Saturday, November 26, 2011

Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

Only on very rare occasions does Kurt make meal suggestions. I suppose I’m lucky that most of the time he’s happy to partake in whatever meal I’m planning to concoct. So, it’s a bit of a surprise when he does mention something particular he’d like to have. A few weeks ago, he started talking about how we hadn’t gone out for pho in a long time and then suggested I should try making it or something similar. Since I probably won’t hear another food request from him for the next year, I jumped at the opportunity to deliver on this one. I remembered a soup from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table that she describes as a mix of two of her favorite Vietnamese soups: pho ga which is a clear broth soup with noodles and la sa ga which is a curried coconut milk soup. She orders both frequently at Kim Lien in Paris. The combined soup in the book brings together the chicken broth, shredded meat, and noodles with coconut milk and lots of great flavors from lime, chiles, ginger, and spices. It’s easy to prepare since the chicken poaches in the broth and coconut milk of the soup, and while it’s cooking, you can ready the noodles and garnishes.

The first step of this soup is to make a spice packet with cilantro stems, star anise, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in some cheesecloth tied with kitchen twine. I always have cilantro in my herb garden in the fall, so I picked enough stems to use and saved the leaves for a garnish. The spice packet was added to a soup pot with chicken broth, coconut milk, finely chopped onion, sliced garlic, minced ginger, and some dried chiles. The mix was seasoned with fish sauce, a little brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. It was brought to a boil, and then boneless, skinless chicken breasts were added. The heat was reduced so the soup would simmer while the chicken cooked for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I cooked some rice vermicelli, grabbed some Thai basil leaves, also from my herb garden, cut some lime wedges, and opened the bottle of chile oil. Once the chicken was cooked through, it was removed from the soup, allowed to cool, and shredded. Just before serving, I tasted the soup and added lime juice and more fish sauce. To serve, I placed some noodles and chicken in each bowl, ladled the soup into the bowls, and added garnishes.

To store the leftover soup, it worked well to place the noodles, chicken, and soup in three separate containers. That way, the noodles didn’t absorb any more liquid from the soup, and the soup could be re-heated by itself. With the spices, aromatics, chiles, coconut milk, and all the great garnishes, this soup was big on flavor. It hit all the notes Kurt was looking for in a soup, and the noodles and chicken made it a substantial meal. Now, I wonder when he’ll have another special request and what it will be.



29 comments:

  1. A delicious looking soup! Healthy, light and really enjoyable.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. Oh yes, I bet the soup is flavorful with the spice packet as the base and subsequently, the chilis, spices, coconut milk...

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  3. O that looks so incredibly good! I love Vietnamese kitchen and I love Pho soup too and this version is just perfect. Love it!

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  4. That looks delicious. That is definitely a meal I will be cooking. Great mid-week family meal.

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  5. This sounds like a killer combination! I love pho, but have never tried a coconut milk-based soup before - but I know I would just love this too =)

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  6. Gosh, that looks good. I've never tried anything like it at home, but it looks doable, Lisa. I'll see if my daughter wants to try it when next she's home.

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  7. This looks like a delicious and comforting soup with all the delights of fresh herbs and exotic spices! Finally I've a fantastic idea for using cilantro stems. You are lucky to be able to have fresh herbs through the winter.

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  8. Kurt should really take advantage of requests more often. This sounds like a terrific variant on pho! I love Thai coconut milk based soups and I love pho so how could this iteration be bad? Dorie does it again!

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  9. This looks like a wonderful combination of flavors. Sounds like he knows how to request a good recipe!

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  10. Ok wow. This looks really super. Milk soup plus pho - never thought of it but love both so I am sure this is great. Luckily, right across the street from my new place is a cash-only hole in the wall Pho cafe and it is SO good. I'm kind of relieved I don't need to make it when I want it now :D And I even took my Vietnamese brother-in-law there and it passed! Always a small victory when he approves!

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  11. Lisa, this looks amazing!! I am a huge fan of pho and coconut milk is always good for me. To combine the too is something I've never tried. Go Dorie!

    And I have to tell you, I am jealous of your luck at growing cilantro. We grow all kinds of herbs and cilantro never cooperates. I just planted another batch and my fingers are crossed;)

    -E

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  12. What a vibrant soup; a combination of aromatic spices with the comfort of coconut milk. A delicious change from the decadence of the Thanksgiving feast. Thanks for sharing another delightful recipe from Dorie Greenspan.

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  13. Hey Lisa, your Leftover Mashed is a Recipe Guessing Game on Knapkins. Think your friends can win? http://knapkins.com/guess_games/799?source=blog

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  14. I have that soup bookmarked in the book, but you beat me to it ;-)

    Everything is so appealing, although I don't have Thai basil, would probably not be able to find it in OK.

    I also love with my beloved makes a specific request, and wish he would do it more often.

    Great post, Lisa...

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  15. I had pho last night too! Best thing on a cold day.

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  16. I am not a soup person, but I've got to say, this is just stunning. It really looks very nutritious and comforting. How I'd love to come in from the cold and have a bowl of this exotic chicken soup!
    *kisses* HH

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  17. Now _this_ soups speaks to my soul. I also love both soups, so why not marry them? Have to tell you that the splash of red in the photos from the chile oil roped me in immediately. Now that it's finally getting colder here, why not bring some heat within?

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  18. that spice packet sounds extremely enjoyable in any application!

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  19. Wow! You have made Vietnamese cooking look so easy! This is absolutely yummy!

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  20. Looks amaze! Is there a recipe that I am missing. I'm a 'quantity needed' kind of recipe follower!

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  21. What a delicious looking soup. I used to be a bit scared about coconut milk in my savoury foods, but am now coming around to it after being introduced to thai cuisine.

    I like the storage instructions you provided too

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  22. I am always wondering about Vietnamese dishes how do they look and taste so light :)

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  23. The flavors sound awesome in this delicious looking soup!

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  24. yum! i've had a craving for a soup like this for a while...i think it's time to make one!

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  25. You can see how fresh and delicious this soup is going to taste! Love the bright colors in it.

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  26. At the moment, I am hacking up a lung with a bad cold. Cough, cough. Man, this restorative soup would do the trick. Maybe I can sweet talk my hubby into making me some. ;)

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  27. I am totally into this. I'll have to wait through as I was on a bit too much of a chicken and then a soup kick, so hubby is not looking to see either on the menu soon, but when he's recovered. Oh yeah!

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