakes, lime or Thai chilies and white vinegar(prik nam som)
Directions
To make cilantro paste, in a pestle and mortar, add chopped cilantro, garlic, pepper, whole allspice , and pound together until smooth.
To make the soup, pour water into a large heavy pot, add cilantro paste, sliced ginger, galangal, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves. Add chicken drumsticks, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, and palm sugar. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim off any form that rise to the surface of the liquid with a slotted spoon. Add dried mushroom including water and whole onions.
Meanwhile, prepare bitter melons, cut the ends off and cut in half lengthwise, do not peel. Cut into about 1 inch and remove the seeds and white pith from the middle of the melon with a small spoon. Clean and add salt to brine the melon about 10 minutes. Massage the melon with the salt and clean it with cold water. Then add the melon and carrot into the pot. Simmer about 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Taste for seasonings.
To make fried garlic, add oil in a pan over medium heat. Stir in minced garlic and stir until golden brown. Pour in a small bowl.
To make the noodles, heat water to boiling, add noodles and boil uncovered about several minutes, stirring occasionally until tender. Drain noodles and add in a bowl. Sprinkle noodles with fried garlic, pickle cabbage or Tung Chai and pour the soup with chicken and veggies. Season the noodle soup with fish sauce, chili flakes, and Thai chiles with white vinegar if desired. Enjoy ka!
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